40699 Mon Oct 24 01:42:58 -0700 2005 9 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 195006 CASH ONLY. Phoenix Next Door is an interesting and unique place to hang out and enjoy a plate of fantastic pasta. Europeans would be envious of the charm of this café inside a family-run bakery and pasta shop. It shares the same space as The Phoenix Pastificio pasta shop where fresh pasta is continuously being made and customers come in and request the fresh 10” x 13” pasta sheets cut to order in four sizes: pappardelle, fettuccini, linguine and angel hair … or whatever size is needed. The plate-licking, memory-making menu is at the end This was a first visit to the shop and, even though it HAS been mentioned on Chowhound, I forgot was surprised to see the little café. It was love at first site and bite. How good does this sound … Goat cheese and herb ravioli in brown butter with sliced ‘last chance’ yellow nectarines, roasted salty-sweet walnuts, caramelized onions, wine-plumped sultanas, garlic and basil. Surprisingly it wasn’t sweet but savory, extremely rich and spicy. The warm toasted walnuts and brown butter were time-stopping, savor-the-moment great. The taste of fresh basil in the cheese filling also was so good that each bite needed to have full attention. Add to that the tart, browned nectarines and plump sultanas. Memorably good. A dish of fresh grated parmesan comes with all pasta.It seems there are off the menu things that regulars know. For example, bread is served with wonderful sweet butter. However, you can request olive oil One of the drinks is Meyer lemon juice with either still or sparkling water. The server asks if you want it with sugar in a tone that implied only wuzzies take it with sugar. Being no wuzzie, sugar was declined. The rest of today’s menu is at the end. Pasta selections change daily and rely on the freshest seasonal ingredients that are usually organic and local. The pasta is made from organic flour and organic eggs from free-range chickens. The combinations of the top-notch ingredients are clever and delicious The Phoenix Pastificio pasta and baked goods were always a favorite at the Berkeley Farmers Market. The first taste of the warm from the oven, flakey Danish remains a happy memory. . The San Francisco Chronicle wrote “The restaurant is nicely designed but not separated from the retail or pasta-production spaces, so you get a nice feeling of involvement. What you need to do is pretend you're on vacation, lunching in a small family restaurant where the chef wanders through, chatting.” Homey, comfortable, and friendly, it feels like being allowed to hang out in an Italian pasta shop with the owner’s friends and family, watching the staff makes the pasta while being fed delicious dishes. In fact, Antoine, the 11 year old son of owners Eric and Carole Sartenaer, was sitting at the counter playing a game. On the wall there is a picture of him intently playing a chess game. Two relatives or friends finished their breakfast and walked over to the big industrial sink at the back of the restaurant and washed their plates. I wondered momentarily if this was expected of everyone … personal bussing to the extreme The decade old pasta shop was opened by Eric Sartenaer who also founded Semifreddi's bakery and worked at the Cheeseboard for eight years. According to one source resumes of some of the staff who have worked at the pasta shop includes alumni of Zuni Café, Rick and Ann's and Ristorante Ecco. The café opened in January 2000. The café is pleasant. Piñatas cheerily hang from the high ceilings, the large sunny windows provide lots of light and there was some great Latin music. There is a coffee bar. The tables are EXTREMELY closely spaced. Luckily it was opening and before the crowds arrived. Is there a Bay Area restaurant that does NOT serve the pasta? It has been reported that over 300 Bay Area restaurants serve the pasta including Greens, Boulevard, Baywolf, and Lalime’s. Service can be slow only because there's a lone chef preparing everything, all of it cooked to order. The staff is busy, but friendly. Take out of lunch dishes is available. I like this place enough to take visitors, not only for its tasty food but for its European, yet distinct Berkeley vibe. About the subject. There was a sign in the window saying "Desparately seeking Meyer Lemons". The rest of the lunch menu. Yellow Bell and