Picket Line to Table

Alice Waters gets a taste of the local specialty

César, the lovely Berkeley tapas bar next door to foodie temple Chez Panisse, will be closing after 24 years in business. Why? Because CP’s legendary proprietor Alice Waters, who owns the building, wants to start her own bar there.

I always liked the atmosphere at César. It has an enormous communal table, French doors that open onto the passing scene on Shattuck Avenue, attitude-free service, and a pleasingly eclectic crowd (not too many graying pony tails). The little tapas plates are tasty and the wine selections excellent. I took the younger spawn there for her first “official” drink when she turned 21.

Times change. Spenger’s, where we celebrated the YS’s graduation from Cal, closed about a year later after more than a century in business. Oscar’s, on the corner of Shattuck and Hearst, closed in 2015 after serving superb flame-grilled burgers for 65 years. It’s now a veganesque salad bar franchise. And Bette’s Ocean View Diner shuttered after 40 years (their Philly breakfast platter had the best scrapple west of Amish country).

The Bette’s closure felt inevitable: the elderly founder wanted to retire. By contrast, César’s demise feels like a dick move by Alice Waters. And the locals are not taking it well—in fact, they organized a picket line outside Chez Panisse to protest. How perfect—the foodie revolution threatens to eat its own!

Grazers of the world unite! If you want to speak truth to power you can sign the petition. The eaters united will never be defeated.