Berkeley’s New Food Generation ~ Nicolas Boer ~ September 6, 2003
Let’s call it "Sud Park"-
a new generation of dowtown Berkeley business restaurants south of the
gourmet ghetto. My reasoning? *Sud means south in French (the best restaurants
here are French). *Sud Park evokes “South Park”- a wacky
TV show that reflects Berkeley’s stubbornly strange character.
*SUD could be an acronym for “South of University District”-
where all the action is happening. *Finally, I like Sud Park because
trying to “park” will be your biggest concern. And the farther
sud you go, the better your luck will be .... I had dinner at La Note
on Friday (it’s only open Thursday-Saturday), the night La Note
adds an accordion player to the joie de vivre. I especially enjoyed
it when he broke into a little Black Sabbath to see if anyone was paying
attention. Our party of four was happy with the food, especially with
a strawberry-rhubarb tart and the appetizers. Plates of smoked salmon
and warm goat cheese with toasts were just so French and so fabulous.
Owner Dorothee Mitrani-Bell has struck just the right note at La Note
(it opened six years ago, in a circa 1875 building), and I’m guessing
her high-value, low-stress approach is the sign of things to come. Bell
isn’t interested in starting new trends, she just wants to capture
and retain the charm of Provence. ...”When I came here, Shattuck
was nothing,” Bell says, “There’s definitely a revival.”
As for the Sud Park concept, Bell sees a few restaurants leading the
way. If their theme happens to be rustic French (reminiscent of Chez
Panisse in the Gourmet Ghetto era), so be it. Alice Waters may have
drifted a bit toward California Cuisine and away from her French roots,
but Bell is going back to the ghetto. “We’re the younger
generation,” Bell says, “We’re balancing out Alice.”