Habanero linguine with seared wild and farmed mushrooms, fresh English peas, Italian red onions, garlic and basil in extra virgin olive oil, finished with cow’s milk cottage cheese. Roasted red bell pepper linguine with blue lake green beans, pan-braised corn, seared white field mushrooms, Walla Walla onions, garlic and basil in extra virgin olive oil. Porcini linguine with smoked chicken, seared wild and farmed mushrooms, farm fresh okra, spring onions, hot-house tomatoes, garlic and herbs. Garlic parsley pappardelle con Bolognese Semplice – naturally-raised ground beef cooked in milk, then white wine, organic tomatoes, mirepoix, garlic, spice and basil. Basil pappardelle con Salsicce – a SPICY sauce of naturally-raised ground pork, organic tomatoes, seared and wild farmed mushrooms, mirepoix, chilies, garlic, spice and basil. Fresh Egg pappardelle con Sugo d’Agnello Forestierre – piquant sauce of naturally-raised ground lamb, organic tomatoes, caramelized fennel and onions, hot chilies, garlic, lemon grass, white wine and basil. Meyer lemon fettuccine with seared Black Tiger prawns, tender eggplant, slow-roasted tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, garlic and basil, finished with dry Vermouth. Antoine’s Special egg noodles in butter. PHOENIX PASTIFICIO 1786 Shattuck Ave. (at Francisco), Berkeley PHONE: (510) 883-0783. HOURS Pasta Shop & Bakery: Mon-Sat: 7:00 am- 8:00 pm Phoenix Next Door Cafe: Mon-Sat: 11:30 am- 2:30 Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/280435#1489833 Mon Oct 24 01:42:58 -0700 2005 0 rworange 1 195047 The cafe is charming, but I wasn't that impressed with the food. The preparations mostly have too many ingredients and the results are less than the sum of their parts. Also, there's nothing but pasta. Mon Oct 24 12:07:22 -0700 2005 195006 0 Robert Lauriston 1 195063 Greenleaf has meyer lemons. Don't they use a wholesale produce purveyor? You can spit on Chez Panisse from there, what's up with keeping seasonal flavors on the menu year-round? Mon Oct 24 12:52:28 -0700 2005 195006 0 babette feasts 2 195076 Well, you can spit on Chez Panisse from every restaurant on Shattuck. When I'm shelping around and just shopping, I don't want to go to Chez Panisse, even the cafe. Also, I enjoy the atmosphere, never saw Fanny hanging around in Chez Panisse and Alice's freinds are in a different social set. It's a nice friendly little place that serves a deliciosu pasta. Don't know about keeping flavors year round as this was my first visit. Seemed seasonal to me on this visit. Link: http://chowhound.safeshopper.com/ Mon Oct 24 13:26:45 -0700 2005 195063 0 rworange 3 195106 What I meant was more along the lines of: why is anyone in this area, in these times, trying to use out-of -season (or just barely in, as meyers are beginning to come in) produce? I think consumers here would understand that if it's not meyer lemon season, there won't be meyer lemon pasta. Wasn't suggesting that you should have gone to CP. Sorry if i wasn't clear. Mon Oct 24 15:26:02 -0700 2005 195076 0 babette feasts 4 195110 Meyers aren't just beginning to come in. Our bushes have been producing for months. Mon Oct 24 15:33:28 -0700 2005 195106 0 Robert Lauriston 5 195178 According to what others have posted previously on this board, the commercial Meyer lemons from the Central Valley have a defined season. However, as you know, the backyard trees in our more temperate coastal climate have fruit almost all year round. I suspect that the store prefers to use local fruit for quality and year-round supply. Mon Oct 24 20:32:33 -0700 2005 195110 0 Melanie Wong 6 195210 Thank you for clarifying. Tue Oct 25 00:33:43 -0700 2005 195178 0 babette feasts 5 195208 Meyer lemons are like a fruit from another planet. My tree bears fruit almost all the time. There are dark green lemons on the lower branches when there are still yellow ones up high. It's like magic and I don't want to gush too much or I'll jinx it. Tue Oct 25 00:26:15 -0700 2005 195110 0 oakjoan 2 195083 I'm a seasonal produce Nazi, I buy all of my produce at the Farmer's Market. I allow three exceptions: onions, garlic and lemons. They're just too important to not have year round. They use the Meyer lemons in their Meyer lemon pasta, which is one of their most popular flavors. Other than that, the cafe is seasonal. Mon Oct 24 13:47:00 -0700 2005 195063 0 Morton the Mousse