L I A I S O N
1849 Shattuck
Ave
Berkeley
510.849.2155
Liaison is barely two years old and has climbed to the top of the charts with
some very good French bistro cooking. The restaurant hugs the southern end
of Berkeley’s dining ghetto at Shattuck and Hearst. One of the best parts
about your dinner here is that you feel as though you are in a neighborhood
restaurant and not a see and be seen place. Owner and chef, Todd Kneiss has
had years of experience at a top Bay Area French restaurant before opening
his bistro in Berkeley. Todd was smart in offering both classic French bistro
dishes and fresh yet simply prepared California cuisine. The restaurant is
big, boisterous and works well with the open-air kitchen. This is high energy
eating; not a quiet destination for romance.
In the traditional French cooking you will find one of the best renditions
of onion soup that should be followed by steak frites. The New York strip
steak is served with a cabernet shallot butter and pommes frites with garlic
aioli. Coq au Vin is another memorable classic preparation with the chicken
braised in red wine, pearl onions, mushrooms, carrots and smoked bacon. A
side of perfectly prepared sautéed spinach with roasted garlic works
well as a shared dish for either of these dishes.
For starters, Liaison prepares mussels steamed in white wine, shallots, garlic,
spinach, parsley or you can order it with a Provencal tomato sauce. A salad
is also a good choice when eating traditional French cooking so why not start
with a Salad d’Epinard. It is baby spinach, rouquefort cheese, red grapes,
toasted pecans, sliced pears and Balsamic vinegar. For those of us who want
a smaller meal, you can order an entrée size Salad Nicoise or perhaps
a Croque Monsieur.
Bon Appetit!
M Y T O P T E N
1.
Chez
Panisse - Berkeley
2. Rivoli - Berkeley
3. Oliveto’s - Oakland
4. Chez Panisse Café
- Berkeley
5. Baywolf - Oakland
6. Citron
- Oakland
7. Soizic
- Oakland
8. Garibaldi - Oakland
9. Dona
Tomas - Oakland
10. tie:
Liaison
- Berkeley
Le Cheval - Oakland
HONORABLE MENTIONS