Michael Bauer
SF Chronicle
San Francisco, CA, United States
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Past articles by Michael:
Michael Bauer's last review: 4 stars to Michael Mina, at the top of his game
Early on in the six-course, fixed-price dinner at the reimagined Michael Mina, the suited waiter opened a square box like a treasure chest, revealing a dozen containers heaped with spices that seductively assaulted the nostrils. There were pink peppercorn berries, bright yellow saffron powder, fermented lime as black as fertile soil, and other spice blends that looked like a desert sunset. It… → Read More
Pearl shines with bright flavors in the Richmond District
It took nearly two decades, but Jack Murphy, who made Pizzetta 211 a destination pizza restaurant in the Outer Richmond, has expanded. Murphy’s new restaurant, Pearl, is the type of refined neighborhood place that used to open nearly weekly in San Francisco and enriched the dining scene. But that has recently been lost in the guise of quick-casual spots, fixed price menus and upscale destination… → Read More
Michael Bauer's favorite restaurants in North Beach
San Francisco is a city of neighborhoods, and one of the most cohesive — one that equally serves tourists and locals — is North Beach. With a strong Italian history, it is a neighborhood designed for walking, talking, strolling and hanging out. Whether it’s over coffee at Caffe Trieste, pastry at Victoria Bakery or a drink at the Saloon (the oldest bar in San Francisco), this is a neighborhood… → Read More
Besharam shines when it turns up the heat
Besharam means “shameless” in Hindi, and it pretty much sums up what Heena Patel tries to do in her new Indian restaurant in the space that used to house Daniel Patterson’s Alta MSP. The name of Patel’s restaurant conjures up provocative, confident images that translate to the food of her homeland in the Gujarati region of western India. Our waiter warned us that the dishes would be fiery, and… → Read More
Birdsong’s exquisite call of the wild in SF
When Christopher Bleidorn stands behind the counter at Birdsong, surveying his crew at four other stations, you can sense his passion. He gets downright giddy when he takes interested diners on a tour of the basement, where he has two private dining areas, including one in the shadows of a paned-glass meat locker. The well-stocked cooler looks like a morgue for animals. There’s a side of water… → Read More
Avery is a tasting menu restaurant for modern San Francisco
Every time I see a new restaurant that only offers a fixed price menu, such as Avery on Fillmore, it raises a question: Is the Bay Area ahead or hopelessly behind the trends? → Read More
Stem Kitchen and Garden in Mission Bay: Go before it’s ‘discovered’
This is Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer’s Between Meals column, an update of the restaurants he visits as he searches for the next Top 100 Restaurants. His main dining reviews, which include a ratings box, are written only after three or more visits and appear in the Sunday Food + Home section. I used to think the best place to enjoy the bay while dining was at Mission Rock or Pier 23… → Read More
Sorrel off to a stellar start in Pacific Heights
As the host, dressed in a blue blazer and chinos, paid the bill at Sorrel, he looked at his two dining companions and said, “This dinner was really good, I’ll definitely come back.” That comment is music to any restaurateur’s ears. With so much competition in the Bay Area, every owner needs repeat guests. That is particularly true at Sorrel, on Sacramento Street in Pacific Heights, in a space… → Read More
Atelier Crenn: SF’s newest 4-star restaurant
Soon after Atelier Crenn opened in 2011, chef-owner Dominique Crenn began to receive international accolades for her artistic, whimsical take on French food. Every menu was a poem where each line vaguely introduced the next course. It was a lot of fun to try to guess what was up next, and she quickly developed a loyal following. But while I appreciated the artistry and whimsy, the overall… → Read More
Best burgers in the Bay Area from the 2018 Top 100 restaurants
This is Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer's Between Meals column. Here, he lists 11 burgers served in some of 2018's Top 100 Restaurants. His main dining reviews, which include a ratings box, are written only after three or more visits and appear in the Sunday Food + Home section. Hamburgers: I can't think of another item, except maybe pizza, that shows up on more restaurant menus, and… → Read More
Che Fico lives up to hype as most anticipated newcomer
