Nineties nostalgia is reigning supreme at One Market, the upscale San Francisco restaurant that turns 30 on February 16. Chef Mark Dommen has pulled together some of the restaurant’s greatest hits, including a rich ham hock raviolo and a buttery sole preparation, for a 12-day celebration.
Dommen stopped short of pulling out his old ring molds for plating. “I don’t know, I still kind of like them,” Dommen confesses. “I don’t use them that much anymore, because it dates me as well.”
Still, there’s plenty to celebrate at One Market, where Dommen has led the kitchen for 18 of its 30 years. One Market came up as a farm-to-table favorite in the 90s, rose to MICHELIN-starred fame in the 2000s, and settled in as a comfort food go-to during the pandemic. But from his vantage point in the kitchen, Dommen insists that nothing has changed.
“It’s funny because we continue to evolve and grow,” Dommen says. “I try to avoid repeating dishes from the past, but to me, the food is exactly the same, if not better than it was then.”
Three decades of California classics
One Market opened on February 16, 1993. Bill Clinton had just entered office, Mrs. Doubtfire smashed the box office, and San Franciscans finally had an unobstructed view of the Ferry Building.
Waterfront development was taking shape right next to it following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and the demolition of the Embarcadero Freeway. One Market was an ambitious, new entrant snagging the 1 Market Street address with an impressive 10,000-square-foot space .
Opening chef Bradley Ogden and partner Michael Dellar had collaborated on Larkspur fine-dining destination Lark Creek Inn and approached One Market in much the same style. In its first decade, Ogden—who won a James Beard award for his cooking at Lark Creek Inn—established One Market as a reliable destination for farm-to-table cooking. Early menus boasted Sacramento salmon, Sonoma lamb, and hundreds of bottles of wine from all along the West Coast.
Dommen took over in 2004, returning home to San Francisco after stints at star New York restaurants Lespinasse and Palladin. Dommen took One Market to new heights and accolades soon poured in. In 2007, San Francisco Chronicle food critic Michael Bauer gave the restaurant a near-perfect three and a half stars and wrote that “Dommen is cooking some of the best American-inspired food in the city.” A MICHELIN star followed in 2008, a designation it held consecutively until 2012.
Recently, One Market has settled into its role as a San Francisco comfort food staple. During the pandemic, when the dining room stood empty, Dommen introduced deli-style takeout with 12-hour smoked brisket and crispy latkes. These days, diners return for Caesar salad lunches and pork tenderloin dinners. Regulars know to come back for the spit-roasted prime rib on Fridays and Saturdays, and live piano performances by Billy Philadelphia, a fixture at the restaurant for nearly as long as its existence.
The throwback dishes
The anniversary specials will run from February 16 to 28, available at lunch or dinner. Dommen is spotlighting half a dozen dishes, each a nod to a different era at the restaurant and memorable recipes from past chefs.
Dommen is particularly excited about the ham hock raviolo and remembers guests digging into it at Lark Creek Inn during the early 90s. It’s a single piece of pasta loaded with braised ham and local cheeses served in a splash of smoked tomato broth. The Sonoma grilled quail was another 90s favorite. It arrives perched atop charred radicchio drizzled with a Meyer lemon and truffle sabayon. Dommen is also bringing back the fish soufflé. It’s an early 2000s staple flaked with tender Petrale sole baked into a tidy round and served in a glossy pool of caper butter.
The wine selection is getting a refresh for the anniversary celebrations. Tonya Pitts, one of the few Black sommeliers working in the industry right now, has expanded the restaurant’s selection beyond California. She’s pouring a more concise selection of small-batch productions from around the world, including Russian River Pinot Noir and Burgundy Crus.
The next decade
The view remains clear to the Ferry Building across the street, where One Market chefs still shop at the farmers market every week. Dommen trusts that his classic California restaurant, with a prime location where Market Street ends and the Bay begins, has many good years left. It might not be the hottest new restaurant on the block, but that’s more than okay.
“Our reputation is so solid,” Dommen says. “[Diners] know what they’re going to get when they come in. There’s no guesswork there. We’re very consistent. Which I think is one of the keys to longevity.”
Becky Duffett is a food writer living and eating in San Francisco. Follow her on Instagram.
