Steak au Poivre on a Weeknight? This Streamlined Recipe Makes It Realistic
What he's known for: Working his way from Detroit to New York City and climbing the fine-dining ladder; earning a Michelin star early in his career; taking the helm at Saga after his mentor, James Kent, passed away.
The sort of elaborate, multicourse meals Charlie Mitchell cooks at Saga, in lower Manhattan, don't necessarily translate outside a restaurant kitchen. 'I cook tasting menus,' he said. But with home cooks in mind, the chef streamlined this steak au poivre recipe.
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San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
One of S.F.'s most anticipated restaurants is about to open
Once a common snack in Hong Kong, the gold coin — a skewer of stacked chicken liver and pork lard, glazed in char siu sauce and roasted — is going extinct. A rich, fatty treat composed of cast-off cuts, it was known as a proletariat dish. As diners' preferences changed, many Hong Kong restaurants stopped making it. But in San Francisco, chef James Yeun Leong Parry will revive it at his much-anticipated modern Chinese restaurant, the Happy Crane, opening Aug. 8 at 451 Gough St. His golden coin will look different: chicken liver mousse and thin slices of melty, slow-cooked coppa perched atop a house-made bao with pickled ginger and chives. 'A lot of my inspiration comes from humble ingredients or humble dishes and those techniques, I feel, are dying,' Parry said. Parry, a fine dining chef known for his popular Happy Crane popup, hopes to at once preserve traditional Chinese foodways, and interpret them for a new generation. Born in England but raised in Hong Kong, Parry went on to work at Corey Lee's three-Michelin-star Benu in San Francisco, as well as Michelin-starred restaurants in Hong Kong. The Happy Crane is equipped with a hulking, super-hot duck oven to prepare whole Peking-style birds. A stone mill will be used to grind fresh rice for cheung fun, or rice noodle rolls. Parry added a wok station to the kitchen of the prominent corner space in Hayes Valley, last occupied by Lee's French bistro Monsieur Benjamin. The menu is a la carte, though diners can opt for a $120 chef's choice dinner. Dim sum favorites like firecracker shrimp and fish-stuffed eggplant take on new forms and flavors here, the latter topped with sweet uni and Worcestershire sauce (a nod to Parry's birthplace). Braised beef shins ($19) are paired with confit artichokes, sliced to mimic the appearance of beef tendons, and an aromatic sauce made from a master stock. The rice roll ($33), which Parry said has a 'gelatinous' mouthfeel thanks to the fresh-milled rice, comes with crab and a sauce made from crab shells, butter, and shaoxing wine. The craft of siu mei, or roasted meats, is a passion of Parry's. At popups, he made char siu with pork jowl, a cut of meat more common in Hong Kong than the Bay Area, which will continue at the restaurant. The whole ducks, available by pre-order ($110), come with housemade pancakes and tian mian jiang, a thick, fermented sauce that Parry elevates with pluot juice. Parry also plans to apply the techniques of Cantonese duck to roasted Wolfe Ranch quail with lacquered skin ($41). And crispy pork belly ($45), siu yuk, gets its turn in the ripping-hot duck oven. 'Basically, it's several steps of burning the skin to get that crispy, charred flavor,' Parry said. The pork belly is finished on a Japanese charcoal grill and served with a miso hot mustard, choy sum and tomato relish. 'Particularly here in the West where labor is really tough, these traditional elements, because they're very time-consuming and very specific in terms of the craft, people are trying to find shortcuts,' said Parry. 'I understand it economically, but as a craft, I think it's really important to preserve.' Desserts pull on childhood nostalgia: seasonal frozen yogurt, which Parry grew up eating in Hong Kong, and mochi balls that channel the chocolate-hazelnut flavor of Ferrero Rocher, a typical Chinese New Year gift. Parry and Happy Crane bar manager Carolyn Kao (previously of top spots True Laurel and Good Good Culture Club in San Francisco and Oakland bar Viridian) brought in Kevin Diedrich of famed San Francisco bar Pacific Cocktail Haven to develop drinks. They play with Chinese ingredients like lychee, red bean and five-spice throughout the menu. The Rosy Dawn, one of the first cocktails recorded in Hong Kong by writer Charles H. Baker, mixes gin with jasmine, coconut-fig leaf-rhubarb cordial and cherry liqueur. Diedrich reinterpreted Pacific Cocktail Haven's popular gimlet for the Happy Crane with sakura tea, a cordial made from Japanese citrus, and dried tangerine peel bitters, a traditional Chinese seasoning. Nonalcoholic drinks and Chinese teas will also be available. General manager and advanced sommelier Justin Chin, who previously worked at San Francisco fine-dining restaurants Gary Danko, Spruce, Ju-Ni and Hina Yakitori, developed the wine list. It's largely focused on Champagne, German Riesling and Burgundy. Wines by the glass range from $16 to $37 for high-end Champagne. 