It's the end of an era for Lord Stanley, the Michelin-starred restaurant dishing out modern European cuisine right here in San Francisco. The husband-and-wife team behind this polished spot, Rupert and Carrie Blease have decided it's time to say goodbye after a decade-long run. According to an announcement on Lord Stanley's Instagram post, they plan to close the establishment on May 31. The Polk Street favorite opened in 2015 and has been the scene of groundbreaking wine programs, cherished neighborhood relationships, and countless fine dining memories.
As per the SF Chronicle, Rupert Blease shared that they're choosing to bow out on a high note, customizing the experience on their terms and treating diners to a farewell menu featuring crowd-pleasers, the kind of top-tier dishes that have kept them on food lovers' radars since its inception, from the cabbage with buttermilk sauce to the distinct uni bottarga. The couple, renowned for their time helming kitchens at New York City's gastronomic powerhouses such as Blue Hill and Per Se, has become a fixture in San Francisco's culinary scene, earning a Michelin star their first year and consistently gaining recognition through the years including regular appearances on former Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer's Top 100 restaurant list.
Lord Stanley stood strong through the turbulence brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, pivoting towards community support initiatives that involved preparing meals for low-income residents while keeping food enthusiasts engaged with a to-go service window. After a brief closure in 2020, the restaurant reemerged in 2021 with a new concept, the Turntable series. As cited by the SF Chronicle, the series hosted a diverse mix of chefs from around the globe, a stage for gastronomical exploration that Rupert Blease described as "a real blast" but acknowledged it was also "super demanding."
Rupert Blease affirmed the restaurant was pulling in better numbers each post-pandemic year. As for what's next after the curtain falls on Lord Stanley, the Bleases are sticking around San Francisco to raise their daughter and are brewing up plans for a new venture in the city, "We have roots here now and have met many wonderful people, so we have no plans to leave," Carrie Blease told the SF Chronicle, reflecting a deep-seated connection to the city and its denizens that's as strong as the culinary legacy they've built over the last ten years.
