San Francisco Michelin Chefs

The toasty oak in a white Bordeaux like the 2003 Château Carbonnieux Pessac-Léognan Bordeaux Blanc complements the smoky salmon in this dish by Richard Reddington.

Thomas Keller of the French Laundry in Yountville, California uses panko bread crumbs to give chicken a crunchy crust. “Pounding chicken breasts to a uniform thickness cuts down on cooking time,” he says.

The Green Goddess dressing in this salad by Nancy Oakes puts a variety of garden herbs to good use, including parsley, chives and tarragon.

Chef David Kinch grills his lamb racks “low and slow” because it gives him full control of the cooking. The gentle heat keeps the meat juicy, while the rosemary-infused butter he periodically spoons over the racks adds flavor. He sprinkles the lamb with chopped herbs just before serving; the warm meat makes the herbs especially fragrant.

Michael Mina invented this soup in the early days of Aqua, the San Francisco restaurant where he rose to fame in the ’90s. He started playing with the combination of black truffles and caramelized onions and went crazy for the mix of earthiness and sweetness. This version of the soup calls for truffle-infused pecorino cheese (sold in any good cheese shop), which is melted to form a marvelously gooey topping for the oniony broth.

Mark Sullivan boosts the flavor of the meat by marinating it in garlic, cumin and olive oil.

Douglas Keane is such a fan of chilled soups that he puts at least one on his menu every season including winter. The combination of cucumber and red wine vinegar in this recipe reminds him of the wonderful Greek salads he had growing up outside of Detroit, Michigan, home to a huge Greek community.

Grilling watermelon gives it a terrific sweet-smoky flavor, but the key to charring it properly is to sprinkle it lightly with sugar, which burns just a little on the fire. Here, Christopher Kostow combines the watermelon with delicately curried shrimp (he likes making the dish with lobster, too) and yogurt.

Ron Siegel’s creamy polenta—prepared with mascarpone and Parmesan—is a delicious accompaniment to his chile-rubbed steak.