Parachute
The line begins performing early in the morning, before 8, to be first in line when Parachute opens. That’s because word spread quickly about this artisan bakery which opened September 4 at the north end of the Ferry Building: that even familiar items from executive pastry chef Nasir Armar such as a plain croissant, almond croissant and pain au chocolate, all refined over weeks of arduous testing, had a sublime buttery/crunch blend that was far superior to anything else in town. Other novel or less familiar creations such as the brown butter spiced bun with a toffee glaze, vanilla + passionfruit cube (croissant pastry filled with fresh passionfruit and white chocolate vanilla crémeux), the chocolate Entremet (layers of chocolate cake, chocolate crémeux, caramel and Fleur de Sel in a Valhrona shell) are also so popular that even though the closing time is listed as 4 PM, everything usually sells out by 10.
The Events This Year In San Francisco
This sense of excitement, of a draw worth lining up for, has been missing in San Francisco the last couple of years; instead a downbeat image was projected widely on national news. But hotel occupancy numbers are up 3.7%, reflecting a major increase in conventions/business travel as well as big events drawing visitors such as the three day celebration of the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary in August, the San Francisco stop at the de Young Museum of “Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm” and the Laver Cup, co-creator Roger Federer’s team tennis, Europe versus the World competition, held in the city this past weekend. As the organizers explained, the city was a good fit for the event, held annually in cities rotating between North America and Europe, because of its top level facility, the Golden State Warriors’ stadium Chase Center, a sophisticated, tennis loving area population that hadn’t had a major tennis event in a decade, solid commercial tie-in potential and Federer’s own desire to explore a city he found intriguing with his family.
The Restaurants In The Ferry Building
The restaurant scene is especially lively with popular new openings and more on the way. Down the hall from Parachute in the Ferry Building, Nopa Fish is both a fish market and communal table spot for lunch with exceptional offerings such as a selection of silky fresh fish over sushi rice and a fried rockfish sandwich with lime, cucumber, carrot and ginger cabbage slaw, cilantro and pickled jalapeno on a milk bun created by Ferry Building neighbor Acme Bread Company. Lunette, which opened last year next door regularly has a line (it’s walk in only) for Cambodian dishes such as Kuy Teav Phnom Penh (rice noodles with shrimp and pork two ways with crispy garlic, scallions and cilantro in pork broth simmered for eight hours.)
A longtime resident, Hog Island Oyster Co., continues to draw for platters of oysters, a dense, creamy clam chowder and other seafood specialties with outdoor tables that have views of the Bay. And among the next developments, the trio behind Parachute and also the Michelin starred Sorrel, Armar, Alex Hong and Joel Wilkerson, are set to open Arquet featuring California cuisine and live fire cooking in the space next door to the bakery once occupied by Vietnamese favorite The Slanted Door. Propelled by these openings, foot traffic in the building is expected to reach pre-pandemic levels for the first time this year.
New In Demand Table: The Happy Crane
Over in Hayes Valley, The Happy Crane, which opened in August, is the most in demand table in town, a modern interpretation of Cantonese dishes from James Yeun Leong Parry, a veteran of several Michelin three star restaurants including San Francisco’s Benu. This restaurant, in the space of Benu chef Corey Lee’s former brasserie Monsieur Benjamin, has been in the works for a couple of years but Parry considers it fortunate that it came together now, when he senses the city really is on an upswing.
His dishes, though, would have drawn diners even in the worst of times for their inventiveness and delicacy while using traditional, authentic dishes as a base, influenced by his upbringing in Hong Kong, culinary training in Beijing and work in kaiseki restaurant Nihonryori Ryugin in Tokyo and whimsical, innovative Bo Innovation in Hong Kong before Benu. Among the signatures on the menu: Firecracker Shrimp with nori, shiso and mala (a spicy/numbing Szechuan pepper) glaze; Crab Rice Roll with shaoxing crab butter; crispy but extremely moist and tender quail from artisan purveyor Wolfe Ranch, Peking Duck and Charcoal “Siu Yuk” Pork Belly with miso hot mustard, choisum and tomato relish. For those who have difficulty choosing, there’s also a tasting menu, Happy As A Crane, with Parry selecting.
