It’s lunchtime at Sam’s Grill, and the restaurant is humming as servers dole out oysters and crisp martinis to diners seated around white tablecloths, as they’ve done since 1867.

In the furthest-back booth, a roundtable of fine-dining chefs and restaurant owners has convened in the Financial District to discuss the state of the industry in San Francisco, defining what makes it stand out and identifying where it’s headed.

In conversation, we have Christopher Bleidorn, chef-owner of the two-Michelin-starred Birdsong on Mission Street near 7th Street. Across from him sits chef Sarah Rich, who has co-run Rich Table with her husband, chef Evan Rich, since 2012.

Beside her is fellow Hayes Valley restaurateur Kim Alter, chef-owner at the intimate Nightbird and the adjacent craft-cocktail bar L

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