Last seen creating edgy confections at WD-50, the iconoclastic pastry chef Sam Mason opened his first solo venture, Tailor, at 525 Broome Street in September. The interior, at once dapper and eccentric, includes walls outfitted with pinstriped suit fabric, glass chandeliers, and wide plank floors. Eschewing traditional menu categories, Mason divvies his small plates menu into "salty" and "sweet." The supporting cast of quirky handcrafted cocktails is the work of partner Eben Freeman, also a WD-50 veteran. Salty ($12 to $15): foie gras with peanut butter, cocoa, and pear; pork belly with miso butterscotch and white asparagus. Sweet ($11): beet crème brûlée with tangerine "soil" and pistachio; chocolate/saffron parfait with candied hazelnut powder.
Consulting chef Dean James Max (also executive chef at 3030 Ocean in Ft. Lauderdale and Latitude 41 in Columbus, OH) puts a Chesapeake Bay spin on farm-to-table dining at Water table, which opened in July in the former Window space in the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel. Floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the 125 seat minimalist dining room allow guests fifth-floor views of the Inner Harbor. Max divides his time between his restaurants, leaving day-to-day operations in the hands of chef de cuisine Garret Gooch, an émigré from The Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. Apps ($7 to $15): blue crab cakes with frisée, smoked bacon, green beans, red pepper, and dill aïoli; frito misto of Atlantic calamari, wild shrimp, and zucchini. Mains ($17 to $32): pan-seared Chesapeake rockfish with beluga lentils, pickled eggplant, and spicy greens; grilled pork loin chops with sweet potato puree, green beans, grilled peach, and rosemary. Desserts ($7): warm toffee pudding with dates, walnut sauce, and vanilla bean ice cream; lavender crème brûlée with lemon/almond biscotti and sweet cream.
Michael Smith, former co-chef/co-owner of the famed 40 Sardines, launched a self-named 72 seat endeavor in July at 1900 Main Street, where appetizing shades of creams, chocolate browns, and olive greens enjoin sheer bronze-tinted curtains and brown leather furnishings to set an elegant platform for his restrained cuisine. Carl Thorne-Thomsen comes by way of 40 Sardines to be chef de cuisine. Apps ($5 to $14): meatball threesome (meatball tart with red sauce, cone with Oaxacan mole, Wellington-style with wild mushroom glaze); braised rabbit with house-made potato gnocchi, morels, leeks, and shaved Parmesan cheese. Mains ($19 to $28): cumin spiced sturgeon with braised artichokes, spinach, garbanzo beans, and preserved lemon vinaigrette; braised beef short ribs with diver scallops, new potatoes, zucchini, and red wine reduction. Desserts ($7): coffee soaked chocolate cake with firm chocolate custard, Kahlúa macerated raspberries, and vanilla crème fraîche; napoleon of Key lime custard with fresh blackberries, blackberry coulis, and citrus shortbread.
June ushered Ducca, an elegant eatery that genuflects to the fabled Italian seafaring city of Venice, into The Westin San Francisco Market Street hotel. A luxurious Puccini Group design blends spice trade inspired colors with luxurious silk fabrics and mahogany floors. Italianate touches include a dramatic white marble cichetti station for the assembly of traditional snacks. Richard Corbo, formerly of Mecca, is executive chef. Apps ($8 to $18): house-cured mackerel with pine nut/currant agrodolce; sweet corn tortelloni with mascarpone, browned butter, and sage. Mains ($16 to $38): halibut cheek stew with cuttlefish, crisped black polenta, and jalapeño/mint marinara; pork shank bollito with glazed cippolini, carrots, and fingerling potatoes. Desserts ($8 to $10): limoncello ice cream soda with summer berries and cornmeal biscotti; mascarpone panna cotta with espresso gelée and chocolate granita.
Southeast Asian fare arrived in Silicon Valley with the August opening of Red Lantern at 808 Winslow Street. First-time owner Jeffrey San Diego was recently an executive chef working out of Santa Clara for the Philadelphia-based international catering company Aramark. Daniel Sudar, who left his chef de cuisine post at Betelnut restaurant (San Francisco) to be executive chef, draws on both his childhood in Indonesia and earlier career cooking alongside Gary Danko and Sylvain Portay. His menu is peppered with ingredients from a rooftop garden of such exotic crops as lemongrass and kalamansi. The 155 seat interior gets a sexy allure from high ceilings, silk lampshades, and artifacts imported from Asia that include a slab of gnarly petrified wood reborn as a communal table. Apps ($7 to $14): whole grilled quail with coriander/soy sauce and velvety braised green cabbage; thin pancakes stuffed with spiced ground lamb and mango chutney. Mains ($14 to $22): Chilean sea bass oven roasted in a clay pot with wild mushrooms, leeks, and fermented black bean relish; spicy lamb shank curry with cardamom infused yogurt sauce. Desserts ($8): warm pineapple upside-down cake with vanilla gelato and cinnamon/rum sauce; ginger infused egg custard with seasonal fruit compote and coconut tuile.
