Famous food haven gets even hotter
San Francisco wins new spate of Michelin stars
A perennial favourite with foodies, San Francisco has long been known as a culinary mecca. With the recent spate of stars awarded by the 2019 Michelin Guide (eight three-star restaurants, more than any other city in the U.S., including New York) confirming it the country’s fine dining capital, San Francisco’s food scene is now hotter than ever. Here’s what’s cooking.
TWINKLE, TWINKLE
Now boasting three Michelin stars is Atelier Crenn in Cow Hollow, where chef Dominique Crenn has become the first female chef in the U.S. to receive the honour. Here the cooking is inspired by summers spent in Brittany and the dining experience is elevated to an art form. In place of a menu, diners receive an original poem with lines corresponding to the dishes being presented.
If you can’t get a reservation (there are only eight tables seating 22 and reservations book up to two months in advance), try Bar Crenn next door. Evoking a 1930s Paris wine bar, the sultry space is draped in eggplant-hued velvet and low-hung chandeliers — a complete switch from its minimalist neighbour. Recently awarded its own first Michelin star, this is Crenn’s newer restaurant where biodynamic wines and “petit plats” of caviar and oysters, and Bordeaux’s famous canelés, are served late into the night. ateliercrenn.com.
ANOTHER LEVEL
Also taking food to another level is the one-Michelinstarred Taj Campton Place on Union Square. The inspired Spice Route menu will transport you to chef Srijith Gopinathan’s birthplace of Kerala. To start there is white sturgeon caviar and Dungeness crab, pumpkin fois gras brulee with sourdough crisps, and pine nut samosa with tamarind glaze served as a popsicle sticking out of a pine cone branch. This is gastronomy at its best. And these are just the starters. The first course signature Spice Pot “chaas” comes smoking in its own little clay pot, followed by Maine lobster and snow pea greens, then crusted lamb and rice pilau with cashews and almonds in yogurt broth. Divine. They had me at the amuse-bouche. tajcamptonplace.com
HOT CHOCOLATE
Dandelion Chocolate in the Mission District is one of the few places in the world actually making chocolate from the bean. Using only two ingredients, single-sourced cocoa beans and organic cane sugar, they craft small-batch chocolate bars, drinks and desserts right on site. Sit at the maker bar and watch the process, tour the factory, take a chocolate tasting or channel your inner Willy Wonka at a chocolate-making workshop. dandelionchocolate.com
TEA AT THE PALACE
Head to San Francisco’s landmark Palace hotel for its Signature Afternoon Tea service. Offered every Saturday, this tradition is enjoyed by locals and visitors alike in the spectacular Garden Court, the city’s only indoor historic landmark. The largest hotel in the world and San Francisco’s first premier luxury hotel when it originally opened in 1875, the iconic grand dame remains the oldest hotel of its size in the area and still evokes the luxury of the gilded age. Nibble delicate tea sandwiches and crumbly scones dolloped with cream and jam, under the ornate architecture of the airy domed conservatory. Pour a cup, settle in and allow yourself to be transported back in time. sfpalace.com
DOUGH-RE-MI
Tartine Bakery in the Mission District is where Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Pruiett began baking their world renowned artisanal rustic country breads and French pastries in 2002. They have now expanded to include Tartine Manufactory five blocks away, a second bakery in Seoul’s Ryse Hotel and soon-to-open Manufactory in L.A., but the original location at 18th and Guerrero is where it all started. tartinebakery.com
BAKERS AT WORK
The eponymous Boudin Bakery has been operating in the city since 1849. Watch bakers at work and tour the museum at the flagship location on Fisherman’s Wharf, home of their famous mother yeast. Be sure to stop by the Bistro for the quintessential San Francisco dish — clam chowder in a freshly-baked sourdough bread bowl. boudinbakery.com
TAKE THE CANNOLI
The best cannoli in town can be found at a smattering of bakeries in North Beach, San Francisco’s original Little Italy. There’s a debate about which is best, but Stella Pastry comes up repeatedly in search. This shop has been churning out the cream-filled pastries since 1942. You can visit the bakery on a Local Tastes of the City North Beach foodie tour, along with popular Italian delicatessens Palermo II and Molinari, and the famous Caffe Trieste, where Francis Ford Coppola wrote most of the screenplay for The Godfather. sffoodtour.com
ALL THINGS GARLIC
Stay in the neighbourhood to experience all things garlic at The Stinking Rose. Everything on the menu is made with it — even their famous garlic ice cream, which is surprisingly delicious.
thestinkingrose.com