Other
Sylvan Mishima Brackett
James Beard Award winner
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
He brought Japanese training back to California, where precision, poise, and restraint could be read against the Bay Area’s own dining culture. Before becoming chef-owner at Rintaro, Sylvan Mishima Brackett served as former creative director at Chez Panisse, a role that fits a career built on discipline, close observation, and making tradition legible in a contemporary room.
The Path
Japanese cooking asks for repetition, exact seasoning, and attention to pace, and that is the framework Sylvan Mishima Brackett worked within at Soba Ro in Saitama and Ryotei in Aoyama, Tokyo. Reed College comes at the start of the formal record, but the kitchen training in Saitama and Tokyo is where his working vocabulary took shape: rigor balanced by warmth, and elegance carried without excess. Back in California, he became former creative director at Chez Panisse before becoming chef-owner at Rintaro. Since 2014, Sylvan has led Rintaro in San Francisco, translating the spirit of a Japanese izakaya with clarity and affection.
The Work Today
Japanese izakaya cooking sets the register at Rintaro in San Francisco: convivial, exacting, and quietly generous. Under Sylvan Mishima Brackett, the menu reads in distinct but related lines, with each dish staying within the same kitchen language. Rintaro’s Beef Curry is home-style Japanese beef curry, deep and comforting in the way of a dish designed for return visits. Kama Tama Udon takes udon toward carbonara, using butter and a raw egg yolk to create a dish built on contrast: silken noodles, richness, and a finish that lands both familiar and unexpected. Charcoal-Grilled Momo Sansho uses chicken thigh rubbed with citrusy sansho pepper and seared over binchotan charcoal, joining smoke, spice, and the clean edge of the grill. Pork Tonkatsu with Shiso leans on an especially crunchy tonkatsu coating that keeps the meat super juicy, a plate where texture carries as much weight as flavor. The menu also leaves room for wit, and that looseness is part of the restaurant’s voice. Rather than forcing hospitality into something formal or sealed, Sylvan Mishima Brackett lets the language breathe. He once asked, "What’s a better term for “add-ons?""—a small line that says plenty about how the menu works. In his hands, the list of dishes becomes a working conversation between craft and humor, memory and appetite.
Signature
Sylvan's signature dishes include Rintaro's Beef Curry, Pork Tonkatsu with Shiso, Kama Tama Udon, and Charcoal-Grilled Momo Sansho. Together, they mark the shape of his kitchen: Japanese technique, attention to texture, and a sensibility that favors depth over fuss.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Sylvan
What is Sylvan Mishima Brackett's current role?
As of 2026, Sylvan Mishima Brackett is Chef-owner.
Where did Sylvan Mishima Brackett train or study?
Sylvan Mishima Brackett trained at Reed College.
What recognition has Sylvan Mishima Brackett received?
Top 10 New Restaurants (2015).