The most anticipated opening this year so far was that of Che Fico, and from the minute it opened in April reservations were nearly impossible to get before 10 p.m. Now, when most restaurants are winding down at that hour, it feels as if Che Fico is ratcheting up with all those willing to forgo weeknight slumber for late-night satisfaction. At prime dining time, dozens of people without… → Read More
Dosa by Dosa quickly takes fast-casual to a new level
The burgeoning high-quality, quick-casual restaurant trend stepped up a notch with the December opening of Dosa by Dosa in Oakland. It's the third restaurant by Anjan and Emily Mitra, who opened the South Indian-inspired Dosa on Valencia Street in 2006 and followed up two years later with the larger and more impressive restaurant on Fillmore. Recently, many well-known chefs and restauranteurs… → Read More
Gran Electrica in Napa: Mexican cuisine straight outta Brooklyn
From the beginning the rumbling about the newly opened Gran Electrica in downtown Napa was audible: What's a Brooklyn-based restaurant going to show us about Mexican food? The Bay Area is nothing if not proud (sometimes bordering on smug) about our locally based cuisine. California has the largest Latino population in the United States, so we think we know something about Mexican food. Yet until… → Read More
Comal Next Door hits all the right notes
From the day it opened more than six years ago, Comal, the impressive Mexican restaurant in Berkeley, has been packed. Still, it seemed unusual when the owners announced they were taking over the adjacent storefront to create Comal Next Door because it could cannibalize their other business. The new space is designed to be more casual, where diners line up at the counter to order burritos, tacos… → Read More
The Perennial makes environmental activism taste good
This is Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer's Between Meals column, an update of the restaurants he visits as he searches for the next Top 100 Restaurants. His main dining reviews, which include a ratings box, are written only after three or more visits. If you want a restaurant that is environmentally correct, then the Perennial checks all the boxes. Founders Anthony Myint and Karen… → Read More
Cal favorite Henry’s scores big with the food
This is Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer's Between Meals column, an update of the restaurants he visits as he searches for the next Top 100 Restaurants. His main dining reviews, which include a ratings box, are written only after three or more visits. While the food at Henry's in Berkeley consistently received mediocre ratings on crowd-sourced reviews, it has long been a major gathering… → Read More
Meals on Wheels gala raises record $3.3 million
Hanging heavily over the Meals on Wheels Star Chefs & Vintners Gala on Sunday night was the question of what effect the new income tax laws would have on donations. Turned out the organizers had nothing to worry about: The event at Fort Mason raised a record take of $3.3 million. Much of that can be attributed to Nancy Oakes, who has been the chef’s chair for 14 years. She arranged the 100 chefs… → Read More
Wursthall in San Mateo at its best with beer & brat
"Beer hall" and "good design" aren't often words seen together. But the first thing to know about the new Wursthall in San Mateo is that it's the best-designed beer hall I've encountered. Instead of the dim, cluttered feel of many, this one is modern and bright, with open storefront windows along one side and behind the bar. The ceiling is tall enough to include a dining mezzanine on one side,… → Read More
Michael Bauer’s trip to Kansas: $17 main courses and homes for $75,000
I hadn't returned to Kansas in several years. The contrast with the Bay Area was even more dramatic than I remembered. Since my last visit, traffic in San Francisco has become even more insane, with bike lanes and car-blocking bus stops proliferating, making a drive home like calculating a miniature golf putt. Housing prices have continued to soar, and main courses at restaurants have crossed… → Read More
NapaSport scores a win combining fine dining and sports bar
When you walk in the front door and onto the glossy gymnasium floor at NapaSport, you'll be greeted by Michael Galyen. His wardrobe choice perfectly captures the idea of the place. With his blue sport coat he gives off a fine-dining vibe, but his Converse tennis shoes are sports bar chic. Galyen, who for the past seven years was with Morimoto first as a general manager in Napa and then helped… → Read More