Inside San Francisco's Michelin Star Dining With Chef Dominique Crenn

Forbes

25-04-2025

In a city known for its culinary innovation, three of San Francisco's most celebrated chefs came together for a rare and intimate collaboration. Chef Dominique Crenn, one of the most celebrated chefs in the world, partnered with Capital One Dining to create an experience that went far beyond the traditional tasting menu.
'When collaborating with Capital One Dining to offer their cardholders elite access into the fine dining world, we knew we had to consider San Francisco—one of the Guide's most illustrious destinations," said the anonymous Chief Inspector of the Michelin Guide North America. 'The evening's three Three Michelin-starred restaurants embody all of what the Michelin Guide aims to celebrate with effortless ease across restaurant teams, quality of ingredients and ambiance.'
For one night only, Benu, Quince, and Atelier Crenn—each a three-Michelin-starred restaurant and a reflection of its chef's singular vision—opened their doors to a selection of lucky guests for a one-of-a-kind dining journey through the heart of San Francisco's fine dining scene.
'The city's culinary landscape has evolved into a tapestry of diversity, craftsmanship, and conscious stewardship, and we are honored to contribute to that dialogue,' explains Chef Dominique Crenn. "Our work is a reflection of this evolution—eschewing convention, embracing storytelling, and forging a new path where fine dining is not only about indulgence, but about responsibility and connection.'
The event posed an intriguing question: What changes when guests move beyond the dining room and into the kitchens of Dominique Crenn, Corey Lee, and Michael Tusk, transforming fine dining into something more personal?
Chef Dominique Crenn
Daniel Seung Lee
Throughout the night, the answer revealed itself. In a world where multi-course menus and high price tags can sometimes feel overly formal and pretentious, this event showcased how precision and the utmost standards can coexist with warmth, hospitality, and genuine connection between acclaimed chefs and their guests.
As diners moved from one restaurant to the next, they were offered a rare glimpse behind the curtain, experiencing firsthand how these chefs—each at the top of their craft—make the Michelin-star experience feel personal, welcoming, and human.
The evening began at Benu, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant led by Chef Corey Lee, where meals start with a series of highly technical small bites, featuring a distinct personality and a singular marriage between contemporary Asian influences.
'Patience seems to define this kitchen in its relentless pursuit of excellence, whether that may be perfecting technique or waiting for just the right moment to serve an ingredient at its peak,' tells the excerpt on the curated menu for the evening's first stop. 'Chef Corey Lee creates imaginative dishes that convey a distinct personality and reflect a singular marriage between contemporary Asian influences.'
The menu featured seven exceptional small dishes, including highlights like the thousand-year-old quail egg, baked leek tart with sea urchin and caviar, and a charcoal grilled dry-aged cheese with tomato ssamjang and lettuces.
'At Benu, we explore how the traditional flavors that influence me can continue to evolve to offer diners a cuisine that is both truly authentic and delicious,' said Chef Corey Lee as he reflected on Benu's evolution and influence on the city's dining culture.
'When Benu opened in 2010, there were no fine dining restaurants in San Francisco offering tasting menus focused on Asian cuisine," he continued. "Now 15 years later, the city is full of them. I like to believe we're part of a larger movement in which local diners are more curious about different cuisines and are digging deeper into the ones they like."
"In return, more chefs are offering the flavors of their native cuisines, empowered with confidence that there will be an appreciation for them within San Francisco's dining audience.'
Next, guests were transported to Quince, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant led by Chef Michael Tusk, known for its ever-evolving gastronomy menu highlighting the best of the season—and which recently hosted former President Barack Obama.
'The commitment to seasonality and locality at Quince is striking, with much of the produce sourced from their partner farm,' reads the excerpt on the curated menu for the evening's second stop. 'The dinner here celebrates every season with an array of elegant presentations that highlight fresh, locally sourced ingredients.'
The menu offered three courses with highlights like the suckling pig and Pine Gulch Creek wild nettle and the Paine Farm squab with smoked beet and Perigord black truffle.
'Over the last 25 years, I've worked with suppliers to cultivate products exclusively for Quince," says Chef Michael Tusk of Quince's evolution alongside the city itself. "Our kitchen is driven by what we can find locally and seasonally and we bring in freshly harvested ingredients daily—serving oysters on the same day that Heidi Gregory pulls them from the water in Inverness and carrots hours after Peter Martinelli dusts the soil off of them in Bolinas at Fresh Run Farm.'
