Artistically plated food is nothing new in San Francisco, but soon-to-open restaurant Palette is taking the concept to the next level.
Debuting March 25 in the former Lulu space (816 Folsom St.), Palette promises to be a restaurant, art gallery, retail store and ceramic studio all at once.
It’s the vision of Peter J. Hemsley, an artist and former sous chef at three Michelin-starred Quince, who will creatively present California cuisine.
“A dish here might have a song or something weird that I experienced as a fundamental part of it,” he told the Chronicle last year.
(Note: Hemsley’s project is unrelated to Ghirardelli Square’s forthcoming dim sum house, also named Palette.)
The menu takes advantage of the kitchen’s wood-fired oven and rotisserie, with shareable dishes arriving on unique wares made by local artisans and Palette’s house ceramist Andrew Kontrabecki, all which can also be purchased in Palette’s retail shop. Small plates cost $12-$20 and mains run $18-$32, while a spit-roasted hen will feed two for $59.
Ultimately, this is just a temporary version of Palette, though. The full-scale Palette is still under construction, also in SoMa at 155 12th St. Cass Calder Smith of CCS Architecture (Perbacco, 25 Lusk) is behind the design of both spaces, with the Folsom Street restaurant starring bold teal walls, a stone mosaic bar, and an airy gallery.
That gallery will showcase work inspired by food. The first exhibit, “As You See It,” runs from April 5 to June 28.
The Bay Area has seen a small wave of arts-minded food concepts arrive within the past year. Last fall, fine dining series Abstract Table moved into Oakland’s the Gastropig, with chefs and visual artists Andrew Greene and Duncan Kwitkor treating their rotating menus like art exhibits. Over in the Fillmore, The Table at Merchant Roots similarly builds tasting menus around a high-concept theme with ambitious plating — the current dessert course, for example, features rose-scented mist rising from a forest-like sculpture, holding small baklavas shaped like birds’ nests.
As for how long Palette will stay on Folsom Street, it’s somewhat open-ended, depending on progress on 12th Street. The team is looking at the current restaurant as a test-run of at least one year, said Dawn De La Fuente, Palette’s director of marketing.
“This will be a learning experience where we get to engage and try new things and be really playful,” she said. “From that, we’ll take those learnings and roll it into the more final experience.”
Palette: 816 Folsom St. Opening March 25, Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/Part-restaurant-part-art-gallery-Palette-opens-13709117.php 2019-03-22 17:40:00Z
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