Shweetie and I married three years ago, in Napa, and since then, every year for our anniversary we've returned to the area for a celebratory dinner. This year, we instead decided to go to San Francisco to try Benu, Chef Corey Lee's new restaurant that opened just a few weeks ago. Since Chef Lee is most well-known for being at the helm of The French Laundry for quite a number of years, visiting his new restaurant was almost like dining at a Napa Valley restaurant, right? You following my logic, here?
Anyway, we were really sad when we heard Chef Lee had left The French Laundry, but perked up when we heard that he was opening Benu right across the bridge from us. What's even more exciting is that Benu is just as good as we had hoped it would be.
Toasted Nori Lavash to start
Food was some of the best we've had in awhile, and we gave it a 9.25. In fact, we gave the food a higher score than the last time we visited The French Laundry, shortly after Chef Lee left them, which goes to show how integral he was to their food. Anyway, several of the dishes at Benu were elegant remakes of things all Asian people have eaten, though their written names on the menu might not seem familiar. Shweetie became very reminiscent while eating these dishes, particularly the pumpkin porridge and the caramelized anchovy. We also discovered, shockingly, that we like truffles, a claim we have NEVER been able to make before, since apparently no one really knows how to incorporate them into their dishes. Usually restaurants just shave a whole slab of them on top of the dish and expect us to swoon over these hard mushroom-like nubs that taste like dirt, but not at Benu. Dude, Chef Corey Lee, you are THE MAN.
We went for the 11-course tasting menu, though there is also an option to order à la carte. Interestingly enough, there were no amuse bouche dishes to start out with, but that was fine with me, since that meant everything we ate was already written out on our menu and I didn't need to furiously take notes while the waiters were describing the amuses to us. Woo hoo!
Thousand-Year-Old Quail Egg (pictured), Lonsdale
Sea Urchin and Almond Tofu, Caviar, Sparkling Grape
Spanish Mackerel, Pain de Mie, Parsley Root, Garlic, Lemon
Eel, Feuille de Brick, Crème Fraîche, Caramelized Anchovy, Peanut, Lily Bulb, Mountain Yam and Shrimp Soufflé
Monkfish Liver Torchon, Turnip, Pear, Mustard, Brioche
"Shark's Fin" Soup, Dungeness Crab, Cabbage, Jinhua Ham, Black Truffle Custard
Pumpkin Porridge, Lobster, Black Truffle
Eight Treasure Duck
Beef Rib Cap, Matsutake Mushroom, Pine Nut, Pine Needle Honey, Mitsuba
Huckleberry Sorbet, Yogurt, Lemon Curd, Vanilla Sponge
Chestnut Custard, Cranberry, Mace Ice Cream, Arlette
Our meal was finished off with chocolates and coffee, and we were pleasantly satiated and impressed by this point. Besides the two dishes that made Shweetie swoon and ache for his long-forgotten childhood, we really loved the monkfish liver torchon. I considered licking my plate (I managed to hold back, though.) Anything with truffles in it was also delectable. We also both almost choked when eating the lonsdale. I mean, literally, when biting into them (we had both popped them whole into our mouths), the explosion of liquid made our eyes bug out. It was delicious, but just beware if you are ever served this dish.
Service throughout the evening was professional and courteous, and totally appropriate for the food and the atmosphere. It was definitely not the same as at The French Laundry, where they appear to employ mind-readers who are out to meet your every whim and fancy, though we got the impression that that wasn't the kind of angle they were going for at Benu. We gave it a 9.25.
Décor was plain and modern, bordering on sterile, but we liked the quiet serenity and the simplicity of the tables and seating. It seems like so many new restaurants these days have this trendy atmosphere about them that will seem outdated in just a few years, but Benu seems to have a timeless look. However, it could use a tiny bit of jazzing up in the dining room. The kitchen is white and immaculate and as you approach the restaurant from the street, there's a clear view into the kitchen. The courtyard outside the restaurant is also a beautiful and calm sanctuary before or after your meal. We gave the décor a 9.00.
Overall, we gave Benu a 92.25. Sorry for all the comparisons to The French Laundry, but it just can't be helped, since it IS Chef Lee's alma mater and our all-time favorite restaurant. Plus the fact that we're even comparing the two says that we consider them to be on par with one another. The French Laundry still edges out Benu in terms of service, but the food quality is pretty darn close. It'll be interesting to go back to The French Laundry and see if their food score has gone up since their new chef de cuisine has been in place for over a year now. If not, then maybe we'll just have to go back to Benu more often instead. Chef Lee, you have captivated our hearts and stomachs. Bravo.
*For a refresher on our rating system, check out this previous post.*
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