'I think a lot of people think of wine as an afterthought with Chinese food,' said Chin, a San Francisco native who grew up visiting family in Hong Kong.' I think it's appropriate to showcase that wines at this level can match the food, or vice versa.' The Gough Street building with dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows has been transformed into a warm, open space filled with personal touches. Two stone mythical creature statues, given to Parry by his uncle as symbols of protection and prosperity, flank the front doors. Banquettes are made from English tweed. Parry's sister, Yolande, painted artwork in the moody bathroom and illustrations for the cocktail menu. The heart of the dining room is a 14-seat wraparound bar covered in wavy, textured layers of plaster, meant to evoke a style of traditional Chinese landscape painting. Dishes will be served on bowls and plates made by a Taiwanese artist and a local ceramicist. A large floral paper lantern hangs over a 12-seat private dining room, which will be used for general reservations when it's not booked. The Happy Crane adds to a wave of next -generation Chinese restaurants. Chef-owner Brandon Jew is often credited with leading the charge when he opened Mister Jiu's in San Francisco in 2016. Two alumni of the Chinatown Michelin-starred restaurant are now running nationally acclaimed newcomer Four Kings. The genre, Parry said, is 'starting to wake up and gather momentum with these modern versions of Chinese cuisine through different people's lenses.' The Happy Crane. Opening Aug. 8. 5-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 451 Gough St., San Francisco.
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
This Michelin-starred S.F. restaurant's quirky format made it famous. Now it's just distracting
For one glorious summer, my grandma bought season passes to Universal Studios Hollywood for my cousins and me. I became close associates with the 'E.T.' — nice guy — and visited every attraction multiple times. But that much exposure to a good thing brings downsides: The surprises of the grounds tour no longer moved me, the 'Back to the Future' ride became a high-tech arcade game. The illusion was shattered. More recently in San Francisco, I've felt a similar shift at State Bird Provisions. When it opened on New Year's Eve in 2011, State Bird set a new standard of creativity for Bay Area restaurants. Chefs Nicole Krasinski and Stuart Brioza introduced a novel dim sum-style presentation of small plates, emulsifying California's bounty with French, Italian, Japanese and Chinese flavors and technique. It earned State Bird nearly every national honor: Bon Appétit's Best New Restaurant in America, multiple James Beard awards, a Michelin star. The staff, carrying trays or pushing carts, pirouette through the dining room, tempting tables with tiny salads, gleaming riblets and potato chips with aerated dip. Steamy siu mai? Not in this building. This spirited exhibition was fun and endearing on my first visit. Now, it's my least favorite thing about the restaurant. Extra! Extra! San Francisco Chronicle critics MacKenzie Chung Fegan and Cesar Hernandez are dueling this week over one restaurant: State Bird Provisions. Don't miss Fegan's response on Friday — sign up for the Chronicle Food newsletter to make sure it lands in your inbox. The dim sum schtick feels more customary than essential, more cute than efficient, more showy than delicious. The dim sum plates can feel like a roller coaster on a day where the weather won't make up its mind; sunny and thrilling one moment, gray and dull the next. I gleefully gnawed on immaculate ribs, lacquered in a fiery, tart passion fruit sauce ($16), then puzzled over a bland wedge salad of yellowing golf ball-sized lettuces ($6). Avocados in Caesar dressing ($8), wearing a fuzzy fur coat of cheese curls, failed to delight like the cherries accompanied by a cloud of savory-sweet whipped cheese ($10). Egg tofu custard ($9)? Beautifully silky. But the burrata-capped garlic bread ($13) was dense enough to give your mandibles a workout. This aspect of the experience may be the initial draw, but it does not actually represent the restaurant's best efforts. Instead, State Bird's spoils are on the printed dinner menu. If the roving snacks are a jam session, built on and stymied by improvisation, the standard menu dishes are albums: expressive, precise, fleshed-out thoughts. Toothsome, hand-cut noodles ($30) come doused in a peppery pumpkin seed salsa macha, with an egg on top that melts into pudding. A treasure chest of a donabe ($30) contained chewy tofu cubes, ready-to-burst beans and springy mushrooms in a slightly viscous, unctuous green broth; each sip felt like a massage for my soul. The restaurant's namesake specialty is always on the dinner menu: juicy fried quail (half