benu | $20 hike | BUY

Benu, an ambitious Asian-inflected restaurant in San Francisco’s SoMa district, has raised the price of its tasting menu by $20 to $180, a 12.5% increase from the $160 price that the restaurant had been charging earlier in May. This isn’t a “same food for more money” proposition because the new menu has upped the course count to 18 and because Benu also accommodates guests requesting shorter, more affordable tastings. Chef-Owner Corey Lee, who helped guide Thomas Keller’s French Laundry to three Michelin stars, explained these changes last week via e-mail to The Price Hike: 

• “There is no real change in pricing.  I’ve always wanted the cost of the
  tasting menu to reflect the items on the menu, a market-priced menu so to speak.”
  
• “Currently our tasting menu has 18 courses, and the price reflects that and the cost of the items. When we opened in August of 2010, the tasting menu had 12 courses for $160 and the price reflected that and the cost of the items used then. 
• "Now that I think about it, our price [per course] course is less." 
• "There have been many diners who asked for shorter menus and we have charged less than $160 for those. We have also had diners who asked for additional courses where we charged more." 

Later this afternoon, The Price Hike will discuss changes Benu has made to cope with the increasing costs of running a restaurant. In the meantime, you can peruse sampletasting and a la carte menus on Benu’s website. San Francisco Chronicle Critic Michael Bauer awarded the restaurant 3.5 stars last autumn. Based on what my colleagues have said about this place, I’d call it a STRONG BUY.