It's the Sauce...

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov


…that makes the dish. In Sauce Restaurant in San Francisco, it’s Executive Chef Ben Paula who creates diverse “social plates” meant for sharing, and an impressive array of entrees ranging from the house special fried chicken to various fish and vegetable preparations.
You can call it American/Californian comfort food, but burger’s cute little cousins, a.k.a. daily sliders on homemade rolls; revved-up fries made of Portobello mushrooms; gentrified mac-n-cheese with ham hock and six noble cheeses, and a far cry from onion rings – delicate crispy shallots – are all very San-Franciscan in essence. Where else do you put on the menu all those heartland staples alongside vegetarian, vegan, and Asian-inspired plates?
Our dinner at Sauce started with a perennial crowd pleaser – tomato bisque soup served with white truffle grilled cheese toast sticks. You probably guessed by now that your classic tom soup with grilled cheese ‘wich it is not. The velvety texture of Chef Ben’s smooth and creamy bisque can be rivaled only by the saturation of its flaming red-orange color (International Orange, just like the Golden Gate?). But wait, its smooth texture comes not from heavy cream, but from Arborio rice base, onion, garlic, and white wine, so it’s not only delish, but healthy and not fattening (unless you never stop eating it).

We had to stop at some point, not to miss those sliders of the day – this time with yummy parmesan chicken. Then came incredibly light and juicy Portobello fries, and then baked mac & cheese with lots of imbedded cheddar, and under a crispy crumb-enhanced blanket of gruyere, containing a sauce made with parmesan, asiago, mozzarella, and provolone.
Our main course, Sauce’s Fried Chicken, arrived in a form of ribless breast with a coveted wing segment, lightly breaded and flash-fried, natural juices intact. It was accompanied by whipped potato, blanched green beans and crimini mushrooms, and adorned with Japanese sweet potato chips standing upright. The pan gravy was light and refined, reaffirming the Chef’s tendency to bring everything simple, tried and true to the new heights of culinary creativity.
And then it was time for dessert. Cinnamon-sugar mini doughnuts with fresh blueberries and vanilla-bourbon sauce – mmm. Or that creative take on peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which the Chef calls “my baby” – a peanut butter sponge cake with the house made strawberry jelly and whipped cream [addictive] filling. It’s like watching the next step of evolution unfolding right in front of your eyes.
Our dinner was accompanied by some great libations from the Sauce’s well-stacked full bar, smartly separated from the intimate dining room and beautifully designed with a stunning 18-foot slab of reclaimed redwood from Berkeley. St. Supery Virtu sav blanc 2006 from Napa made a perfect match with our soup course, while well-executed pisco sour and mint julep cocktails complimented more substantial appetizers. A glass of golden late-harvest Riesling and an absolutely hands down amazing espresso martini made our dessert consumption not only exceedingly sinful and overindulgent, but memorable, too. Well, one can always get on a tread mill, or at least start planning for it.
San-Franciscan as he is in his execution of all those imaginative dishes, Ben Paula, who co-owns Sauce with Trip, Nathan and Matt Hosley, was born and raised in Massachusetts, and used to work all over the country, from four-diamond five-star resorts to various banquet facilities where time was in essence and daily operations involved huge quantities of quality food prepped and delivered in an efficient manner. He learned secrets of the trade and various techniques, including ice carving, before moving to San Francisco.

In 2004 Paula, his BFF from college Nate Hosley, and Hosley’s two brothers opened Sauce, and a year ago added a tiny 9-room hotel, called Sleep on the upper floors above the restaurant, creating a guest house of sorts, where any select group of people can eat, drink, sleep, and be merry.
Located in the vicinity of the SF performing arts district, Sauce/Sleep recently housed a group of nine concert pianists who enjoyed a personalized service and a special menu here throughout their stay.
There is a private party room in Sauce, called Supper Club, decorated with plush burgundy curtains and suitable for a sit-down party of 40 or a cocktail reception of up to 70. The main dining room sits 45, and there are 10 stools at the bar.
The only restaurant in Hayes Valley opened until 2 in the morning, Sauce guarantees working kitchen until 1 am, and feeds pre-show and post-show crowds as well as late diners and various strangers in the night.
Very reasonable prices assure the owners’ desire to encourage their guests come here “three times a week rather than once in three months.” Regulars come to Sauce for their special faves, so each summer, when the Chef introduces a new seasonal menu, he takes care not to take out those dishes that people love and repeatedly ask for.
Sauce Restaurant is located at 131 Gough Street, San Francisco. Open nightly for dinner from 5 pm to 2 am. Reservations through OpenTable at (415) 252-1423; http://www.saucesf.com/.