Category Archives: Chefs

Dining at Michelin Two-Starred Enclos

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The dramatic presentation of venison tartare tartlets at Enclos.
The dramatic presentation of venison tartare tartlets at Enclos.

It’s uncommon for a restaurant to garner a Michelin star less than six months after opening.

It’s even more of a rarity to achieve two stars in that short span.

Yet Enclos in downtown Sonoma managed that impressive feat.

Brian Limoges, executive chef of the acclaimed restaurant that opened in December 2024, was caught so off guard that at first he didn’t think he had even been invited to the June ceremony in Sacramento. Turns out the emailed invitation had landed in his spam box.

Sitting in the audience of the awards ceremony, he then had a brief panic when he didn’t see Enclos listed among the new one-star recipients. But good things come to those who wait. And he and his staff were overjoyed to see they had won two stars right out of the gate.

Executive Chef Brian Limoges.
Executive Chef Brian Limoges.
The Michelin plaque.
The Michelin plaque.
The kitchen.
The kitchen.

Enclos, French for “enclosure,” is operated by Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards and Winery in Sonoma. In fact, you’ll find many ingredients on the restaurant’s tasting menu sourced from that verdant 16-acre farm just minutes away.

The winery is owned by Leslie McQuown and her husband Mac McQuown, a serial entrepreneur who also co-founded the Chalone Wine Group and Carmenet Winery. The couple decided to go all-in on the restaurant, and wow, has it paid off.

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David Nayfeld’s Miso Honey Mustard Baked Chicken

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A creamy Kewpie mayo-miso dressing does double duty, marinating the chicken and finishing a simple salad.
A creamy Kewpie mayo-miso dressing does double duty, marinating the chicken and finishing a simple salad.

We all know what it’s like to be face-to-face with a case of the hangries.

When you or someone with you is about to have a meltdown unless some delicious and satisfying food materializes pronto.

As the father of a 5-year-old daughter, David Nayfeld has been there more times than he can count.

Even for this chef-restaurateur of San Francisco’s Che Fico, Che Fico Pizzeria and Via Aurelia, as well as Menlo Park’s Bubbelah and Che Fico Parco, it can be a challenge when his daughter Helena asks pleadingly, “Dad, what’s for dinner?”

So, he’s taken all the tips and shortcuts he’s learned along the way and compiled it into his new cookbook, appropriately named, “Dad, What’s For Dinner?” (Alfred A. Knopf). It was written with Joshua David Stein, a Brooklyn author of cookbooks and children’s books.

The cookbook, of which I received a review copy, is a collection of more than 80 recipes designed to be family-pleasing, with nods to sneaking in a few more vegetables here and there, too.

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Dining in Los Angeles, Part II: The Astonishing Michelin Three-Starred Somni

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A pizza Margherita that will leave you dumbstruck at Somni.
A pizza Margherita that will leave you dumbstruck at Somni.

The first time I ever dined at the French Laundry in Yountville was a seminal experience, one punctuated by a whirlwind of wee dishes that somehow possessed such outsized, intense flavors that they left me feeling as if I were tasting food for the very first time.

Earlier this month at Somni, I relived that same type of vivid, jolting excitement — but with even more whimsy, humor, and daring.

No wonder this Los Angeles restaurant garnered three Michelin stars this year practically right out of the gate after opening in November 2024.

To be fair, Somni’s original incarnation that opened in Beverly Hills in 2018 had already earned two Michelin stars before it was forced to close when the pandemic hit, the same week it would have celebrated not only its second anniversary, but Chef-Owner Aitor Zabala’s birthday.

The unassuming entrance.
The unassuming entrance.
The courtyard behind the gate, where the meal begins.
The courtyard behind the gate, where the meal begins.
The giraffe sculpture at the front.
The giraffe sculpture at the front.
A welcome note.
A welcome note.

After hunting high and low, he found the ideal space in West Hollywood to relocate in what was previously a Donna Karan store and a former music studio frequented by Jennifer Lopez.

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Dining in Los Angeles, Part I: Splendid Italian Cuisine at Bestia

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The fantastic Margherita at Bestia.
The fantastic Margherita at Bestia.

A server who traded Southern California for Northern California recently remarked to me that they like their restaurants loud in Los Angeles.

He wasn’t kidding.

Having dined at Bavel in Los Angeles two years ago, and its sister restaurant Bestia in Los Angeles a couple weeks ago, I can concur, as these are among the noisiest restaurants where I’ve ever dined. We’re talking a volume where you need to practically shout at your dining companion across the table to be heard. Dine outside at either establishment though, and you will fare a bit better, as the clamor will still be high, but more manageable.

Even so, I will gladly put up with the din to enjoy the superlative Middle Eastern specialties at Bavel, and the exceptional Italian fare at Bestia.

It's always loud and crowded at Bestia.
It’s always loud and crowded at Bestia.

Both restaurants are owned by Chef Ori Menashe and his Pastry Chef wife Genevieve Gergis. They opened Bestia in 2012, followed by Bavel in 2018, and their very casual Saffy’s in 2022.

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The Debut of Wolfsbane in San Francisco

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The start of the tasting menu at the new Wolfsbane.
The start of the tasting menu at the new Wolfsbane.

After San Francisco’s Lord Stanley restaurant closed this summer after 10 years and a Michelin star, husband-and-wife owners Chef Rupert Blease and Carrie Blease could have taken a nice, long break, especially after the tumultuous pandemic led to its reinvention as Turntable by Lord Stanley, a residency for visiting chefs.

Instead, the couple went all in on an ambitious new project. They have teamed with Tommy Halvorsen, chef of the now-shuttered Serpentine to transform that same space into their new Wolfsbane, which opened last week in Dogpatch, just steps from Halvorsen’s Foxtail Catering.

Carrie and Rupert met in the United Kingdom when he was working at Raymond Blanc’s Michelin two-starred Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and she was an intern. They later moved to New York, where he worked at Michelin three-starred Per Se and she to Michelin-starred Blue Hill, before heading to the Bay Area.

The wolf motif.
The wolf motif.

Wolfsbane is named for a wild plant in ancient folklore that was believed to help prevent werewolves from shape-shifting. To lean into the theme, which at the restaurant is more about offering comfort, there’s a wolf’s head art piece on the wall.

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