So even in a city like San Francisco, a place embarrassingly rich with world-class restaurants, there is always room for exceptional, extraordinary, amazing. Saison is all of those things. A simple concept of incredible products treated to wood, smoke and fire – served inventively and with confidence by a remarkable Team of craftsmen, Saison is nothing less than one of the finest restaurants in the country.
For reasons not entirely clear, I had not yet made it to Saison. Usually one of the first picks a for a food driven traveler when in “The City” (apologies to NYC, but thats just how they roll out West). I’d been to many of the well known gastronomic temples… Benu? ✅, Atelier Crenn? ✅, Heck even the roast chicken at Zuni Cafe is a pilgrimage in this town. I’d dined well and experienced many of the best tables in town, but not yet Saison. Well it was time to rectify this oversight and with a recent trade show giving me 4 nights in The City, I was determined to make Saison part of my visit.
Anticipation and expectation are funny things. Simple nouns which are often interwoven and yet remarkably hard to satisfy. Saison is a place that easily surpassed both. A fabulous example of French-American dishes luxuriously conceived and flawlessly executed, Saison makes excellence seem effortless. Beginning with inspired cocktails and a spectacular wine list, one quickly notices that your vintage Krug is properly served in white burgundy glasses (of course, custom made for the restaurant by Zalto and bearing an etched “Saison” on the foot) 😅
The card itself is a surprise as the menu is not offered to you in advance, which only serves to heighten the anticipation. My meal began with a bespoke tea, segued to various presentations of crudo and really began to ascend with a simply sublime presentation of caviar, kissed by smoke from the requisite wood stove. Each course was perfectly plated and offered with warmth and a depth of knowledge that is surprisingly missing from many similar dining experiences in town.
Colors, textures, temperatures… Chef Gras and the Team were putting on a show and it is hard too understate how PERFECTLY each course was plated. In fact, this plating may be the finest in the country. I can only think of Le Bernardin as being in Saisons league here and how, while seemingly disparate, each dish served as a yet another common frame in what was rapidly becoming one of the more memorable meals of my life. Various presentations of seafood, each more elegantly prepared then the next, late summer vegetables and sauces with impeccably French credentials provided a consistent drumbeat of wonder and surprise. This was a kitchen in full flower and at the top of its game.
Transitioning away from seafood and serving as the centerpiece of the card was a presentation of Bison served in the donburi style. Notable flourishes such as custom knives and artisanal salts contributed to an amazing focal point for the evening. A savory, smoky filet with indredible balance and perfectly cooked, draped in a velvety sauce redolent of berries and Cabernet – a wonderful accompaniment to the slightly gamey flavors of the protein.
Desserts were the usual suspects, fresh berries, gelatos, slightly savory cakes… and as any of you who follow my blog know, dessert is really not the highlight of any dining experience for me? 🤷🏻♂️ In fact, I’m usually plotting to see if I can “calorie-swap” the dessert(s) for more wine 🙂
But one thing really stood out to me and I believe its encapsulates the whole service profile of Saison very neatly.? The gelato dish offered was flecked with cocoa nibs and covered in THE MOST amazing butterscotch sauce known to man. Seriously – I thought about calling my Mom as I was eating it. Simply astonishing. Deep, buttery, savory and sweet all at once. I remarked to my server that I was amazed by the sauce and that “I could probably finish a gallon of it”. Well, lo and behold, what appeared minutes later in a beautiful copper saucepan? Yep, my own (almost) endless supply of the butterscotch with a ladle the size of a small dinner plate. Its those things, the thoughtful, anticipatory and whimsical pieces that set restaurants like Saison apart. So few have that – Saison is one… Frantzen and Single Thread are others – but it is all too rare, even at the Michelin fueled heights that Saison comepetes in.
which leads me to my final thought. I don‘t pretend to know the nuances nor politics of high end restaurant ratings. I am a diner, a food driven traveler and someone Who feels like he can recognize passion and excellence when he experiences it. With that being said? HOW Saison was reduced to two Michelin stars ✨from its previously held three is simply beyond me. Chef Gras and his Team are creating and serving some of the finest food to be found anywhere and IMO the overall experience is far more worthy of three stars than other recognized restaurants I have dined in. This was a Top-10 meal for me and a place that I would highly recommend. @saisonsf is excellence, passion and craft defined. It is a benchmark, a standard and it demands your attention. After my experience with this world class Team? I say simply…
Bravo
Aspire 