Last week my husband Jack forwarded a list of new restaurants on SF Eater to me. The Perennial caught my eye, primarily because of its proximity to the the Orpheum Theatre, as I’m always looking for new places to dine at before a show (we are SHN members). However, I had no idea how stellar the food would be or how environmentally radical this new restaurant was until Jack surprised me with dinner there last night. We were blown away by each and every dish we tried, and I can’t say enough great things about the quality of the food and the philosophy of the restaurant.
The Perennial opened in January of this year. The restaurant team includes head chef Chris Kiyuna, as well as wife and husband co-founders Karen Leibowitz and Anthony Myint of Mission Chinese Food and Commonwealth fame. Regarding the restaurant’s environmental philosophy, the website states that “agriculture has the potential to reverse climate change and our goal is to serve great food and drinks that are part of a positive food system.” With the help of aquaponic agriculture, perennial grains, and carbon farming (which you can read about here), The Perennial is able to serve delicious seasonal food, while keeping their carbon footprint as small as possible.