By David Landis–
When it comes to the quality of food at San Francisco’s restaurants, we’re pretty much #1 in America (maybe the world). We claim such top-name chefs as Alice Waters, Dominique Crenn, Tyler Florence, Annie Somerville, Thomas Keller, and more. And our culinary stake in the ground here—not to mention all the James Beard awards—regularly rewards us with top honors.
But restaurant design? Not so much. Sure, we have the wow aquarium factor at Waterbar; the floating jellyfish chandeliers at the erstwhile Farallon; and (in the bar department), the wacky, tiki vision of Zombie Village.
I’ve always felt that perhaps our restaurants here could learn a lesson or two about how captivating restaurant design can be from our neighbors down south in Los Angeles. The quality of the food isn’t necessarily always as consistent there. But the artistic design—at places like Beauty & Essex or Tao in Hollywood or The Bazaar by Jose Andrés in Beverly Hills—immediately envelops diners in a fantastical vision and makes them feel special.
That’s about to change here. Enter one of San Francisco’s newest dining—and artistic—pleasures: Palette by Peter J. Hemsley.
Chef Hemsley’s inventiveness is an explosion at the intersection of food, art, and design. There’s a reason this new venture is called Palette. “Palette is a play on words,” explains Hemsley to me for the San Francisco Bay Times. “The palate of your mouth—and the palette of the artistic side. Spelled differently, but phonetically the same.”
Chef Hemsley recalls, “When I ventured off on my own in the restaurant world (after stints at Quince in SF, Daniel in New York, and L’Arpege in Paris, no less), it was a conscientious decision to combine my capacity for art with my cooking career. My goal was to incorporate that into a holistic experience in a restaurant like I’d never seen before. I wanted to do something unique and creative. Beyond that, it’s been a dialogue between me and the artistic community of San Francisco, searching out other artists. It’s been a journey.”
A unique journey, indeed. At Palette, you don’t find the typical glassware or tabletop setups at most restaurants. That’s because Hemsley has commissioned Berkeley glass artist Sam Shumacher to create one-of-a-kind glassware. Palette’s tabletop settings are also one-of-a-kind: the unique blue, black, and white earthen plates are from Black Wing Clay; and the flatware is the work of Oakland artisan James Austin.
Says Hemsley, “Sam is an independent glassblower out of Berkeley. We have a great rapport. We started with red and white glassware and it’s bloomed into a full set of service ware: from a shot glass to beautiful ornate wine carafes. Our wine glassware is now, I believe, competitive with the Riedels of the world. He makes them one by one. People can’t really copy what we’re doing. Chips and breakage happen like every other restaurant, but I have a relationship with Sam where, if a glass breaks, I can bring that glass back to him and he can put it back into the mix. You can’t do that with Riedel.”
He continues, “The plates are from a two-man ceramic studio, Black Wing Clay. The blue and white design was a bit of mistake. I had wanted a black and white set (to coordinate with the restaurant’s overall design). Ceramics are a process; it doesn’t always come out how you intended it. The black/white plates came out black/white/blue. But it speaks to the dialogue of Cal-Coastal, wave symbology. It works really well.”
Speaking of Cal-Coastal, why does Hemsley describe his cuisine in those terms? “Basically, we’re tremendously spoiled living where we are,” he explains. “We have proximity to the Pacific Ocean, which is an inspiration for myself and the restaurant. The coastal fog line, farms, and purveyors are straddled in that 5-mile stretch off the coastline: farmers, vintners, livestock producers, and the fish from the ocean, all from the Pacific. It’s a sense of place, where we are physically. It’s an inspiration.”
Palette’s setting is curated as if you’re in a museum. When you arrive, you see the black and white supergraphic on the outside of the restaurant that defines the space. Lounge music is playing just loud enough to exude a cool vibe but without having to speak loudly over your guest.
The outdoor parklet where we dined is itself a work of art—and an extension of the brand. I’ve never seen such a beautifully-designed and visually-inspired parklet. The barrier between diners and the street is steel, but looks like weathered bronze.
Gorgeous green landscaping adorns the “walls” of the parklet; and a black mesh that allows airflow flanks the sides and the top of the dining area. The parklet is, of course, dog-friendly with furry friends who are greeted with a special bowl of water (designed by Black Wing Clay, of course). Heat lamps, a welcome and often necessary addition for San Francisco evenings, are spaced close by.
Freshness reigns supreme at Palette, as The Gay Gourmet can attest after having visited twice. We visited once before the holiday lockdown and then again when they re-opened in April. From start to finish, the service was flawless. Servers anticipate your needs, but never hover: it’s several notches above the norm. Both times we dined, we started with a Negroni on the rocks made with Hendrick’s gin and superbly balanced, as well as the Lioco Indica still rosé wine from Mendocino County, surprisingly dry and clean—more like a Provence rosé than what we typically think of California rosés.
