In Cow Hollow, San Francisco, Atelier Crenn is a restaurant in the city that had our curiosity peeked. Based on the concept of Poetic Culinaria, we looked forward to experiencing what the The World’s “Best” Female Chef served.
The meal began with a Happy Birthday card personally signed by chef Dominique Crenn. She also came to our table and introduced herself before our dinner. She is a worldly person who grows her fresh produce from her 4 acre farm located in Sonoma.
Our attentive server Antoine then presented us with a ‘poem’ that described each of the entrees that read:
“Summer has come with its cool breeze
By the shimmer of black pearls, tumbling in the ashen cloud
See-the efflorescing beauty with rosy cheeks
rises
And summer star’s glow, though hidden in the
summer gray
As delicate creatures of green and blue
surface to bloom
For the verdant bounty of the gatherer’s harvest
in caring hands
Gleaming through the canopy, an orb so felicitous
and splendid
Summer has come and is full of sweet surprises
Sweetness, bounty, thanks.”
The tasting menu was served outside the restaurant on the terrace that included a Kir Breton, white sturgeon caviar tart with gold essence, miyagi oyster with smoked crème fraiche, tomatoes served on top of a tomato sorbet with nori, trout mousse with bread soaked in squid ink and brioche with house-cultured butter. All the dishes were perfectly balanced and paired beautifully with the wines. Service was beyond outstanding.
Dominique Crenn moved to San Francisco in 1988 and loved the city. She made her name at Luce in the Intercontinental Hotel, where she earned her first Michelin star. In 2012 she became the first female chef in the US to achieve 2 stars. In 2016 she was voted as The Worlds Best Female Chef and in 2018 Atelier Crenn earned the three Michelin stars.
In conclusion, we would highly recommend this restaurant for a very special occasion. It is no wonder that Dominique has a 3-star Michelin rating.
