Benu is the most elusive of any dinner reservation in San Francisco in recent memory. It's space at 22 Hawthorne in SF's formerly gritty but now fully gentrified South of Market neighborhood is set back from the street through a private valet where a wall of glass frames busy chefs and assistants working in a cloud of white uniforms and stainless-steel. Two steps onto the property and still outside, a man in black interrupts with small clipboard in hand inquiring, "Do you have a reservation?" From there it's through a small Zen garden and through glass doors that open to the breeze of busy workers who seat without idle in a pristine dining room of Guggenheim-like design of sparse walls, cloth-less tables and plushy carpeted floor all by Richard Bloch - the same architect as NY's Masa and Bar Masa.
The Food
SF’s hottest restaurant comes with a resume of previous awards from James Beard to 3-stars Michelin; chef Corey Lee was chef de cuisine at French Laundry previous to opening in late August. The restaurant offers ala carte and tasting menu option ($160), the later requiring a 2.5 hour time commitment on average, creating a symphony of praising oohs and ahhs for dishes like creamy eggplant soup with semi-baked tomato, sea urchin risotto with sweet corn and black truffle, and artistically presented single lamb rack with homemade garlic sausage and cauliflower on dandelion emblazoned Korean porcelain plates. Impressive service from sommelier to waiters was honed at local restaurants like Coi and La Toque so formal you wish you’d worn a jacket at what is sure to be a Michelin-contender for years to come.
Last Word
Former chef de cuisine at Napa's French Laundry comes of culinary age at minimalist SF eatery in SOMA.
