San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
How Bay Area restaurants cater to celebrity diners
Secret entrances. Special menus. The rich and famous — many of them on leave from Los Angeles — love to eat at Bay Area restaurants. But when they do, they don’t exactly dine like the rest of us. How many of us are afforded the opportunity to shield our presence from patrons slumming it in the main dining room or have delicacies christened in our honor?
Yes, it may seem like the rules don’t apply to celebrities. But there are rules nonetheless. For the many Bay Area restaurants that find themselves celebrity haunts, from three-star Michelin sparklers to greasy spoons, these protocols and doting service are the regular for very important guests.
Table for 20?
It usually starts with a call from a hotel concierge or member of a star’s entourage, said Pete Sittnick, managing partner and operator of Waterbar. The waterfront seafood restaurant along the Embarcadero has seen its fair share of stars, ranging from multiplatinum music artists to a gaggle of reality TV stars from “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” In 2010, Sittnick welcomed the franchise to shoot a scene inside the restaurant, culminating in a fight among said housewives and a storming off by Vicki “O.G. of the O.C.” Gunvalson. The table where they sat remains a fan favorite to this day.
One memorable guest from the showbiz set was Drake, who, in 2018, made a pit stop while in town. Drake had very specific requirements for where he and his entourage wanted to sit, said Sittnick. “It had to be a private area — and no one could take photos or interact with him other than our service personnel,” he said. No problem. “When we know all those details ahead of time, we can easily accommodate those requests,” said Sittnick.
Although the “Degrassi High” alumnus enjoyed his meal at Waterbar, the artist turned sour after a local news article described his evening. “Drake was very adamant about no publicity, but somehow word got out,” said Sittnick — though not through the restaurant, he insisted. Nevertheless, Waterbar received an admonishing phone call from team Drake.
On a happier mononymous musician note, Sting has returned time and again to Waterbar, Sittnick said. He once sent his limo driver to pick up food and deliver it to him at Oakland Arena where he was playing.
Over in Chinatown, George Chen, owner and executive chef of China Live, a sprawling restaurant and food emporium, often seats celebs in private rooms. Those include his 40seat Gold Mountain Lounge, decked out in soft lighting, with intimate nooks away from the eyes — and phone lenses — of ordinary patrons. Chen has hosted the likes of Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder (who, one evening at Chen’s now-shuttered Shanghai 1930, played an impromptu mini-concert on the restaurant’s piano), and Joan Chen. Michelle Yeoh and Sandra Oh, who were in San Francisco in May for a screening of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” at the Castro Theatre, were allowed up on China Live’s unfinished, yet-to-beopened rooftop deck to smoke cigarettes and snap a few shots with staff. And just a few weeks ago, he welcomed Roger Waters: The Pink Floyd musician came with a rider requesting a private room, with servers wearing masks, no photos or social media, and his own security detail. “He was very friendly,” said Chen.
But reservations are usually key for getting better accommodations. Without them, celebs seeking a private dining experience, who often come equipped with an entourage, can be out of luck. Just ask Jay-Z and Beyonce. “They called us at 11 o’clock to do a private lunch for, like, a group of 15 and 20 at noon that day,” said Sitnick, who was forced to say no. “It was gonna be too many hoops for me to jump through.”
Then again, sometimes advance reservations aren’t necessary, especially on a Monday night. In September, with only a few hours notice, Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny hauled a group of 80 friends and backup dancers to Sol Food in San Rafael, where staff welcomed him for a feast of pork chops, tostones and mofongo with shrimp.
“Pasta Pelosi”
A-listers prefer a back-door entrance. It’s in their nature. Bypassing the velvet rope not only makes celeb specimens feel special; it allows them to maneuver a restaurant space undetected.
Anna Weinberg, co-owner of Tosca Cafe, which has hosted Lady Gaga and LeBron James in the North Beach restaurant’s private dining room, has chauffeurs pull up to the back of the
restaurant to welcome guests who require discretion. The North Beach institution, which underwent a major revamp in 2013, changing from sultry dive bar to lauded restaurant, has seen a slew of stars pass through its Columbus Avenue doors over the years, from Sean Penn and the beatniks to Rudolph Nureyev and the Coppolas. During its grubbier circa-1990s years, former owner Jeannette Etheredge would sometimes leave her keys with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and tell him to lock up when he was done.
