Sons & Daughters

A thoughtful, delicate dining experience influenced by the seasons

a beautiful masterpiece of culinary design, Sons & Daughters invited us to photograph and taste in their cozy 22-seat space in San Francisco. Chef Duncan Hines and maître d’ Nathan Hall welcomed us in with a bit of background; the namesake of the restaurant is intended to represent a culinary influence on the sons and daughters of our generation. Chef Hines is obviously brilliant. With an educational start in economics, he found himself looking for more stimulation and took to culinary arts with no formal training aside from the influence of his chef mother, travels, and the seasonal foods of California.

From Monterey sea grapes carefully placed alongside creme fraiche on a piece of repurposed wood from a tree in their private Palo Alto garden to roasted baby beets sprinkled with vadouvan spices on a stone slab purchased by the owner on a roadside discovery, these delicate bites were refreshingly complex. The fogline farm chicken was placed asymmetrically on a large white plate to draw attention to the variation of greens, perigord truffle, and sprinklings of herbs. And then there was the bergamont curd to cleanse the palate followed by the most incredible dessert; geranium-infused ice cream with a dusting of black pepper and wild huckleberries.

If this isn’t impressive enough, Sons & Daughters has also earned a Michelin star. -rm