Berkeley on a Sunday...

[bobsdf]

any recommendations?

[Carolyn Tillie]

Chez Panisse is the obvious selection. Is there a type of food you are partial to?

If you aren't tied to Berkeley, I would suggest some Oakland restaurants; Commis, Wood Tavern, Rivoli...

[jmhayes]

Berkeley has four great major food areas; here's some of my favorites:

Gourmet Ghetto (North Shattuck): Chez Panisse (upstairs cafe, downstairs restaurant); César (tapas); Grégoire (mostly take-out upscale French-ish); Cheeseboard Collective (great "pizza", cheese and bread); and relative newcomer Corso (rustic Italian). And get a cupcake at Love at First Bite.

Solano Avenue -ish: Rivoli (California); Lalimes (Med/French); Ajanta (Indian).

West Berkeley: Cafe Rouge (California/French with meat counter attached; best burger in the East Bay); Bette's (modern California diner); O Chame (country Japanese); Picante (Oaxaca burritos and plates); Vik's (Chaat).

Elmwood (College Avenue): Shen Hua (modern Chinese); Wood Tavern (technically a few feet into Oakland); ici (ice cream).

Other standouts:

- La Note (Downtown Shattuck) for Provençal fare, especially brunch

- Kirala (South Shattuck) robata grill, sushi, good sake list

- Oliveto (Rockridge) Cal/Med, still great even after Paul Bertoli's exit

- Commis (Piedmont) Michelin 1-star with a fantastic $29 3-course dinner

Incomplete list

[bobsdf]

Chez Panisse was where I had hoped to go, but they are closed on Sunday.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[jmhayes]

- Commis (Piedmont) Michelin 1-star with a fantastic $29 3-course dinner

Gack! It's $59, with a $29 wine pairing. Sorry for the typo

Also: the NY Times has an article about Oakland Restaurants today that's worth a read.