Today, Weinberg sees regular luminaries come through the doors of the 103-year-old venue. Both Mayor London Breed and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi frequent Tosca Cafe — the latter making it a regular dinner. “We have a special pasta for her, Pasta Pelosi,” said Weinberg: cacio e pepe, but made with zucchini noodles instead of traditional pasta.
A representative for Pelosi confirmed that the congresswoman “has loved Tosca Cafe for many years.” As to her position on spiralized squash, they declined to comment on the record.
This isn’t to say that every star will always get what they want. Pim Techamuanvivit, chef-owner of the celebrated Thai restaurants Kin Khao and Nari, said she can’t always give our celeb class the accommodations they demand.
“I can’t magically create a private space,” she said. Usually she’ll simply seat said celebrity and any accompanying entourage at one of her larger tables.
Presumably to boost his chances at a last-minute accommodation, Kanye West once made a reservation at Nari — under the name René Redzepi, the Danish chef and owner of Noma, perhaps the most revered restaurant on earth.
(The Chronicle reached out to the rapper legally known as Ye on social for a statement, but the singer-mogul’s direct messaging capabilities have been temporarily restricted due to antisemitic tweets.)
But, as Techamuanvivit said, West didn’t need a reservation. A semiprivate table, large enough to accommodate his party of 10, was already available. “If you book a table for your mom’s birthday or whatever, you too can have that table,” said Techamuanvivit.
She went on to note that West and his group were “all perfectly polite and ate lots of food,” although when it became clear to Nari staff that Redezepi would not be joining them, some were reportedly disappointed.
The Zuckerberg menu
Restaurants can also be too accommodating to our luminary class. The French Laundry, one of the world’s most precious and pricey restaurants, took heat in 2020 for hosting a now-infamous lobbyist’s birthday dinner at the height of COVID — with nary a mask in sight. The maskless guests included Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had just urged California residents to stay home. One day later, Mayor Breed, whose city was reeling from rife small business closures and burnt orange skies, followed suit, this time at a socialite’s party.
While the politicians’ attendance at the tony feasts raised eyebrows — resulting in a “Saturday Night Live” bit roasting Newsom — it did little damage to their political trajectories. But the Yountville restaurant, once primarily known for Thomas Keller’s exacting California cuisine, has yet to shake its newly cemented reputation of unrestricted elitism. “Dinner at The French Laundry isn’t so much dinner anymore as it is a status symbol, like macaroni and cheese served in a giant golden egg,” penned New York Times restaurant critic Tejal Rao following the rules-forthee-not-for-me supper.
In the end, the meal certainly wasn’t worth the political capital — or, as Chronicle critic Soleil Ho would argue, the price at all.
As for our tech brethren — a powerful political class of their own — they’re given special treatment depending on their status. Many restaurateurs told The Chronicle that, at times, unrecognizable tech ilk would grace their establishments with demanding service, barking their company names with abandon — and with little success.
But if you’re the programmer who helped start Facebook, the world is yours: In 2012, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan made their inaugural visit to Benu, one of San Francisco’s three-star Michelin joints, but they may have found the multicourse meal a tad too long. The busy power couple reportedly asked that chef Corey Lee speed up the 17-course tasting menu. A representative for Benu declined to comment for this story.
“Everyone waits”
What about restaurants that don’t require months-in-advance reservation? Or places where long lines are de rigueur? Often celebs will have to wait in those lines with the rest of humanity.
Mama’s on Washington Square, a North Beach mainstay since 1951, has seen the likes of Burt Lancaster, Amy Schumer and Julia Roberts wait in line for brunch. Everyone must queue, regardless of who you are, said Michael Sanchez Jr., chef and second-generation owner of Mama’s.
“There was only one time I let someone past the line,” said Sanchez. That was when a friend wanted to bring a special guest who turned out to be Ryan Seacrest. The friend and the former KTVU reporterslash “American Idol” host arrived in a limo and walked right in.
When asked what type of celebrity accommodations Swan Oyster Depot offers, chef and co-owner Steve Sancimino said: “None, everyone waits.” In its 50 years in business, the popular Polk Street seafood spot, which sees long lines extending out its doors, has given the star treatment to just one person: a family friend and loyal customer who had just turned 102 years old. Seeing the line of 20-plus people, Sancimino graciously asked the people in the queue if they’d allow his pal, who couldn’t stand, to pass since it was his birthday.
“Everyone in line agreed he could break the line. And that was the only time we allowed it to happen.”
“Drake was very
adamant about no publicity, but somehow word
got out.”
Pete Sittnick, of Waterbar, on
hosting the celebrity