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Castoro in the “Gourmet Ghetto”

Located in the heart, of what is affectionately know as the “Gourmet Ghetto” in Berkeley CA, is a restaurant known for introducing authentic, “Spanish Tapas” to the San Francisco Bay Area. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the neighborhood, it lies on the North side of Berkeley and boasts a wide variety of restaurants, cafes, bakeries and boutique shops. The neighborhood got its’ start in the late 60s with the opening of the first ever Peet’s Coffee and the now infamous Cheese Board Collective (both still in business). Shortly thereafter, Alice Waters started an American food revolution when she opened the restaurant Chez Panisse. Waters was one of the first Chefs to adopt a philosophy of fresh, local and organic food, inspired by the Provence region of Southern France. Over the years, Chez Panisse has come to be known as one of the top restaurants in the United States with reservations booked months in advance.

Directly next door to Chez Panisse is César, an open air bar known for a wide array martinis, cocktails, wines and tapas. Before meeting with Richard Mazzera (owner and founder of César) I really didn’t know anything about the history of the place but I had a feeling it would be a good fit for Castoro wines. As I began opening bottles for Richard to sample, he jumped right into the story of César and his connection with Chez Panisse. As it turned out, Richard had been the manager, or as they called it in the 60s “director of reality,” for Chez Panisse for over 30 years before opening César. The building that is now César used to be a storage building for Alice Waters and Chez Panisse, before Richard and his partners were able to convince her that the one thing the “Gourmet Ghetto” lacked, was a good old fashioned (upscale) watering hole. Since Chez Panisse only served beer and wine in a more formal setting it made perfect sense and has been a neighborhood staple ever since.

As I listened to Richard tell the story of the neighborhood and his days working for Alice, I really connected with his philosophy of good drinks and ever changing Tapas. He told me he wants César to be a place you can feel comfortable just ordering a beer or glass of wine while you read a book, or for Tapas with friends and family. If you ask me he has done just that!

César is now pouring the Castoro Cellars Reserve Viognier and Zinfandel Zinfusion (great choices). Recently my girlfriend and I had a chance to sit down for some Tapas and a glass of Viognier, and let me tell you now, it did not disappoint! The place was packed as usual and Richard was casually walking from table to table, making sure everyone was enjoying their time at César. If you find yourself in the “Gourmet Ghetto” with a thirst that needs a quenching and a hunger that needs to be tamed, this is truly the spot to be.

Till next time,

Cheers,

Luke

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