Benu (restaurant)

Last updated

Benu
Benu (restaurant)
Restaurant information
Established2010;13 years ago (2010)
Head chef Corey Lee
ChefSeunghyun Jo
Food typeAsian-inspired New American
Rating Etoile Michelin-3.svg (Michelin Guide)
AAA Five Diamond Award (2012-2023) [1]
Street address22 Hawthorne Street
City San Francisco
State California
Postal/ZIP Code94105
Country United States
Coordinates 37°47′07″N122°23′57″W / 37.785407°N 122.399112°W / 37.785407; -122.399112
Website www.benusf.com

Benu is a three-Michelin star New American [2] [3] restaurant located in the SoMa district of downtown San Francisco opened in 2010 by chef Corey Lee, the former Chef de cuisine at the French Laundry. Benu made the list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2019.

Contents

Restaurant

Corey Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to the United States at age five. [4] Prior to opening his restaurant, he was the head chef at The French Laundry, working for Thomas Keller at both The French Laundry and Per Se for a total of nine years. [4]

At Benu, he serves a set tasting menu that features a wide variety of seafood and vegetables, a few meat courses, and some sweets. [5] Lee draws from many different cuisines, including Korean and Cantonese. [6] He states that “Benu is open to the influence of all different kinds of cultures. We have Asian influences, of course. We have Western influences. We have influences that are technique-driven. Some are flavor-driven. Some are ingredient-driven. But it accepts all those things and it defines the kind of food we serve.” [7]

Master Sommelier Yoon Ha is the restaurant's beverage director. In addition to the tasting menu, Benu offers an optional beverage pairing that includes beer, wine, and sake. The restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. [5]

Benu is housed on the ground floor of a historic building that dates the back to 1922–originally the headquarters of the San Francisco Newspaper Company. [8] Crown Point Press, an art studio, gallery, and bookstore, now owns the building and resides directly above the restaurant. [9]

In 2015, Phaidon published Benu–a collection of recipes and essays that explores the restaurant's food, influences, and collaborators–with forewords by Thomas Keller and David Chang, [10] designed by Julia Hasting.

Awards and honors

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Keller</span> American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author

Thomas Aloysius Keller is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation, notably the Best California Chef in 1996, and the Best Chef in America in 1997. The restaurant is a perennial winner in the annual Restaurant Magazine list of the Top 50 Restaurants of the World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The French Laundry</span> French restaurant in Yountville, California, US

The French Laundry is a three-Michelin-star French and Californian cuisine restaurant located in Yountville, California, in the Napa Valley. Sally Schmitt opened The French Laundry in 1978 and designed her menus around local, seasonal ingredients; she was a visionary chef and pioneer of California cuisine. Since 1994, the chef and owner of The French Laundry is Thomas Keller. The restaurant building dates from 1900 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Achatz</span> American chef and restaurateur

Grant Achatz is an American chef and restaurateur often recognized for his contributions to molecular gastronomy or progressive cuisine. His Chicago restaurant Alinea has won numerous accolades and Achatz himself has won numerous awards from prominent culinary institutions and publications, including the Food and Wine's "best new chefs" award in 1998, "Rising Star Chef of the Year Award" for 1999, "Best Chef in the United States" for 1998 and a 2003 "Who's Who Inductee" from the James Beard Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Georges</span> Restaurant in New York City

Jean-Georges is a two-Michelin-star restaurant at 1 Central Park West, on the lobby level of the Trump International Hotel and Tower, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City, named after its owner Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

Laurent Gras is a French-born chef currently living and working in the United States.

Eric Ziebold is an American chef and restaurateur with two Michelin Star restaurants in Washington, D.C., Kinship and Métier. He was executive chef at CityZen from 2004 to 2014, where he won several awards, including a James Beard Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Lee (chef)</span>

Christopher Lee is a chef who specializes in New American cuisine.

Daniel Humm is a Swiss chef and restaurant owner; he is chef/owner of Eleven Madison Park.

Missy Robbins is an American chef who has held a Michelin star at two restaurants, and a contestant on season four of Top Chef Masters. Robbins specializes in Italian cuisine and owns two Italian restaurants in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Lilia and Misi, which opened in 2016 and 2018 respectively.

Melissa Perello is an American chef, she is best known for holding a Michelin star at her restaurant Frances in San Francisco. She had previously won a star at restaurant Fifth Floor, and has won awards from both Chronicles and Food & Wine magazines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Kostow</span> American chef

Christopher Kostow is the executive chef at The Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa Valley, California. Under Chef Kostow, The restaurant was awarded three stars from the Michelin Guide in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. In 2013, Chef Kostow was awarded the James Beard Foundation Award for "Best Chef: West".