A Just Opened Fusion Restaurant With Its Own Social Club
In Redwood Park, in the shadow of the landmark Transamerica Pyramid, Greg Kilgore, a top chef with restaurants in Miami, has now established a beachhead here. His casual Café Sebastian opened last November; on Wednesday he opened the intimate 24 seat ama and ama Social Club, a secluded lounge hidden behind a curtain. Kilgore considers ama the culmination of his culinary journeys, combining Italian flavors with precise Japanese technique and umami additions.
That combination plays out in dishes such as “The Soft Egg” with scallop-gruyère espuma and caviar, Uni Puttanesca Agnolotti with uni fondue and cured olives and Yakitori Grilled Scallops paired with a warm N’duja & mustard green vinaigrette, Marcona almonds, and a whipped potato scented with smoked cheese. The full menu is available in the Social Club along with simpler items such as a giant meatball composed of Wagyu beef, Lobster Lumache Diavolo and an omakase board of chef selected bites. There are also DJs and pinball machines.
A Local Favorite Relocated To A Grand New Location
One new opening is a move and expansion. Crustacean is a longtime favorite started 34 years ago by 2024 California Hall of Fame inductee Helene An, celebrated for bringing her distinctive slant on the cuisine of her native Vietnam to the city. In July, it opened in an expansive Financial District location with soaring ceilings and elegant details including one-of-a-kind 18th-century carved Asian wood doors, a rose gold bar, traditional bamboo wall coverings, rose gold metal lattice artwork, Vietnamese antiques and antique mirrors. It’s still a family enterprise, though, now led by daughter Monique An and son in law Kenneth Lew going table to table checking on guests.
Most important: the recipes that attracted a devoted clientele are still on the menu, including specialties from the House of AN Secret Kitchen,™ a hidden kitchen created in the original location to shield the recipes from patrons trying to peek in and copy them. Among the favorites: AN’s Famous Garlic Roasted Dungeness Crab™ and AN’s Famous Garlic Noodles along with dishes such the tuna cigar served in a cigar box that opens with billowing smoke, King Crab and Wagyu Bánh khọt (rice flour pancakes) served atop a wooden figure and Line Caught Ginger Poached Sea Bass.
Where To Stay: 1 Hotel San Francisco With Its Restaurant Terrene
A few blocks away, steps from the Embarcadero, the restaurant Terrene at 1 Hotel San Francisco has had, since its 2022 opening, a sustainable, farm to table focus showcasing Northern California’s estimable ingredients. That focus increased when executive chef Eric Marting took over the kitchen last year, also adding vivid Mediterranean/Moroccan flavors in dishes such as Grilled Radicchio Salad with endive, compressed figs, pickled shallot, mint, basil, seed granola and sumac vinaigrette; Lamb Kefta with raita, marinated cucumbers and tomato and Shrimp Skewers with Scallion and ginger dressing.
Given the sustainable, local focus, it makes sense for it to be the main restaurant of this hotel which also stresses sustainability and nature in its design and architecture. With its reclaimed wood in floors, walls and furniture (some of it reclaimed redwood from the old San Francisco Bay Bridge), terracotta and stone accents, greenery placed liberally on the ceilings, in hallways and in planters on decks, and an herb garden on the roof, it really feels like an oasis in the countryside, not a city hotel. The 200 rooms also have a range of sustainable features guests will see—more wood and greenery, for instance-along with others they might not notice such as glassware made from recycled glass and hangers made from recycled paper. Plus, the view across to the Bay really brings the outdoors in. And given its location across the street from the Ferry Building, it’s easy to be first in line at Parachute.