By Tamara Palmer
Some very sad news this morning: Representatives for Millennium, San Francisco’s premiere high end vegan restaurant, have announced it will close on April 30. A statement on the restaurant’s Facebook page explains that the Hotel California has been sold to a Seattle company called Pineapple Hospitality, which isn’t interested in keeping the concept in the building.
Since opening in 1994, Millennium has set a high bar for elaborate and delicious composed vegan dishes and desserts as visually impressive as they are flavorful. But perhaps it was still ahead of its time, even in a city enlightened to the advantages of animal-free eating. And its tourist zone location near Union Square and in a hotel probably scared off some locals.
There is some good news to report, though: Executive chef/co-owner Eric Tucker and manager Alison Bagby plan to open a new “organic plant-based” restaurant and are currently looking for investors and a space. Right now, they’re leaning towards setting up shop in the East Bay but are still considering San Francisco. A Kickstarter campaign will be posted soon if you want to help them with this new venture. In the meantime, there’s still a few more months to support Millennium, and don’t forget about Encuentro, Tucker’s excellent restaurant and wine bar in Oakland. And we’d like to put in a request for Tucker to consider restarting his excellent cooking classes/farmers market field trips that were once a special feature at Millennium.
Photo by Millennium
