Atelier Crenn - San Francisco
View of the dining room, facing away from windows
Rating: 18/20
Where: San Francisco, CA
When: Dinner for 2 on 14 May 2025
Cost per Person: Tasting menu $395, Wine Pairing $250-$475
Accolades: 3 Michelin Stars, #96 on World's 50 Best Restaurants list (2025)
Why: Californian seafood-focused cuisine with some excellent dishes
Two months ago, we had our best meal yet at San Francisco’s three-starred Atelier Crenn. So when we heard that the restaurant’s menu had (yet again) changed completely, we were intrigued to check out the results. Unfortunately, this time, chef Crenn was not around personally, but otherwise the service was as good as ever.
We were welcomed with a glass of champagne or non-alcoholic sparkling beverage. I tried the latter, which admittedly no one would mistake for sparkling wine - it was kind of a light cocktail and a little bit sweeter than Champagne, but not so sweet that it would clash with the first few appetizers.
After that, there were two wine pairings to choose from, and just for variety's sake, I went for the more expensive one (I had gotten the lower-priced one during our last visit). The wines were all pretty good, but seemed to be expensive mostly because they were rare rather than exceptionally amazing. Maybe a good choice for wine connoisseurs that want to try something off the beaten path, but for everyone else, the lower-priced, equally enjoyable pairing is probably the way to go.
Our first few bites arrived before the beginning of the wine pairing. A “Kir Breton” was a coconut butter shell filled with apple juice and topped with a black currant gel. It tasted of fresh fruit and black currants. The danger in these kind of preparations is that the shell is either too fatty or too thick, and ends up dominating the taste impression in an unfavorable way. That was not the case here at all: the shell had a near perfect consistency - thin and sweet 18. A hedgehog mushroom puree was topped with a socca chip made from acorn flour, and Douglas fir spruce tips. This dish had a nutty, forestry taste with a light mushroom flavor. A surprisingly light and fresh bite, despite the mushrooms and forest associations 18. A feuille de brick tartlet filled with a miyagi oyster and a kalamansi/fish sauce had a nice crunch and strong flavors, although it tasted more of seafood in general than of oysters in particular 18.
Always on the menu at Atelier Crenn is a play on an onion soup. This time, we received an onion tartlet containing buckwheat, caramelized onions, an aged cheese sauce, an onion petal confit and a dollop of caviar. In a separate cup was a broth made from the rest of the onions, seasoned with kombu, Parmigiano Reggiano fat and scallion oil. Especially the tartlet was bursting with flavors of caramelized onions - it was close to perfect for a dish capturing the essence of onions. The soup tasted less strong - surprising, since it's often the other way around. Still, for the tartlet alone, a 20.
Along with the beginning of the wine pairing, we received a two-part dish that represented spring, and starred English peas. The first dish was composed of fresh peas, a bit of wasabi and pea shoots. The peas had a mealy crunch, and had only been lightly cooked, and there was a pea jelly underneath them 18. The second dish was served warm and contained buckwheat, a pea puree made with smoked butter, and some uni (sea urchin) on top. Tableside, a vinaigrette containing oyster liquor, mussel jus and tarragon oil was added. This dish naturally had a much stronger sea flavor than the preceding one, with the uni providing creaminess rather than taste 17. My wife liked the second dish much better than the first one though, so ymmv.
The next course featured lightly steamed king crab, mandarins, a thin slice of avocado, a squid ink pain de mie and some caviar. Next to it was a dollop of citrus mousseline, and a sauce made from white asparagus and a few drops of lemon verbena oil. The crab was of great quality, and the flavors melded together very nicely, making the dish citrusy and a bit sweet 18.
A scallop that had been seared on only one side was served with different preparations of carrots: steamed, as a purée, and as decorative triangles on top of the scallop, interleaved with radishes. A carrot jus with mandarins and black olive oil completed the dish. The scallop was nicely cooked, and the sauce was very flavorful - I felt that this is what “carrot ketchup” might taste like: slightly sweet, and tasting less of carrot, and instead of citrus and a mix of flavors. The radishes on top added some crunch to the dish 18.
Morel mushrooms that were filled with a potato puree sat on top of a brown butter/porcini mushroom custard seasoned with dashi. The grilled morels tasted sweet rather than earthy, maybe due to the sauce. I would have preferred this to be a more savory dish 17.
The bread for the evening was a warm brioche loaf, served with a butter seasoned with fines herbes from the restaurant's farm. The bread was lovely, with a light crunch and a bit of saltiness. The butter was slightly less exciting, but this was an excellent bread course 18.
Monterey Bay black cod had been poached and then blanched with juniper oil. It was topped with a fish mousseline and slices of green asparagus. There was also a broccoli puree and a vin jaune beurre blanc, as well as a foam made from yogurt and jalapeños. The foam had indeed a hint of spice, but that was hard to notice when everything was eaten together. The fish was buttery, the asparagus added some crunch and the broccoli mousse provided most of the flavor of the dish. Very nice 19.
More seafood from Monterey Bay followed, and this time it was grilled abalone. The abalone came with some house-made sauerkraut, sliced kohlrabi, a mussel jus and parsnip oil. In French cuisine, one would associate sauerkraut more with Alsace than with seafood, but the combination was quite nice - the sauerkraut provided lots of acidity and flavor. The abalone was very tender with only a minimal bite. A rustic combination of the ocean and (land-locked) Alsace 18.
The final savory course was a lightly poached halibut, with smoked pike roe, grilled spinach, and a crustacean reduction made with French butter and chives. The fish had a solid (but not quite firm) texture, and felt maybe a touch overcooked. The sauce was savory and lightly acidic, and the spinach added a vegetable note. Another lovely dish 18.
There was no cheese course, but we received a salad course of sorts instead. A spinach meringue was topped with micro greens and baby carrots. Overall, this dish was very sweet thanks to the meringue and the sauce it contained. The vegetables added a bit of salad-type freshness 16.
Aloe vera came next, in multiple forms: as a sorbet, juice and in pieces. Only lightly sweet, this was actually closer to a palate cleanser than the preceding salad course 15.
The next dessert was a pea pie, filled with English peas, a mint cream mousse and spring herbs. The dish had a nicely crunchy base, and the sweet mousse worked well with the peas 17.
Our main dessert was served in a halved half bottle of wine. Strawberry espuma and granita came with champagne pearls. The presentation might have been a bit ho-hum, but this dish tasted much better than it looked. Fresh, fruity and light, and having different textures, including crunchy pieces and creamy foam 17.
We ended our dinner with a selection of eight petit fours - one could choose as many or as few as one desired. First, four dragées. Peaches and cream had a crunchy core and a slight peach flavor 16. Raspberry yogurt with a pretzel filling was ok, but the pretzel inside tasted a bit odd 15. Milk chocolate with passion fruit and pecans was nutty with a hint of acidity 17. And fourth, a candied black walnut had a light crunch 15. Then there were four chocolate pralines. One was simply 72% dark chocolate - fine 15. Another was filled with hazelnuts, which gave it a bit of a nutty taste, but predominantly, this was still chocolate 17. A honey chamomile praline was oddly sweet and did taste a bit like chamomile tea 15. Finally, an oolong chocolate praline was a bit lighter than the 72% pure chocolate 16.
Overall: Another great dinner that drew from local seafood and seasonal produce grown at restaurant's farm. We were impressed that our two dinners, only two months apart, didn't share a single dish - only two amuse bouches and some chocolates made a reappearance. While both dinners had their share of amazing dishes, I'd give the March dinner a slight edge over the current one. Maybe it benefited from the magic Dominique Crenn touch? 18