'For more than 20 years, Quince has changed with the city of San Francisco. We started in a small Victorian townhouse in Pacific Heights," he continues. "As Quince and the city grew, we moved to a larger space in Jackson Square and embraced the formality of fine dining. Now we're stripping back some of the trappings to make the restaurant more comfortable and accessible while maintaining our service and kitchen standards.'
Last, but certainly not least, guests were transported to their final stop: Atelier Crenn, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant led by Chef Crenn herself. Driven by her passion to create a deeply personal project, Crenn opened the restaurant as a place to express her heritage and as an ode to 'poetic culinaria."
Known as a restaurant that challenges traditional notions of fine dining, Crenn's innovative menus are designed to trigger memories, evoke emotions, and stimulate the senses, earning a third Michelin star in 2018.
'At the hands of accomplished Chef Dominique Crenn, guests have rightly come to expect a thrilling meal inside her singular atelier,' expressed the excerpt on the curated menu for the evening's final stop. 'An exclusive hallmark of dining here is the deeply hospitable and exemplary staff. Originality is the name of this culinary game, enhanced by evolution and Chef Crenn's full embrace of Californian inspiration.'
The intricate menu began with three of her signature bites before offering three fuller courses. Highlights included the hakurei turnip and oyster, king crab and capers, and turbot mousseline and mussel. It finished with a few surprise treats—including a beautiful chocolate tart designed to resemble a Michelin star.
Atelier Crenn - chocolate tart
Daniel Seung Lee
It's here, at Atelier Crenn, that Crenn's deeper philosophy shines most clearly.
'For me, Atelier Crenn is a love letter to the land and the sea, named in honor of my Father. It is a sanctuary where memory dances with imagination, where each plate whispers the story of a special memory meant to evoke emotion and inspire conversation," said Chef Dominique Crenn as she expressed the ethos behind her most heralded restaurant.
"At Atelier Crenn, we do more than cook, we compose—honoring the beauty of the seasons, embracing the quiet wisdom of the earth and weaving a narrative of harmony between tradition and innovation," she states.
'San Francisco is a city of dreamers who push beyond the horizon in pursuit of something greater," continues Chef Crenn. 'Atelier Crenn stands as both an homage and a progression—rooted in the ethos of sustainability, creativity, and a deep reverence for our rich community."
Chef Crenn, acting as both host and storyteller, anchored the evening's journey. Between courses, she shared personal stories, insights into each restaurant's philosophy, and reflections on how collaboration fuels creativity.
It's not the first time Crenn has brought her creative spirit to Capital One events: past experiences have included adding culinary intrigue to a Murder Mystery Weekend with Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, and merging food with visual art during Capital One's Miami Art Week debut. In each case, her ability to connect food, art, and personal narrative has deepened the guest experience far beyond the plate.
Atelier Crenn - king crab and capers
Daniel Seung Lee
"Since our partnership with Chef Dominique Crenn began three years ago, we have collaborated closely to create exclusive, one-of-a-kind fine dining experiences for our customers," said Monica Weaver, Head of Branded Card Partnerships and Experiences at Capital One.
"Last year, Chef Crenn hosted cardholders on an unforgettable trip to Paris, France during Bastille Day where she introduced them to some of her favorite specialty shops and artisanal food makers. Most recently, we worked together to offer cardholders the unique opportunity to dine at San Francisco's three Three-Michelin-starred restaurants in one evening."
While evenings like these make headlines, Capital One Dining's broader focus is on unlocking access to restaurants that often feel out of reach. It's about offering members a seat not just at the table, but inside the story—allowing them to experience firsthand how the world's best chefs redefine fine dining through creativity and connection.
"Some would think these prestigious venues can be intimidating to visit all in one night," the Michelin Inspector continued. "However, the three featured chefs—Crenn, Lee, and Tusk—are culinary visionaries who were thrilled to open their doors and share an intimate behind-the-scenes look on how they redefine the fine dining experience for all those who visit."
At its core, the evening was not just about exquisite menus and seamless service—it was about opening doors. Not just to restaurants, but to stories, to creativity, and to the vibrant, evolving spirit of San Francisco's culinary future.