Revamped Chapeau Gets the Three Star Treatment

Today, Mikearoni the San Francisco Treat revisits chef/owner Philippe Gardelle at the reborn Chapeau. To quickly recap the little Richmond shuffle that took place in August, Gardelle moved Chapeau from its 13-year-old Clement/16th location to the Clementine space on Clement/3rd. Now, a month or so later, the new version of Chapeau is already firing on all cylinders:

The environment, and food, are stylish, especially for the price. Few main courses bump above $25; a three-course menu is $38, and a four-course menu is $46. On a recent Monday, nearly every table was occupied ... Main courses are exceptional."

And with a well-trained staff running the show smoothly, MB thinks it will stay packed too: "With Gardelle in front - and also in the kitchen - there's little doubt the place will sell out every night." So, for the second time in as many Thursdays, The Big Bauer busts out the three-star stamp for a popular neighborhood spot. [Chron]

Meredith Brody is the first major critic to file on the Castro's Starbelly, and it's a rave for the ages: "The first meal I had at Starbelly — a delightful lunch during which two of us shared seven dishes and wished we had room for more — colored every other restaurant visit for weeks afterward. It was a singularly memorable meal: We loved the setting, the service, and especially the food." [SFW]

Paul Reidinger takes a look at the newish Sunflower that has replaced Baraka up on Potrero Hill: "...much as I liked Baraka in its several guises over the past six years, I like lemongrass as much ... The menu reflects the degree to which Vietnamese cooking has come to be accepted as another variety of American comfort food ... it is upscale, in a mild, neighborhood way, while remaining more or less traditional and comparatively inexpensive in its cooking." [SFBG]

THE ELSEWHERE: The MIJ's Tanya Henry visits the Lark Creek Empire's Yankee Pier in Larkspur, the PressDem find Nepal in Petaluma at Everest, the EBX does Southern-Caribbean fusion at Oakland's Fuwa, the CoCo Times goes to Danvllle's Vinoteca, and lest we forget, earlier this week, Michael Bauer had a lukewarm two stars for Belden's Trademark Grill.

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Sunflower

6001 West Parmer Lane, , TX 78727 (512) 291-6749 Visit Website

Chapeau

126 Clement, San Francisco, CA