(photo courtesy of 7x7: main lobster, tokyo turnips, snap peas and carrots on top of a bearnaise custard and finished tableside with lobster bouillon)

i have never felt such a rush of adrenaline as i did a few hours ago by pressing a couple of buttons on open table.  in what i anticipate to be one of the most life changing epicurean adventures of my life, i just booked reservations to benu, the highly anticipated restaurant brought to san francisco by thomas keller's star protege, corey lee.  sometimes i can't deny the woman inside me who craves the haute couture version of food and since i'm saving french laundry for just the right moment, benu has just given san francisco's its newest and brightest fine dining establishment.  

corey lee's track record is as good as it gets: former french laundry chef de cuisine, opened per se in new york and working at countless other michelin restaurants across the pond and in the u.s.  the restaurant will serve up a prix fixe menu like french laundry but will also have an a la carte menu on hand in their 66-seat space.  i have been infatuated with the establishment since i first started reading about the development process: from the name (egyptian for "phoenix"), the logo (six fonts overlaid on top of each other), lee's personally designed custom porcelain pieces from famed korean ceramic maker kwangjuyo, the use of equator for teas and espresso and la mill for coffee, and wine lockers for investors and regulars (yes, wine lockers).  sure, my reservations are in september but i'm counting down the days until i get to be part of culinary history...now that the reservation is set, now i must decide who to take (not to mention what to wear).  any takers?  

(photo courtesy of inside scoop sf: uni with buckwheat capellini)

benu.  22 hawthorne street, san francisco.  www.benusf.com.  doors open august 10th.