What’s Haute: San Francisco Including French Laundry, Pebble Beach, Epic Roasthouse

LODGES
Cavallo Point

Set within a national park near Sausalito, Cavallo Point-the Lodge at the Golden Gate offers delightful vistas of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, and the Bay, with access to the best of Northern California. Under the management of Passport Resorts, the former Fort Baker has become a high-end “base camp” for outdoor adventure and exploration while maintaining the highest standards of historic preservation and sustainability. Lodging options include historic and contemporary rooms and suites, many with phenomenal vistas and all with gas fireplaces. Historic rooms stay true to original floor plans and materials with updated amenities, while newly constructed modern buildings on the property’s coastal hillside boast floor-to-ceiling windows. Guests can enjoy Chef Joseph Humphrey’s Bay Area cuisine at the Murray Circle restaurant, or the wine list at Farley Bar. The Healing Arts Center and Spa also serves unusual beverages and a light lunch at the Tea Bar.

601 Murray Circle
Sausalito
415.339.4700

RESTAURANTS
French Laundry

At The French Laundry, time moves slowly to nurture ripening romance. The path into the two-story stone house passes through a pastoral garden of country roses and seasonal herbs. Inside, the 15 table restaurant presents a divine dining experience, a three- to four-hour affair that that must be properly planned two months in advance-reservations are taken a minimum of eight weeks in anticipation. Jacketed diners are served the finest French dishes that chef/owner Thomas Keller has to offer. Each day he creates two new nine-course tasting menus where no ingredient appears twice. Every element of his restaurant sings with emotion, from the lovingly blended signature coffee to the passionately presented extra, extra virgin olive oil. Nothing at this restaurant is anything less than storybook.

6640 Washington St.
Yountville
707.944.1974

GOLF
Pebble Beach

The purlieu of the very finest American golfers, Pebble Beach Golf Links has played host to the most prestigious tournaments, including the annual AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the U.S. Open Championships. The cliffy coastline edges the course and stuns the duffer who dares to walk in the footsteps of the giants who have played this course for nearly a century. Consistently rated the No. 1 public course in the country, these links are probably the most well known in America. The misty rye grass fairways, designed by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant, are legendary. Measure your game against the Jack Nickalaus-designed par-three 5th hole, but beware the breezes off the ocean. Afterwards relax at the spa, take a trophy back from the pro shop, or check into the luxurious resort that serves the course.

1700 17-Mile Dr.
Pebble Beach
800.654.9300

RESTAURANTS
Epic Roasthouse

Epic Roasthouse opened with a roar early in 2008. Chef Jan Birnbaum presides over a custom-built, wood-fired grill and a large wood-burning oven that crackle in concert with the raging fireplace in the main dining room. There, white cloth delicately drapes over stately mahogany tabletops as smoky leather banquets line the room. Steel-framed windows that afford a spectacular view of the Bay Bridge dominate the walls. Every steak is presented aged and bone-in, and tableside aged prime rib service reaches every table. Kobe beef and Carlton Ranch pork and lamb anchor the menu. The restaurant’s blunt “Stuff You Want In a Steakhouse” section showcases a solid series of sides. While the industrial-chic, aggressively meat-centric vision might not please the more persnickety patron, seekers of a luxe turn on surf and turf are sure to be seduced at Epic.

369 Embarcadero
San Francisco
415.369.9955

SPAS
Remède Spa

The gleaming white walls and harmoniously minimalist design makes the sanctuary that is the Remède Spa seemingly a temple of purity. The experience at the celestial 9,000-square-foot spa at the San Francisco St. Regis Hotel begins at the lounge-inspired cedar-lined locker room, where guests, clothed in cashmere throws, sample artisanal cheeses and hand-made truffles along with chilled Champagne. Next up are the customized skincare treatments, developed in Laboratoire Remède, that channel the power of the Formula Core’s proprietary technology. These treatments are exclusive to St. Regis Hotels & Resorts. Later, guests move to the still waters of the indoor infinity pool that looks out on a view of the city. This sophisticated spa serves both the privileged guests of the hotel as well as savvy San Franciscans. Just as St. Regis Hotels promise to provide tailored experiences unique to their distinctive guests, Remède Spas do the same.

