Category Archives: Chefs

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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An Indelible Visit to Aubergine, Carmel’s Only Michelin Two-Starred Restaurant

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Presentation of the smoked scallop at Aubergine.
Presentation of the smoked scallop at Aubergine.

It’s a good bet that if you see anyone dressed up in Carmel-by-the-Sea, a charming beach town and major laid-back tourist draw where shorts and sweatshirts are the norm, they are likely headed to dinner at Aubergine.

Located in the Relais & Chateaux luxury hotel, L’Auberge Carmel, it is the only Michelin two-starred restaurant in this tiny town of 3,000. In fact, since retaining its one Michelin star since 2019, it was awarded its second star last year.

A lot has changed since I last dined there a dozen years ago. Most notably, jewel box of a dining room always felt intimate but even more so since four tables have been removed, leaving all of five now situated around the perimeter. There are two seatings available, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. If you choose the early seating as we did, you’ll catch the last light on a fall evening through the wall of draped windows.

Aubergine at L'Auberge Carmel.
Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel.
Awarded a second Michelin star in 2024.
Awarded a second Michelin star in 2024.

Executive Chef Justin Cogley remains the constant, a former professional figure skater with “Disney on Ice,” who glides smoothly through the upper echelons of fine dining, having launched his career at none other than Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago.

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Yeobo, Darling Is A Treasure of Taiwanese and Korean Creativity

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A Taiwanese version of Italian lasagna at Yeobo, Darling.
A Taiwanese version of Italian lasagna at Yeobo, Darling.

Husband-and-wife and chefs Michael and Meichich Kim have had a rather Goldilocks’ culinary journey.

Their former Michelin-starred Maum in Palo Alto with its one long communal table that seated a mere 16 diners at once was maybe too exclusive for most.

Their former Bao Bei fast-casual spot at State Street Market in Los Altos was maybe too lowbrow to fully utilize their talent to the fullest.

With Yeobo, Darling, though, which opened in Menlo Park in June, they have created a spot that is just right.

The small bar.
The small bar.
The intimate dining room.
The intimate dining room.

It’s a fitting showcase for their very personal cooking that spotlights Michael’s Korean heritage and Meichich’s Taiwanese lineage. In fact, Yeobo is Korean for “sweetheart,” symbolizing just how intertwined their relationship and personality is with this restaurant.

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San Mateo’s Bonjour Bakehouse Expands With Indoor Seating

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Pastries from Bonjour Bakehouse.
Pastries from Bonjour Bakehouse.

It’s been an eventful past six years for the family-owned Bonjour Bakehouse in a warehouse area of San Mateo.

Bordeaux, France-native Francois Bernaudin was executive pastry chef of La Boulange in San Francisco before founding Bonjour Bakehouse in 2019 at Kitchentown, the food incubator hub in San Mateo. Three years ago, Paris-born Ingrid Sarlandie, a mechanical engineer who worked in executive management in Silicon Valley but had a lifelong passion for baking, joined the business.

For years, the bakery operated a pass-through window there with seating on the sidewalk. But last month, it added indoor seating for 40 with bistro tables and a communal table that afford views of the production kitchen.

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