Micro Bistro San Francisco

Monday, March 24. 2008

No, I'm not talking about some new diet, GMOs, or any form of portion control. Laboratories are not involved at all. What I'm talking about is Micro Bistros: restaurants with five or less staff, seating a maximum of 20 or less patrons. Micro bistros are on the upswing in San Francisco, and I think it's a wonderful thing.

San Francisco has always had its share of little tiny restaurants, although like most places most of them have been on the low end: sandwich shops, delis, burrito joints, falafel stands. Recently, though, the number of miniscule gourmet restaurants has picked up with a number of new places, and I'm just thrilled about it. There's something about eating at a place where the chef is the only cook, and there's only one waiter and five tables, to make you feel that you're really getting individual attention and unique food. It's like eating in a friend's house, only the friend is a professional chef and does all the dishes.

Micro bistros are also able to narrowly focus on just the few dishes which they're really good at; there may be only five choices on the menu, but every one of those five will be great. Wine lists tend towards the chef's six favorite wines rather than extensive cellars. On the unhappy side, you pretty much have to make reservations or come really early; a restaurant which seats 14 can have incredibly long waits. But it's worth it.

Probably the ultimate micro bistro is Cafe Jacqueline, in business for more than fifteen years on North Beach. They serve only souffles. That's it, except for a choice of 3 salads. In fact, each souffle is prepared. personally, to order by Jacqueline herself, a stout Frenchwoman with arms like a professional wrestler from wielding a wisk for six hours a night. Don't bother dropping by if you don't have reservations; the staff won't even talk to you. The six tables are taken all night, especially since a dinner at Cafe Jacqueline often takes up to two hours.

However, I don't think it was Jacqueline who kicked off the current run of micro bistros though; I believe it was it was Pomelo near UCSF. Opened by Rolf Bachmann and Emmanuel Liotard-Vogt in 1997 in a space on Judah street smaller than my bedroom, Pomelo could cram in a maximum of 18 people, including the three staff. But they used that space to deliver a short menu of inspired and eclectic world fusion cuisine, delivered to you by the chef's own hand if you sit at the counter. Less than two years ago, the pair took on a 3rd partner and opened a second, full-sized restaurant in Noe Valley which by all accounts has been quite successful.

Continued tomorrow ...

Posted by The Fuzzy Chef in Restaurant Reviews at 19:59 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)