Chef Carlos Altamirano, whose work has earned Michelin recognition, is opening Casa Sofia near Oracle Park, and by all accounts it's his most ambitious project yet. South Beach is getting a glamorous new dinner destination, and it's arriving the way good things should — through private enterprise, risk-taking, and a bet that San Francisco is still a city worth investing in.

That last part matters more than people realize. For years, the narrative around SF's restaurant scene has been one of closures, rising costs, and operators fleeing to friendlier jurisdictions. The city's thicket of permitting requirements, labor mandates, and tax obligations has made opening a restaurant here roughly as complex as launching a satellite. And yet Altamirano is going big, not small.