Corey Lee, the three-Michelin-starred chef of Benu, has a new restaurant in the works in SoMa. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Lee, the former French Laundry chef de cuisine who also owns Hayes Valley's Monsieur Benjamin, revealed that the new concept will be called In Situ, and will be focused on recreating classic dishes from other chefs across the globe. It will be housed inside the newly renovated SFMOMA.
Lee has been traveling the planet to source recipes from more than 80 leading chefs, including Daniel Boulud, Gastón Acurio, Hajime Yoneda, Wylie Dufresne, and Rene Redzepi. The restaurant will function something like an edible museum of dishes, with a menu that "will look more like a museum program, but diners will be able to interact with it, unfolding it multiple times to reveal more and more information." Chefs who contribute their recipes will receive a portion of the proceeds; many of them have chosen to donate that money either to SFMOMA or another charity of their choice.
The WSJ article doesn't mention when In Situ is set to open, but the overall renovations on the museum are scheduled to be completed next year. In addition to In Situ, the revamped SFMOMA will feature a new cafe from Sightglass. We'll keep you posted with more details on Lee's plans for the new restaurant, including new participating chefs and an opening timeline.
