Editing Benu (restaurant) (section)

== Restaurant ==
[[Corey Lee (chef)|Corey Lee]] was born in [[Seoul]], South Korea and moved to the United States at age five.<ref name="Corey Lee: Wise Chef of the West">{{cite web |last1=Goodyear |first1=Dana |title=Corey Lee: Wise Chef of the West |url=https://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/corey-lee-wise-chef-west |website=Food & Wine |publisher=Food & Wine Magazine}}</ref> Prior to opening Benu, he was the head chef at [[The French Laundry]], working for [[Thomas Keller]] at both The French Laundry and Per Se for a total of nine years.<ref name="Corey Lee: Wise Chef of the West"/>

At Benu, he serves a set tasting menu that features a wide variety of seafood and vegetables, a few meat courses, and some sweets.<ref name="benu website">{{cite web |title=Menu |url=https://www.benusf.com/menu |website=Benu}}</ref> Lee draws from many different cuisines, including [[Korean cuisine|Korean]] and [[Cantonese cuisine|Cantonese]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogdotbreadcrumbposdotcom.wordpress.com/2015/06/08/the-line-between-tradition-and-innovation-an-afternoon-with-benus-corey-lee/|title=The Line Between Tradition and Innovation: An Afternoon with Benu's Corey Lee|website=The Breadcrumb Trail|last1=Lam|first1=Francis|date=June 8, 2015 |access-date=June 27, 2015}}</ref> He states that “Benu is open to the influence of all different kinds of cultures. We have Asian influences, of course. We have Western influences. We have influences that are technique-driven. Some are flavor-driven. Some are ingredient-driven. But it accepts all those things and it defines the kind of food we serve.”<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/XvcTqhX2XFE Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200302051333/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvcTqhX2XFE Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |title=Benu: Corey Lee |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvcTqhX2XFE |publisher=Phaidon}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In addition to the tasting menu, Benu offers an optional beverage pairing that includes beer, wine, and sake.

Benu is housed on the ground floor of a historic building that dates back to 1922–originally the [[headquarters]] of the San Francisco Newspaper Company.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sf-planning.org/ftp/CDG/docs/transit_center/Survey_A_and_B_forms.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=June 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924100814/http://www.sf-planning.org/ftp/CDG/docs/transit_center/Survey_A_and_B_forms.pdf |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Kathan Brown|Crown Point Press]], an art studio, gallery, and bookstore, now owns the building and resides directly above the restaurant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://crownpoint.com/about/|title=About}}</ref>

In 2015, [[Phaidon Press|Phaidon]] published ''Benu''–a collection of recipes and essays that explores the restaurant's food, influences, and collaborators–with forewords by [[Thomas Keller]] and [[David Chang]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.phaidon.com/store/food-cook/benu-9780714868868/|title=Benu|website=Phaidon Bookstore|publisher=Phaidon|access-date=June 27, 2015}}</ref> designed by [[Julia Hasting]].