Brett Cooper’s inventive interpretations of Bay Area produce caught the eye of our inspectors just six months after opening in March 2015. Aster has held one Michelin star every year since, an accolade which inspires Cooper and his team to be at their best.
Aster sits on a charming corner in San Francisco’s Mission District and serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday. This summer, the restaurant expanded its tasting menu from four to seven courses. “For the past year, we’ve let guests choose four dishes from twelve total,” says Cooper. “We kept doing impromptu extended menus because certain guests wanted additional items, so we decided it was time to extend the menu [for everyone].”
Cooper carries the ideals of unbuttoned, fresh-focused preparation established during his time at the now-closed Rubicon under the mentorship of chef Stuart Brioza (currently chef-owner of State Bird Provisions and The Progress) and under Daniel Patterson at Coi. “At Rubicon, I was introduced to ingredients I’d never seen before,” Cooper says. “At Coi, I learned to utilize every part of a product and also developed a focus on sourcing.”
Letting nothing go to waste is a defining value at Aster. “If we have beets on the menu, we’re using the greens too,” Cooper says.
“Our trout dish is served in two parts. First, we serve the puffed trout skin with smoked trout roe, and then on another plate the trout fillet seared on the plancha.” From the skeleton of the fish, combined with mushroom scraps and preserved overripe tomatoes, Cooper’s team makes a broth that gets reduced and then glazes the fillet.
Sommelier Kim Stone manages the seven wine pairings, featuring a range from California, Europe and the Canary Islands. “Kim introduced me to Bryan Harrington,” says Cooper. “We pour his Mission Grape for the heirloom carrot dish, the first dish on the menu.” The mission grape, Cooper explains, was the first to be cultivated into wine in California, and its inclusion celebrates Harrington’s effort to revive this indigenous varietal.
Aster’s new seven-course menu ($135 per person with optional $79 wine pairing) currently features just one meat dish—dry-aged pork or lamb served with kohlrabi, nectarines and smoked garum—and features lesser-known vegetables like bronze fennel and celtuce. “It’s the middle of summer,” says Cooper. “We’re focused on serving the freshest, most beautiful fruits and vegetables our farmers have.”
Thanks to micro-farmers in the area, the team is able to plan a season out. “We’re really lucky to be where we are right now.”
Food photos courtesy of Aster.
Photo of Brett Cooper by Aaron Paul.