125 Third St.
San Francisco
415.284.4060

ENTERTAINMENT
Spruce

This new Presidio Heights eatery-named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants of 2008-is a haven at which to experience culinary mastery. Executive Chef Mark Sullivan and his partners in Bacchus Management Group have a strong a commitment to excellence that is reflected in every dish and wine selection (which includes 1,000 options with 70 by the glass). The dishes are based on seasonal, organically grown produce; depending on the time of year, some 80 percent of Spruce’s produce comes from SMIP Ranch, Bacchus’ private farm in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The kitchen boasts a temperature-controlled curing room to accommodate the in-house charcuterie program, a passion of Chef Sullivan’s since his early days cooking in southern France and Spain. The restaurant is housed in a charmingly unique 5,000-square-foot restored historical auto barn. A tall archway, built to accommodate Model T cars, frames the spacious foyer that is paved with reclaimed limestone from the floors of a French church. To one side is a café, which offers a selection of gourmet takeaway items, while the other side is the library. The 70-seat dining area is hidden from view by a bold sheath of African wood that hangs behind the host stand, making Spruce a one-of-a-kind dining experience.

3640 Sacramento St.
San Francisco
415.931.5100

RESTAURANTS
Aqua

Aqua is all at once the standard and the exception. It is known for its world-class seafood cuisine that sets the benchmark, and also for the almost two decades of impeccable service and consistently remarkable creations that set it apart from all others. Executive Chef Laurent Manrique brings traditional French techniques and a conservative approach, which result in balanced and harmonious dishes. The tasting menus paired with wine selections from a list that is tuned bi-weekly to reflect new finds are far and away the most popular choices at the restaurant. Patrons revel under theater-style lighting amid 12-foot high bouquets that add visually, but are artfully restrained in scent (so as not to interfere with the palatal main event). Onyx, marble, and maple wrap around diners, yet a muted crème palette governs the décor. Aqua is undeniably the finest at what it does-celebrating the very best natural delights the bay has to offer.

252 California St.
San Francisco
415.956.9662

LOUNGES
Infusion Lounge

In what’s considered the most lavish nightclub build-out in San Francisco history, the $4.6 million Infusion Lounge, which opened its doors on New Year’s Eve, encompasses 6,500 square feet of entertainment space, including 2 bars, a tapas-style Cal-Asian restaurant, an exclusive VIP room, a 2,000-square-foot Wenge hardwood dance floor, and state-of-the-art DJ booths, lighting, and sound systems. Created by Hong Kong designer Kinney Chan and drawing from Asian influences, the subterranean club features richly textured surfaces, undulating mosaic tiled walls, intriguing dragons, pulsating illuminated glass columns, opium lounging beds, a captivating elevated pool, and one of the largest, full-color motion holograms ever created. A full menu of Cal-Asian inspired small plates is available nightly, with a limited menu available after 10 p.m.  The lounge offers VIP memberships ($1,000 for 12 months) that include priority admission, access to an exclusive lounge area, bottle storage, invitations to Infusion Lounge sponsored events and parties, and exclusive room discounts at the Hotel Fusion next door.

124 Ellis St.
San Francisco
415.421.8700

RESTAURANTS
Plumed Horse

Named the Best New Restaurant in 2008 by Esquire, Plumed Horse is a culinary standout in a region that boasts its fair share of culinary masters. With one Michelin Star, this contemporary Californian restaurant features a seasonal menu using the highest quality ingredients, including sustainably sourced fish and shellfish, and local and organic produce. For those looking to be decadently indulgent, we recommend the Chef Peter Armellino’s seven-course tasting menu, which includes lobster, foie gras, and caviar. The restaurant prides itself on its personal service, which is evidenced by the separate carts for Champagne, digestif, and cheese service, as well as tableside service for sauces, soups, and meat carving. The Champagne Lounge offers nightly flights so that guests may try various vintages that are not otherwise available by the glass. Not in the mood for bubbly? Opt for one of the 1,800 wine selections.

14555 Big Basin Way
Saratoga
408.867.4711

RESTAURANTS
Michael Mina

In the culinary world, Michael Mina’s name is spoken in reverential tones. Hence, it is fitting that his first eponymous restaurant would find its home in the historic San Francisco landmark, the Westin St. Francis. Since its opening in 2004, the soft-hued dining room of Michael Mina has been a landmark for fine American dining. As diners delight in extravagances like a Kobe beef rib roast with truffle fries at the feet of classically grand columns, the glow of gold Murano lighting falls on the warm chestnut palette of the décor. Oenophiles find enchantment in the 3,000-bottle wine cellar, and it’s a perfect retreat for theater lovers who stop in after a show at a nearby stage. Michael Mina has no difficulty pleasing them all and has the accolades to prove it: Bon Appetit’s Chef of the Year in 2005, San Francisco Magazine’s Chef of the Year in 2005, the International Food and Beverage Forum Restaurateur of the year in 2005, and the first to receive Wine Spectator’s Award of Grand Excellence in a restaurant’s first year.

335 Powell St.
San Francisco
415.397.9222