Gary Danko
Tony and I chose Gary Danko in San Francisco for our annual holiday dinner. As a chef, I suppose you know that you’ve made it when people don’t snicker at the vanity name. And, at every step, the Gary Danko brand is presented, emblazoned on match boxes at the door, the sticker on the toilet paper roll in the bathroom, the pen used to sign our receipts, the old-fashioned purse holder attached to the table.
Gary Danko ranks as one of the most amazing meals I’ve ever had. It’s definitely at the same level as the French Laundry and Michael Minna, it’s that fabulous. In combination, all of the elements that count – the food, the atmosphere, the service – were simply exceptional.
The menu is fairly unique. The chef pulled together a five-course prix fixe meal, or if that wasn’t interesting (it wasn’t to us), we could mix and match our own meal, choosing dishes from “appetizers�, “seafood�, “poultry and meat�, “cheese� and “dessert� and selecting a three, four or five course meal, each course a set price. We went with the four course, a decidedly rich and complex meal.
Chef’s favor: venison stock with a grilled orange segment and clove biscotti. I’m not sure that I liked the citrus, but the venison stock was deep, smokey and delicious, complimented well by the smokey spice of the clove biscotti. I can only imagine how much time someone spent making the stock.
First course: Tony selected oysters and caviar, I, seared scallops. While both dishes may sound somewhat simple, each were served with complex sauce and were rich and delicious. This is the only dish that we didn’t fully share, instead handing each other a bite. Partly because neither of us had said, “hey, let’s swap plates halfway through� and partly because I am selfish and scallops are one of my all-time favorites.
Second course: Our server told us that they had white truffles available. Remembering how much we loved white truffles (I can still taste the white truffle angel hair pasta at Quince), we splurged. White truffles were thinly shaved on seafood risotto (creamy white goodness studded with chunks of lobster) and foie gras seared with a sweet apple sauce. The tangy garlicky earthiness of the white truffles went perfectly with each dish.
Third course: I chose duck, coated in spices and seared. It was accompanied by duck hash, a sort of pancake and a few vegetables. Tony chose the yellow tail tuna, which wasn’t bad, but fairly ordinary considering that everything else was so spectacular. It came with a roll containing some sort of pickled vegetable and monkfish liver, a decision that definitely elevated what was a somewhat unexceptional dish.
Fourth course: Cheese. All cheese. I should have written down our cheese choices. A cart with at least 30 different types of cheese was wheeled to our table, every piece was explained to us, we made decisions and four very generous servings arrived on my plate. On reflection, I think I chose a Sally Jackson, a goat gouda, a cowgirl creamery and something else, but I can’t quite be certain. I was sad that I couldn’t finish the cheese – but at a certain point, I was done.
Of the drink to accompany, we began with kir royals (had to wait at the bar for a few minutes) and enjoyed a bottle of champagne. It’s a standard with us.
One last note. The restaurant was elegant, dark wood and mirrors. And the bathroom was just cool. A little fountain under the sink, paintings, flowers, and the som held the door open for me. That is service.