Crostone Au Saumon made with smoked salmon and goat cheese, served with French country toast and roasted tomatoes
Bouillabaisse Marseillaise with saffron broth, shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, crab legs, and sea bass, served with croutons and rouille
Cafe St. Trop made with coffee ice cream, chocolate fondant pieces, chocolate sauce, a shot of espresso, whipped cream, and wafer cookie
Lemon Lavender Crème Brûlée
I finally tried La Note after hearing practically everyone I know rave about it throughout college. I visited during Berkeley Restaurant Week, which lasts until January 31st. La Note is a French restaurant that specializes in authentic Provençal cuisine. Many people I know have gone for brunch, but I opted to try it for dinner. Since the special menu for Restaurant Week didn't appeal to me, I instead ordered off their regular dinner menu, which proved to be a wise decision.
We started with Crostone Au Saumon, which is smoked salmon with goat cheese on slices of toasted French bread. Being the smoked salmon fiends that my dinner guest and I are, we really enjoyed this appetizer. I then had the Bouillabaisse Marseillaise, which came with every type of seafood you could imagine, all cooked to perfection. The broth and toast served on the side were also very flavorful. This seemingly bottomless bowl of seafood could have easily been a meal in itself. I then tried two desserts, both of which were equally delicious: the Cafe St. Trop and Lemon Lavender Crème Brûlée. The first dessert was a perfect balance of coffee and chocolate, while the latter had delicate hints of lemon and lavender.
I'm pretty sure that this was the best meal I've ever had in Berkeley. Plus, it was a lot more affordable than if you tried a stuffy French restaurant in the city. The combination of the casual, rustic ambiance and what I'm assuming is award-winning cuisine makes La Note a Berkeley staple every Francophile (or brunch fiend) should try immediately.
La Note
2377 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704
Open: Monday - Friday 8 - 2:30, Saturday - Sunday 8 - 3, Thursday - Saturday 6 - 10
Check out more posts from Berkeley.
I'm famous! Guess what my favorite meal in SF was. Hint: runny yolk's involved.
Check out more posts from Berkeley.
I'm famous! Guess what my favorite meal in SF was. Hint: runny yolk's involved.