for $24) lording over lemony, stewed onions. These entrees are in the major leagues. The small plates are playing varsity. On one visit, I had my eye on roti with lentil hummus off the printed menu. But I abandoned that plot for a couple of dim sum bites with lower price tags. The next outing, I ordered the flaky flatbread, and I realized the gravity of my mistake. I was constantly in this conundrum of choice, where the implied ephemeral state of the dim sum compelled me to act fast or miss out like a loser. When I rejected the servers' edible propositions, I saw a flicker of defeat on their faces, and felt as though I was letting them down. Not to Penn & Teller the magic trick, but the appetizer scarcity is artificial, as you can order the dim sum items a la carte. In fact, there's a printed version of the menu, if you want to skip the tableside advertising and cherry-pick your snacks. The dining room — a veritable vortex of hors d'oeuvres — is constantly animated, if a bit chaotic. The cart and tray circulation contributes to the commotion. The lanes between tables are already tight, and traffic is stalled by servers giving neighboring tables their best Don Draper sales pitch. If you visit the facilities, be prepared to play human Tetris to get back your seat. The staff is well-informed on the menu, but their ample responsibilities can impact service: the occasional forgotten drink, a tardy entree, tables crowded with empty plates. While hordes of patrons no longer camp outside of State Bird, as they did for years, demand is still high. Prime time reservations evaporate swiftly. If you don't book weeks in advance, you're likely to only find slots past 8 p.m. Or you can try showing up early: The bar is reserved for walk-ins. I don't question State Bird's aptitude for brilliant cooking. I'm interested in seeing State Bird evolve. While the dim sum-style presentation brought the restaurant glory, today it seems to be an albatross, an inescapable presence, an unskippable ad. Noise level: Loud. Meal for two, without drinks: $75-$150 What to order: Fried quail (half for $24), pork ribs ($16) Drinks: Beer and wine. Exceptional house-made non-alcoholic drinks like shiso-yuzu soda ($9) and Raspberry Julius ($10). Best practices: Skip the dim sum-style plates. Instead, order a starter on the dinner menu like roti or pancakes and an entree like donabe or quail. Peanut milk ($4) is non-negotiable.
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
La Bastide: A Taste Of Provence, One Hour From New York City
View of the dining room from the patio at La Bastide, North Salem, New York La Bastide/ In less than a year, La Bastide by Andrea Calstier, a fine dining experience in North Salem, New York, earned a Michelin star. Such early recognition, like this, is uncommon but not surprising to those who have dined at this bespoke, six-table restaurant in northern Westchester. Chef Andrea Calstier and General Manager Elena Oliver, a husband-wife team, own the restaurant and its sister property, Cenadou Bistrot. Two perfectionists, the couple has brought their abundant talents, creativity, love of Provencal cooking, and moxie to America. North Salem (Westchester County), incorporated as a town in 1788, is only about one hour from Manhattan. But its tree-lined two-lane roads and rolling hills, punctuated by lakes, rivers and reservoirs, offer the vibe of a place much farther away from the bustling city. Soon after arriving at La Bastide, guests are led to a comfortable seating area on a stone patio outside the glass door of the dining room. The pairing of aperitifs and canapés, accompanied by views of the bucolic countryside and herb garden in the backyard, feels transportative. The intimate dining room is as picture-perfect as the outdoors. Well-spaced, round tables accommodate parties of no more than six persons each, so the room never feels crowded. 'This is a very personal space where we spend much of our time,' says Elena. 'We want our guests to feel like we are welcoming them to our home.' Careful thought has gone into the design and decor. An open kitchen on one side of the room allows guests to watch the careful final plating of each dish, while the other side features a striking, contemporary wine wall. 