Glamourous Dinner with the Magnificent View

Chaya Brasserie, which opened in early February, 2000 on San Francisco's Embarcadero quickly became a favorite of the city's discerning restaurants. Joining Chaya Brasserie in Los Angeles and Chaya Venice, Chaya Brasserie, San Francisco, fuses the elements that have captured and held Southern California's most glamorous diners for over seventeen years with the aesthetics and ingredients of the Bay Area. Executive Chef Shigefumi Tachibe, who pioneered Franco-Japanese cooking at La Petit Chaya in the 1980's and was awarded Chef of the Year by the Southern California Restaurant Writers Associations in 1998, is at the helm of the kitchen and sushi bar. The 170 seat restaurant with the magnificent views of the San Francisco Bay Bridge combines the innovative cuisine, international design, original art work and panache that define all three Chayas.

In 1982, Chef Shigefumi Tachibe created culinary waves in Los Angeles by introducing "La Nouvelle Cuisine Franco-Japanese," (essentially, French cuisine with Japanese sensibility and presentation) at Yuji Tsunoda's La Petit Chaya. Almost ten years later, Time Magazine featured him, along with Wolfgang Puck and Jeremiah Tower as practitioners of this "new gourmet buzz." And in the Fall of 1999 he received a rare standing ovation for his dinner at James Beard House in New York. In San Francisco, Tachibe offers some of his signature dishes and new dishes inspired by and taking advantage of the Bay Area's fine local ingredients. Salmon Tartare Potato Blinis; Dungeness Crab Spring Roll with Crab Tartare; and Seaweed Salad with Ginger Soy vinaigrette are among the appetizers, while entrees include Blue Nose Sea Bass stuffed with Langoustine, Uni and Spinach, with Morel Sauce and Haricot Vert Salad; Sliced Roasted Venison with Black Peppercorn Sauce and Purple Potato puree; and Roasted Rack of Lamb with Vegetable Pot-au-Feu and Black Olive Tapenade.

Chaya is situated in two buildings that have been joined, yet offer different moods. The south dining room incorporates the main entrance and is a large, convivial space with booths, tables, parquet floors, rust-colored upholstery and a sweeping twenty-one foot zinc bar. The viewable kitchen anchors the back of this room. The north dining room is backed by the sushi bar that gives way to an elegant, intimate space with carpeted floor, lacquered panel walls, a restful palette and views of the bay.