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Gary Danko
800 North Point (at Hyde)
San Francisco, California 94109
415-749-2060
www.garydanko.com
Cuisine: California/French
Loved: impeccable service, polished yet non-snooty atmosphere, Zen-like bathrooms
To Die For: absolutely everything on the menu, from the cheese cart to the chocolate covered orange peels and everything in between
Prices: $$$-$$$$ (Expensive to Very Expensive)
Hours: Dinner: Dinner served nightly from 5:30 until 10:00 PM; Bar hours are from 5:00 PM until 12:00 AM
Noise Level: Medium
Service: Amazing!
Romantic: Yes
Reservations: Highly Recommended!
Good for Kids: No
Good to Know: dressy attire ideal, 11-seat bar serves dinner, valet parking is available, wheelchair accessible, major credit cards accepted, private dining room for up to 10 people, wine list includes more than 1000 selections from 15 different countries
Recommended / Rating: 5 Stars (0=Don’t Bother to 5=Highly Recommend)
Before I discuss how much I love eating at Gary Danko, let me mention two things, which will, of course, relate to this review. First, last Sunday, I was eating brunch at the Ferry Building with friends and had a $5 glass of orange juice. I was appalled! You can buy two cartons of orange juice for $5. The point, of course, is that you pay for what you’re willing to pay for. And, to dine at Gary Danko, I am definitely willing to pay!
Which also leads me to why I went to Gary Danko in the first place. Last year, my friend Doug decided he needed help selling his Land Rover. A coworker of mine bought the vehicle, and Doug promised to take me to any restaurant I chose in the Bay Area. Of course, I told him I wanted to go to Gary Danko. After waiting for more than a year, and due to Doug’s hectic schedule, my impatience got the best of me, so I decided to make reservations with my good “foodie” friend, Steve. Reservations were easier to get than I had expected. The reservationist was efficient, polite, and attentive, which is exactly the kind of service Gary Danko intended when he opened the restaurant bearing his name in 1999.
Atmosphere
Chef and owner Gary Danko, who used to work at the Tucker Hill Inn in Vermont, Chateau Souverain in Sonoma County, and the Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco. Danko’s culinary talents are known worldwide, including his being the recipient of countless honors and awards, such as the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef – California” in 1995. The decidedly modern space, whose décor can best be described as minimally luxurious, reminded me like I was stepping onto the set of “Dynasty” with lots of dark woods, dim lighting, and an elegantly attired staff.
The restaurant’s two packed dining rooms serve up to 65 diners. The noise level was quite tolerable, and the entire place seemed filled with people who seemed to know they were eating at a very special place. The hostess, who was new to her job, was polite and friendly as I arrived to meet Steve for a late dinner. We waited at the bar for several minutes, as our table wasn’t quite ready yet. If tables aren’t available, ask to sit at the bar, as food is served there as well.
Lighting is kept dim to enhance the elegant atmosphere, and, while we waited for our table, I excused myself to the bathroom to wash my hands, which is always ideal, to check out the condition of the bathroom. While I was a bit annoyed to be kept waiting outside the bathroom for nearly 10 minutes (some people just like to take their time), once inside I felt like I’d entered a mini-spa, as there was ambient music piped in through hidden speakers, a waterfall, spa products on the counter, and even an electric shoe shiner to keep my shoes looking their best. Returning from the bathroom, be certain to take a look at the glass-door refrigerator in the hallway leading back to the main dining room, as it contains many of the fine cheeses used on the cheese cart. Some of the cheeses I beheld included Pecorino Sardo, Brillat Savarin, Morbier, and a Pleasant Ridge Gruyere.
