Yes, it’s hard to say, as most of the responses you are getting are from people who never really appreciated it. I’ll add my name to that list. Though my visits are 4-7 years ago now, I found the food to be quite boring and the inherent quality of the ingredients didn’t impress me much. Which is not to say they were of poor quality, but rather that you can purchase similar quality at farmers’ markets and specialty butchers (or even Berkeley Bowl). I will add that I’ve cooked from several of the Chez Panisse cookbooks, many of which are from 10+ years ago and found the recipes to be the same sort of good, but uninspired. The too-salty broth sounds like an error, however, as the broth is generally the best part of that sort of stew.
