5 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Kamala Harris dines at new downtown S.F. restaurant during Bay Area visit
Kamala Harris dined at one of downtown San Francisco's trendiest new restaurants during a recent visit to the Bay Area.
The Oakland native was photographed at Bar Shoji, which opened in April and is helmed by chef Ingi Son, the mastermind behind Michelin-starred sushi restaurant the Shota. The establishment operates as a cafe during daytime hours and serves a rich blend of Japanese and Thai flavors.
'Thank you @kamalaharris @meena for dining with us last night,' the restaurant's Instagram account posted on Wednesday, June 4, along with photos of the former Vice President and her niece, author and lawyer Meena Harris, sitting in a red booth at the restaurant. 'Our team felt honored to have you both experience Bar Shoji!'
Harris appears to be in town for a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser in Silicon Valley, hosted by philanthropists Sandi and John Thompson, on June 21. With plenty of time ahead of the event, Harris also visited her native East Bay. On Wednesday, Oakland's new minor league baseball team, the Oakland Ballers, shared photos of Harris at a new West Oakland food hall to X and Instagram.
'Look who stopped by Prescott Market!' read the team's post. 'Thanks for hanging out with us in West Oakland today, @KamalaHarris.'
Casey Pratt, the Ballers' vice president of communications and fan entertainment, told the Chronicle that he had heard Harris was planning a visit to the market and secured the team an invite.
'She was very nice. She walked around and spoke to and met with everyone that was in the market, which was open to the public for business,' Pratt said. 'She checked out all the restaurants and talked to a lot of the employees and people there. Very pleasant visit.'
The Ballers have also secured support from other Bay Area celebrities such as Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong and rapper Too Short, both of whom have signed on as investors of the team ahead of its second season, which kicked off May 20.
Harris was last spotted in the Bay Area in April, where she delivered a sobering speech at San Francisco's Palace Hotel during the Emerge America 20th Anniversary Gala. The occasion marked her first major speech since President Donald Trump took office in January.
During the event, she also took time to learn the viral 'Boots on the Ground' line dance, inspired by Georgia-born singer 803Fresh's 2024 song of the same name, with content creator Kenneth Walden.
The Chronicle has reached out to Shoji, Prescott Market and Harris' team for more information on her recent visit.
