January 23, 2006

Restaurant Review: Gary Danko

This is the review I wrote for Gary Danko a while back. I went for my birthday a few years ago.

I went to Gary Danko this weekend for my birthday. It was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. The food was amazing and the service was excellent. The wait staff was always attentive, but never intrusive on the meal. I went with the 5-course tasting menu with the matching wine selection.

First was the amuse bouche, which was a small bowl of thai coconut milk soup with smoked duck.

The first course I had was the glazed oysters with osetra caviar. The oysters were nice and briny, set off by a light, creamy sauce.

The seafood course was roast lobster with morels and asparagus on mashed potatoes. I thought the lobster was a bit tough, but the flavor was very good, especially the mushrooms.

The meat course was a beef medallion on a bed of nettle risotto. The beef was a nice medium rare and the nettle risotto was a good accompaniment.

Then came the cheese course. Several people mentioned that this was not to be missed. It was amazing. This was the best part of the meal. My favorite was a blue cheese from Australia called Roaring 40’s.

I had the chocolate sampler for dessert, which was comprised of a bittersweet chocolate tart, chocolate sorbet and a small mug of hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was just like Angelina’s hot chocolate in Paris and came with a chaser of milk.

The meal ended with a plate of cookies decorated with “Happy Birthday” and a cup of coffee. The check came out to be $300 for two of us and I’m hurting today from all the wine I drank, but oh what a meal!


Comments: This is the best restaurant in San Francisco.

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