Cuisine:

• French
• Others
• Californian

Chez Spencer Description:
The chic industrial space that once housed the first incarnation of Citizen Cake had lay dormant on a desolate block of the northeastern Mission district for years until chef Laurent Katgely, formerly of Foreign Cinema and the now-shuttered Alfy's in San Anselmo, got into the kitchen. An outdoor garden with tables and heat lamps leads to a room with soaring ceilings, a small bar, linen-topped tables and, right in the center of it all, a wood-burning oven. Chef Katgely can regularly be seen beside it carefully supervising the crisp pizzas or squab stuffed with morels as they near completion. The French menu takes into consideration its California residency only in its seasonal ingredients. Otherwise, dishes stand out with adventurous combinations. A sautéed foie gras appetizer sits atop a flaky disk of puff pastry surrounded by an earthy reduction sauce and sprinkled with a few sweet blueberries. Heirloom tomatoes match wits with yellow peaches, juicy oranges and Bing cherries, bringing a composition of natural sugars and acids to the tongue. An entrée of filet mignon comes perched atop a column of nutty hulled barley flavored with the essence of finely diced vegetables, and a generous spoonful of foie gras butter slowly melts on its caramelized surface. Note: Look for Spencer on the Go!, the restaurant's mobile bistro, that frequently appears at 7th and Folsom in SoMa.


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