The Food
Back at the table, I now had time to browse the incredible, yet easily interpreted summer menu. I passed on the Caviar Service (Black River Osetra - $75/ounce; Golden Osetra - $105/ounce; Beluga - $155/ounce), because I had to decide whether to choose the Summer Tasting Menu ($94), 3-Course Meal ($63), 4-Course Meal ($79), or 5-Course Meal ($94). The $94 tasting menu was tempting, consisting of glazed oysters with Osetra caviar, zucchini pearls, and lettuce cream; horseradish-crusted salmon medallion with dilled cucumbers; roasted loin of bison with King Trumpet mushrooms and onion/herb spaetzle; Farm House and Artisanal cheeses; and a sinful baked chocolate soufflé with two sauces.
With my eyes being bigger than my stomach, and while the tasting menu was a great option, I instead chose the 4-course meal. Once that decision was made, I had to go through each menu category and choose one of each: appetizer, fish/seafood, meat/game birds and dessert. The seared Ahi tuna with avocado, Enoki mushrooms and lemon soy dressing was marvelous – fresh and light and the perfect beginning to the meal. Other appetizer choices included seared foie Gras with caramelized red onions and cherries; a white and green asparagus salad with duck prosciutto and red onion-caper vinaigrette; lobster bisque with sweet pea flan and citrus crème fraiche; and salmon and squid ceviche with hearts of palm, pickled red onion and coriander-cilantro oil.
Being a lobster fanatic, the next course that I savored was a delicious Maine lobster with Morel mushrooms, asparagus, and tarragon. The lobster was perfectly tender and tough as only good lobster can be. The mushrooms and asparagus added just the right amount of flavor that blended perfectly well with the lobster meat. And if you don’t take a fancy to lobster, other fish and seafood choices included pan steamed shellfish with Thai red curry and jasmine rice; striped bass with clove-infused cabbage compote and tomato chutney; pancetta wrapped frogs legs with garlic puree; or seared sea scallops with sweet pear puree, Shimeji mushrooms, chorizo and fava beans.
A few minutes after I finished the lobster, our efficient waiter brought a tender and juicy herb-crusted loin of lamb with wilted mixed greens, fregola (a pasta) and sweet onion compote. I’m not a huge fan of lamb, but Danko’s take on the dish was superb – delicate meat that was perfectly season and prepared. Other meat and game bird choices included Guinea hen breast with braised-spiced leg in Phyllo and grape confit; lemon herb duck breast with duck hash and port glazed figs; Moroccan spiced squab with chermoula and port glazed carrots; and quail stuffed with Porcini mushrooms, cipollini onions, foie gras, with artichoke purée.
In addition to skipping the caviar service, I also decided against their wonderful cheese cart due to my wanting to try some of the mouth-watering desserts. The chocolate fudge cream with coffee soil, condensed milk ice cream and cheery almond biscotti was almost better, than, well, you get the idea. Rich, decadent, and utterly amazing – it was a chocolate lover’s dream. For something a little lighter, I also sampled the poached blueberries with lemon cream cheese crepes and blueberry cornmeal ice cream, which was light, fruity, and utterly delicious. Other dessert choices included a non-cholesterol strawberry soufflé with banana sorbet; a trio of crème brulee with assorted cookies; and strawberries with milk panna cotta and strawberry vanilla ice cream. Also available, and prepared tableside for two or more people is flambéed cherries with chocolate almond clafouti and vanilla ice cream.
By the time the staff had to roll me out the door and into a taxi, I’d already made another reservation at Gary Danko. As the old saying goes, you can never have too much of a good thing, especially when it comes to a great meal.
Bio & Past Articles
Past Articles
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Betty's List Restaurant Review
Columnist David Grabstald.
An enthusiastic freelance writer, editor and copywriter with marketing, media and daily newspaper experience, David serves as senior food critic for Betty's List. His articles have been published by Macy's Westbound, Mervyn's, The New Filmore, SF Examiner, Marina Times, North Texas Daily, And Baby Magazine and others. He is an experienced writer of grant proposals, documentation plans, feasibility reports, press releases, employee procedure manuals and other formats. David has written news scripts for NBC and produced video packages for the Irving Community Television Network. David can be reached at dgrabstald@gmail.com. His website is http://davidgrabstald.blogspot.com/ |
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