'The open kitchen offers an air of transparency and allows us to feel connected to our diners,' says Calstier. The chairs and tablecloths are made of fine Italian leather. The tableware includes custom ceramics by Esther Kwon and knives from blacksmith Coutellerie du Panier, from the couple's hometown in Marseille. Also featured are porcelains from Studio Matte, Belgium, and French Limoges from Jacque Pergay. The Journey From France To North Salem Elena Oliver and Chef Andrea Calstier La Bastide Chef Calstier has a noble culinary lineage. He began cooking at age 15 and trained in some of France's most esteemed Michelin-starred kitchens, including Christophe Bacquie's La Table du Castellet in Provence and L'Abbaye de la Bussiere in Burgundy. In 2017, the young chef seized an opportunity to work in the kitchen of celebrated Chef Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniel in New York City. Elena, his soulmate since high school, joined him on this foray. The chef describes the year he spent working at Daniel's as becoming 'part of a family." There, he not only honed his culinary skills but built his confidence and developed connections. It also gave him the opportunity to learn English from the brigade in the kitchen. Within a year, the couple signed a lease for a very tiny dining space and opened their own French bistro, Papilles, in the East Village. The fearless chef was only 23 then. In that small space, Elena was able to elevate her management skills, and the restaurant achieved immediate success. 'It taught us how to become proper restaurant owners,' he says. 'Learning how to hire, inspire, attract, and mentor staff is what sets chefs apart from cooks.' When a partner of Chef Boulud introduced the couple to the North Salem property, they were smitten by the area and knew it offered more possibilities than they could possibly achieve in New York City. 'The region resonated with us because it would more fully allow us to express ourselves,' says Calstier. La Bastide: Impeccable Cuisine and Service Hors d'oeuvres at La Bastide, North Salem, NY La Bastide/ After a year and a half of renovation, La Bastide opened its doors in February 2024. Although it was difficult to fill the dining room at first, perseverance, consistency and staying true to their vision helped them achieve the Michelin star that 'put the restaurant on the map.' The chef's training in classical French cooking enabled him to set aside his ego. But it allows him to innovate and create dishes that showcase the foods rather than the technique. 'We think about the customer experience at every stage of the meal,' he says. While the cuisine at La Bastide pays homage to the couple's roots in Provence, the menu is seasonal, sometimes even microseasonal, capitalizing on the rich bounty the Hudson Valley offers. The chef adapts classic Provencal recipes, including those his grandmother used to prepare, and is inspired by meeting with local farmers in the area to see what they are cultivating. 'The menu is 80% seafood, even if it is only to complement a vegetable dish, because there is so much amazing seafood on the East Coast from Maine to Long Island to New Jersey,' he says. 'In terms of high-quality products, we've never felt limited by the supply.' Currently, the restaurant offers tasting menus at two seatings, 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM, Wednesday through Sunday. Diners have the option of an additional cheese course and/or wine pairing. Sommelier David Berube, who also worked for Chef Boulud, has curated a Wine Spectator award-winning list of 600 French regional wines for the restaurant. Service is seamless, thanks to a well-trained, attentive, and knowledgeable team. From the amuse-bouche to the appetizers, and from the moment the waitstaff lifts the silver domes from the entrées in unison, every dish offers a profusion of delightful flavors presented with artistry and flair. Fabulous desserts (like the popular chocolate with goat cheese) provide the proverbial icing on the cake, leaving sweet memories of an excellent meal. Cenadou Bistrot: More Casual, But Also Not To Be Missed Welcoming bar at Cenadou The more casual, 50-seat Cenadou Bistrot is co-located in the same building as La Bastide, one floor above the fine dining restaurant. Like its sibling, its menu reflects a fusion of delectable influences from Provence and the Hudson Valley. Diners can choose from hors d'oeuvres, charcuterie, mains like Steak Frites, cheeses, and more. The room also offers views of the surrounding landscape and features a welcoming bar (with a limited bar menu). The Bistrot first opened in June 2023. Extremely popular with locals, it has even received glowing accolades from Martha Stewart, who held a holiday party there for her staff. This dining room can stand on its own excellence and only pales when compared to the elegance of La Bastide. La Bastide: A Bastion Of True Hospitality La Bastide is a truly unique restaurant, perfect for a special occasion or for making any occasion special. Many guests choose to enjoy a special dinner at the restaurant and return the following day for a more casual lunch at Cenadou. Elena is always pleased to provide recommendations for nearby boutique hotels and small inns. She aptly describes the destination as 'a perfect getaway that offers the feel of being somewhere in France.' After a visit, the most lasting impression of La Bastide, beyond the exceptional food and ambiance, is the genuine warmth, hospitality, and dedication of the owners. 'If you believe in what you want to do, you don't have to compromise,' says Chef Calstier. IF YOU GO La Bastide By Andrea Calstier 721 Titicus Road, North Salem, New York, (914) 485-1519
