Over the holidays I was eager to find my husband a memorable gift but was uninspired by the usual gadgets, tools, ties, etc. I thought about what makes him most happy and realized it’s sharing romantic experiences with me. So, in pondering a nice restaurant in San Francisco where I could treat him to a surprise dinner, I decided on Gary Danko. That’s right, the famous, award-winning, harder-than-heck to get a reservation Gary Danko. As one of the nation’s elite restaurants, I had expectations of perfect service, tables of food snobs, and to-die-for cuisine.
My husband’s eyes lit up when I pulled our car underneath the restaurant’s dark valet awning. Once seated, we were greeted by the maître d’ and instantly served with Mr. Danko’s favorite champagne—Louis Bouillot Brut Rose from Burgundy, France. Needless to say, it’s now my favorite, too. Without holding back, we then looked through the wine list—remarkably, the cellar holds over 2,000 wines—and asked the sommelier to help us narrow it down.
The well-trained staff dressed in elegant suits walked us through the autumn tasting menu that included items like Black River Osetra caviar, horseradish crusted salmon, risotto with lobster, and pancetta-wrapped frog legs. We were able to customize each of the four courses, the best of which I considered to be the filet of beef with potato gratin, topped with roasted eggplant-pepper marmalade and soy-mustard glaze. We devoured the baked chocolate soufflé, remarking that the moist consistency and two sauces poured in the middle would definitely bring us back very soon.
The entire meal was spectacular, and it’s no wonder people travel from thousands of miles to experience Mr. Danko’s sophisticated and classic cuisine. My only complaint would be the ambiance, which wasn’t nearly as intimate or romantic as I was hoping. I could hear every word that the gentleman beside our table was speaking into his cell phone, and on the other side of us was a table of arrogant businessmen congratulating themselves on a deal they’d recently closed. Maybe the restaurant puts people in such a good mood that they can’t help but celebrate.
