![]() ![]() We may not even be hearing from some of the Bay Area’s most exciting new chefs. ![]() They’re not bad. They’re just not distinct. A downtown restaurant bathed in marble and gold, with more than a few expressions of uni and caviar. A fast-casual fried chicken sandwich spot with an iPad for ordering. Some eclectic bright spots have opened recently, taking the best of Bay Area restaurant culture and building on it-treating their staff better, taking more culinary risks, trying something new. But in the case of many newcomers, the area’s famed farm-driven ethos now exists largely against a backdrop of splashy investor-backed restaurants and all too homogenous “small plates, meant for sharing.” Many feel similar to spots I encounter in New York, Texas-anywhere with a serious restaurant scene, really. It isn’t that there aren’t any compelling new restaurants. And every time I’ve gone to find contenders for our annual Best New Restaurants list, or just to visit family and friends, it’s been impossible to ignore: New restaurants in the Bay Area aren’t driving national dining culture anymore. I return to the Bay Area several times a year. So when I read the news last week that Bay Area restaurants had netted only three James Beard nominations for the 2023 Chef and Restaurant awards- the fewest the region has received since the awards were introduced in 1991, according to the San Francisco Chronicle-I was disappointed. The Bay Area is where I learned to cook, and its food culture is mostly to thank for my love of restaurants. ![]()
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