We splurged both times with the white sturgeon California caviar (from The Caviar Company—served imaginatively in an earthen bowl with brioche toasts and an artistic swipe of crème fraîche, shallots, black pepper, and chive. What I personally love about the California caviar (besides the fact that it’s local), is it’s not as fishy or salty as other caviars. The first dinner, my husband had the short rib cheeseburger, complete with Tillamook cheddar, pickled ramp dressing, house dill pickles, and fries (extra crispy, of course!). You’ve gotta love a fine dining restaurant that isn’t afraid to put a hamburger on the menu—and then delivers, in terms of quality and price.
For that first meal, I tried the local bay halibut with West Coast mussels, Marin Roots Farm bok choy, snow peas, and yellow curry. The halibut, perfectly cooked (juicy and tender), probably came from the sea that day because it was eminently fresh. The combination of spice, local vegetables, and mussels made for a delightful mixture where the flavors blended beautifully.
On our second visit, we again started with the caviar, equally delicious. For our second course, we split (most of the dishes are easily splittable) the Dungeness crab crostini with English pea and mint. What a delightful flavor combo, reminding us that there are only a few weeks more of our local crab season—and yes, it is also English pea season once again. For our main dish, we shared the Stemple Creek Ranch lamb meatballs. They had just the right amount of spice, Moroccan-style (like the best dishes at Mourad), served with herbed chickpeas, zhoug (a spicy cilantro sauce), Greek yogurt, and fennel.
The wine menu is extensive. New to Palette is wine director Jeremiah Morehouse, a master sommelier we knew from his days at SPQR. We chose a French Louis Michel & Fils chablis—dry and crisp with stark mineral notes—which didn’t break the bank. In addition, the cocktail program (designed by Bar Manager Trevin Hutchins) is inventive, with such offerings as the Moped (Bimini coconut gin and Japanese Bermutto), a Bangkok Babylon (rum, coconut, and lime leaf), and a Toucan (Spanish vermouth, Campari, and charred pineapple).
For dessert, both of our offerings were off the charts: we sampled a light-as-air blueberry mille-feuille with buttercream and sorrel that melted in our mouths; and we tried a scoop of the passionfruit orange sorbet with citrus peel, since passionfruit is among my favorites and always reminds me of Hawaii.
At Palette, you have several choices for dining: the first is the outdoor parklet. The second option is the gallery, which showcases a revolving art exhibition (right now, it’s a show by contemporary Chinese-Austrian artist Jun Yang ( https://www.palette-gallery.com/jun-yang ) and Korean artist You Been Kim ( https://www.palette-gallery.com/youbeenkim ). According to Palette, this show “reflects the tumult and intense emotions of the last year.” While you’re sipping a cocktail and gazing at art in a cozy, club-like setting, you can order inventive bar-bites and sit in pods with friends in a COVID-safe configuration.
The third dining option, set to open soon, is the main dining room, which will offer an elevated dining experience worthy of a special occasion. And the fourth is an intimate and very special private dining room, anchored by a live-edge wooden table.
So, what makes Palette so special? According to Chef Hemsley, “Dining out is a luxury. It’s part of urban living. I don’t want people to feel guilty about indulging. People should enjoy life. We want different people with different budgets. You might have a burger on Tuesday and caviar on Friday and once a year you do the dining experience on your birthday. (At Palette), you get the experience that you pay for—you’re the driver at our restaurant.”
Palette is located on Folsom Street near 4th Street in San Francisco’s SOMA district, near the Convention Center (at the site of the former Lulu).
Palette: https://palette-sf.com/
Bits and Bites
For beer lovers, there’s a new addition in town. The third largest craft brewer in the U.S., New Belgium Brewing, has just opened shop in Mission Bay (near Oracle Park and the new Chase Center). New Belgium Brewing won’t just have beer, however—on tap, they’ll also have “globally-inspired seasonal cuisine” under the direction of Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz. It’s a big space, with indoor seating for more than 100 guests and 60 outdoor patio seats, located at 1000a 3rd Street. And a plus for LGBTQ guests: The Human Rights Campaign has recognized the company as a “best place to work, for LGBTQ equality.” Play ball, drink beer, and be proud!
New Belgium Brewing Company San Francisco: https://www.newbelgium.com/visit/san-francisco/
Dining Out for Life San Francisco – April 26–30
Multiple restaurants are participating in this week-long effort. Many of the Castro’s restaurants—including Catch, Canela, La Méditerranée, Lookout, Starbelly, Swirl, Willkommen, the Sausage Factory, and Fable (as well as The Vault Garden downtown)—are part of the fundraiser. When you order from a participating restaurant’s Dining Out for Life menu, a portion of your bill will be donated to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
Dining Out for Life San Francisco: https://www.doflsf.org/
David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer and a PR executive. Follow him on Instagram @GayGourmetSF, on Twitter @david_landis, email him at: david@landispr.com or visit him online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com
Published on April 22, 2021
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