Commonwealth to Close, Following Rent Hike
The Michelin-starred Mission eatery will close in August after almost a decade of preparing fresh, locally sourced and interesting tasting menus in San Francisco. Their landlord doubled their rent to $9k in April, and Chef Jason Fox & partners couldn’t negotiate them down. If you’re interested in taking over the building, the listing is here. I’m sure the landlord will help you paint over the cool murals and rip down the handmade ‘Commonwealth’ sign…for a fee of course.
Chef Jason Fox
If there is a silver lining, it’s that Commonwealth will be having a lot of chef friends come in to collaborate in these final weeks. Chef Fox told Eater, “We are unfortunate that we’ve been forced out of this space but we’re ending on a high note and we’re proud of the last nine years”. Even though Commonwealth completely refurbished the building themselves and turned it into a successful restaurant, the landlord wants them out. Money is very important to landlords.
Commonwealth ain’t cheap, it’s a full-on tasting/wine pairing menu but compared to the price of other Michelin level tasting menus in the city, it’s a bargain. If you were ever going to splurge on a fancy dinner with very photogenic and meticulously prepared food, this wouldn’t be a bad idea. They’re going to go out with a bang, and perhaps a tear or two. Get your California inspired, locally sourced, garnish probably picked by the chef himself plates, while ya still can, they gotta be out before September first.
— Commonwealth current TASTING MENU —
$105 > $175 with wine pairings
geoduck clam, chilled pea and mint soup, radishes, meyer lemon, fresh wasabi // Domaine du Pavé Tressallier > ’17 Loire, France
smoked trout glazed in verjus, trout roe, cabbage, potato mousse, horseradish // Le Roc des Anges > ’17 Roussillon, France
asparagus, walnut and sunflower butter, smoked flatbread, rooftop herbs // Franz Gojer Weissburgunder > ’16 Alto Adige, Italy
stonefruit, smoked zucchini, fresh curds, sunflower seeds, agretti, nasturtium juice // Domaine Zafeirakis Limniona Rosé > ‘18 Tyrnavos, Greece
lamb shoulder grilled over redwood, sprouting grain porridge, wheatgrass, alliums // Antoine Sunier Régnié > ’17 Beaujolais, France
celery sorbet, verjus soda
burnt honey ice cream, matcha meringue, chocolate tuile // Broadbent 10 Year Sercial Madeira > Portugal
Chef’s Extended Tasting Menu
$140 > $230 with wine pairings
Participation is required by the entire table
Part of the proceeds from July 2019 are donated to Raices
