San Francisco’s Re-energized Restaurant Scene - New & Notable

The city by the Bay is enjoying a wealth of new openings from revamped classics to trendy newcomers where cocktails and creative fare are the stars of the menu.

By Tanya Henry

If the boon of restaurant openings this year is any indication of an improving economy, then San Francisco is back in the black. Along with celebrity chefs, celebrated mixologists have jumped into the game, giving libations a leading role at such newcomers as Comstock Saloon and Bar Agricole. As usual, nothing is ever dull in a town this chock-full of food lovers.

New and Notable |  Favorites | Neighborhood Finds | Bar Food

Benu

22 Hawthorne St. (between Folsom and Howard Sts.);
P: 415.685.4860
Price Range: $$$$

Chef-owner Corey Lee, who hails from The French Laundry, has launched a restaurant to showcase his personal culinary vision. Lee describes Benu’s 10- to 14-course tasting menu as “a work continually in progress, reflecting seasonality, inspiration and evolution.” This temple to fine dining is tucked away on Hawthorne Lane’s serene environs, and the food is a meditation on refined cooking at its most illuminating. Recent items include a snapping turtle veloute and langoustine, monkfish liver torchon and a caramelized anchovy gelee. Both a tasting menu and à la carte are available. 

Café des Amis

2000 Union St. (at Buchanan); P: 415.563.7700.
Price Range: $$$

This much-anticipated brasserie on Union Street delivers on all counts with its dazzling room complete with a zinc-topped bar, antique marble floors and a professional waitstaff well versed in French cuisine. The plat du mer is exquisitely fresh, and among familiar dishes like onion soup and gratins are more adventurous options including a nettle flan and beef shank terrine. The bustling hot spot can be very noisy.

Prospect

300 Spear St.;  P: 415.247.7770.
Price Range: $$$

Nancy Oakes of Boulevard fame brings a more casual concept to the sleek Infinity Towers in SoMa. Massive portions of Cal/American favorites have been replaced with Chef Ravi Kapur’s smaller plates of inventive items including a sockeye salmon with yellow corn mousseline; pork cheek and belly with ancient grains and pluot relish; and ricotta and nettle crepes stuffed with wild mushrooms. The modern room has clean lines with chocolate brown and off-white hues. Don’t miss the inspired desserts and cleverly named cocktails. (Dining room pictured to right)

Sons & Daughters

708 Bush St. (near Powell St.);  P: 415.391.8311.
Price Range: $$$

This outside-the-box restaurant atop Nob Hill is turning heads with its unexpected and experimental interpretation of California cuisine. Two local chefs have combined forces to offer their distinctive spin on what is too commonly referred to as “molecular gastronomy.” Though some plates verge on precious, a recent herb salad with quinoa, curds and whey, summer squash risotto and a vanilla panna cotta were sublime. A tasting menu for $48 is available, as is an à la carte option.

Wayfare Tavern

558 Sacramento St. (near Sansome); P:415.772.9060.
Price Range: $$$

Celebrity chef Tyler Florence has transformed the venerable downtown Rubicon space into equal parts gentleman’s club and upscale tavern. It’s bringing in an after-work crowd in droves with its dark wood, handsome décor and California/Gold Rush menu—which includes classics such as a Hangtown Fry, essentially an omelet with bacon and oysters. Menu favorites such as organic fried chicken and dried, aged New York strip steak are offered all day. The Levi clad wait staff serve up equally sturdy cocktails alongside the hearty fare.

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