Sepia is a mid-sized, upscale restaurant run by owner Emmanuel Nony and Executive Chef Andrew Zimmerman located in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Chef Zimmerman's menu is classified as New American cuisine, and focuses on local, seasonal products. Built in Chicago's Warehouse District, Sepia was originally a print shop from the 1890s. The renovation for the restaurant, designed by Gary Lee, included putting in a custom-tile, Art Nouveau floor and hand-crafted millwork in order to enhance the historical qualities of the building. Sepia also uses vintage stemware for their tables matching the vintage interior decor of the restaurant.

Teague Moriarty is an American chef best known for holding a Michelin star at his San Francisco restaurant called Sons & Daughters. He has since opened The Square and Sweet Woodruff, also in San Francisco.

Quince is a restaurant in the Jackson Square neighborhood in San Francisco, California. Opened in 2003 by chef Michael Tusk and his wife, Lindsay, in Pacific Heights, the restaurant moved to their current location in Jackson Square, which is next door to sister restaurant, Cotogna. The Tusks partner with Fresh Run Farms of Bolinas, CA in sourcing exclusive produce for a $275 per diner tasting menu in the California tradition. The restaurant also features a global selection of caviar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominique Crenn</span> French chef

Dominique Crenn is a French chef. As of 2016, she was the only female chef in the United States to attain three Michelin stars, for her restaurant Atelier Crenn, in San Francisco. Crenn has been featured in several Food Network and other television shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In Situ (restaurant)</span> Restaurant in San Francisco, CA

In Situ was a restaurant located inside the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The concept was conceived by Corey Lee (chef), who is also the owner and chef of the nearby 3-Michelin-star-rated Benu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwame Onwuachi</span> American chef

Born November 11, 1989, Kwame Onwuachi is a Nigerian-American chef based in New York City, New York. A published author and restaurateur, he also appeared as a contestant on Top Chef in 2015. He was recognized by Food & Wine magazine, Esquire magazine, and the James Beard Foundation as "Rising Star Chef of the year" in 2019.

State Bird Provisions is a San Francisco restaurant founded by chef-owners Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriel Kreuther</span> Restaurant in New York, United States

Gabriel Kreuther is a two-Michelin-star restaurant named after its chef and owner, Gabriel Kreuther. It was initially a one-star Michelin restaurant in its opening years and was subsequently awarded two stars in 2019. The restaurant specializes in modern Alsatian food with other French, German, and American influences. Their most famous dish is a sturgeon & sauerkraut tart with a caviar mousseline smoked in applewood. The restaurant also serves multiple house breads, including a savory kugelhopf with scallions and chive fromage blanc. Relais & Châteaux and entities such as Wine Enthusiast Magazine and Wine Spectator praised their varied wine list, primarily featuring wines from France, Germany, and other countries. Along with wine, their drinks include a variety of modern cocktails and traditional drinks from the chef's home region, including schnapps. Their current wine director is Aukai Bell.

Corey Lee is a Korean-American chef and restaurateur based in San Francisco. In 2014, his flagship restaurant, Benu, became the first in San Francisco to receive three stars from the Michelin Guide, making Lee the first Korean chef to garner that accolade. In 2019, Benu made its debut on The World's 50 Best Restaurants. Lee is also a two-time James Beard Award winner, a former Food & Wine Best New Chef, and a Goodwill Ambassador to Seoul.

References

  1. ↑ https://newsroom.aaa.com/2023/05/2023-five-four-diamond-lists/
  2. ↑ "27 Best Restaurants in San Francisco". Condé Nast Traveler. September 26, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Benu and More in San Francisco". sfinsider.sfgate.com. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Goodyear, Dana. "Corey Lee: Wise Chef of the West". Food & Wine. Food & Wine Magazine.
  5. 1 2 "Menu". Benu.
  6. ↑ Lam, Francis (June 8, 2015). "The Line Between Tradition and Innovation: An Afternoon with Benu's Corey Lee". The Breadcrumb Trail. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  7. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "Benu: Corey Lee". Phaidon.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ↑ Crown Point Press
  10. ↑ "Benu". Phaidon Bookstore. Phaidon. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  11. ↑ Michael Bauer (December 26, 2012). "Benu, chef-owner Corey Lee rise to 4-star level". San Francisco Chronicle.
  12. ↑ Benu: Press
  13. ↑ "James Beard Award Winners | James Beard Foundation".
  14. ↑ "The 2019 James Beard Award Winners | James Beard Foundation".
  15. ↑ Addison, Bill (November 13, 2018). "America's 38 Essential Restaurants". Eater. Vox Media. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Benu".
  17. ↑ Gordinier, Jeff (December 27, 2019). "The 40 Most Important Restaurants of the Decade". Esquire. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  18. ↑ "The Most Important Restaurants of the Decade".
  19. ↑ Kester, Jennifer (February 18, 2020). "Forbes Travel Guide Unveils Its 2020 Star Award Winners". Forbes Travel Guide. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.