A GOURMET CORNER IN BERKELEY

Berkeley folk care about what they eat and what they drink. At the corner of San Pablo Avenue and Cedar Street are three businesses that exemplify Berkeley's passion with food and drink.

Café Fanny is a casual café, on the order of those one finds in France. It dates back to 1984 when Chef Alice Waters, said to be the one who "invented" California Cuisine, opened it as a place to serve delicious, uncomplicated food. To this day, this is what Café Fanny is all about.

Most of the seating is outdoors...there is just a bench and a standup counter inside. Yet, rain or shine, there are crowds here for Breakfast and Lunch. Order at the register and you will be called when your food is ready.

J and I stopped here today for lunch.

J chose the day's soup...a white bean with ham.




I ordered my favorite, an open faced Egg Salad on toasted Levain bread. Anchovies garnished the egg salad.



We were lucky enough to find a sunny table on a cool April afternoon.

By the way, the tables face the small parking lot that Café Fanny customers share with customers of Acme Bread and Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, the other two occupants of this "Gourmet Corner."

Acme Bread has a small shop here where people line up throughout the day for a loaf of freshly baked bread or some of their yummy pastries. Today we noticed Apple Tarts and Chocolate Croissants among the pastries. Kermit Lynch is known for the Italian and French wines that the shop personally imports.

There is a real Kermit Lynch, who divides his time between Berkeley and France. When in France, he scouts out little-known wine makers and imports wines from those that he likes. The wine shop also features a small selection of olive oil and other imported food items. Wines are displayed warehouse fashion, but be assured that any you buy will be excellent...a knowlegeable staff is always ready to help you in your selection.