Gary Danko — Restaurant in San Francisco

Let me start off by saying that they must have had an off night when we came here and I don't think we had the same experience as many of those who reviewed this restaurant or the Michelin critics.

We came here awhile ago (Monday night 9:00pm reservation) and the place was packed. Most people were wearing suits and formal dresses but there were also a few who were business casual. As soon as you enter the restaurant the first thing you notice is the open bar, which in turn causes the restaurant to be very loud at least when comparing to other one star places so keep that in mind if you prefer a quite dinner. Once your table is ready you will be given a menu to pick between the chefs tasting menu and a la carte and I would suggest you pick the latter instead of what we did when we picked the chefs menu with the wine pairing. I will only talk about the food as honestly the wine wasn't anything special.

First came the pre-course which was suppose to be a small portion of mushroom cream, which I can only describe as salt with some more salt with a hint of mushrooms...

Right after the first course came out glazed oysters with Osetra caviar with lettuce cream. I grew up eating Osetra caviar when I was little before the prices for it skyrocket due to large number of illegal fishing that almost made it extinct and in turn raised the price. As any caviar its fairly salty and you would expect the caviar to have most of the salt in the dish, well you would be wrong... The lettuce cream sauce is the undisputed winner as it was once again pure salt. What's more it seemed a bit water down which made me think someone seriously over salted the whole batch and then tried to save it by adding water (you can imagine the result) which caused it to feel cheap and still way over salted. Before the next dish has come out we have already drank 2 glasses of water and were finishing third just from the amount of salt that he have consumed.

The next dish that came out was the only other dish that I liked aside from desert which was horseradish crusted salmon medallion. Unlike the other dish it did not use the salt sauce and was very pleasant which made us hopeful that the first 2 dishes was just a fluke.

The next dish has come out which was the main course. Seared filet of beef with potato gnocchi. It was a great sounding as well as great looking dish. Only issue is... You guessed it... Salt... Just like the first two this was also over salted and while the potato gnocchi was very cool, the steak was ruined by the crazy amount of salt that was in it.

Next came the cheeses which was very enjoyable as you get to either pick few you want to try yourself or have them pick for you . I went with the latter and while not being a huge cheese person I can't say I was disappointed as they were all very good and went well with the raisin bread that they give you.

The desert dish was a lemon souffle cake with creme fraiche. This is not the same souffle as you see in all the videos here and more of an ice cream treat but it's super good none the less and goes very well with coffee.

Overall for a Michelin star place this was a big let down as I have yet to walk out a Michelin stared restaurant feeling unhappy of what I spend on it until that night. $250 per person meal should get you a bit more then over-salted dishes and few slices of cheese. Just to put things in perspective, I am sure many of you have been to Korean bbq of some kind in which one of the dipping sauces is literally salt with a bit of oil. If you have previously indulged in that sauce I am sure you woke up next morning feeling like you are in Sahara desert and you would kill for a glass of water (as well as other symptoms of dehydration or sodium overload). This was exactly that, I woke up twice during the night because I was so thirsty and couldn't sleep. In all I would have to say if this was my first Michelin star place I would honestly think people are crazy to pay this much for a meal and would have probably got turned off this genre of...

The service is absolute perfection, I would say it is impeccable. The dining area is well designed and upscale from the romantic lighting to the offer of readers if you’re unable to read the menu in the dim light. They will also attach a small book light to your menu and provide you with a hook to hang your purse on at the table so you have somewhere to place it your purse. Located near Ghirardelli Square on the northern end of San Francisco, you can easily stroll to the waterfront after dinner. Now onto the dinner itself: You have the option of a 3,4 or five course meal at a price starting at 138, 150 and $178 respectfully. A few highlights and then a few observations. My niece ordered an appetizer of risotto with lobster and it was perhaps one of the best risotto I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. I ordered the lobster bisque, expecting something in a delicate cream base and what arrived was a tablespoon and a half of lobster in the bottom of an empty bowl and they brought out a small pot of broth and poured it on top of the tablespoon and a half of lobster and chopped carrots that was in the bowl. The broth itself was extremely pungent and somewhat undesirable on the pallet however, once it was mixed with the ingredients in the bowl, it was savory and delicious. It was not what I expected as a lobster bisque. It was deconstructed so to speak and not creamy, it was however, good. I also ordered the mushroom tart. It was served in a flaky pastry. The texture of the pastry was good, but it tasted a little bit over done and not as buttery as I would’ve expected, and they contents of mushroom medley was small and bit on the bland side. I would not order either of my appetizer choices again. There is a lobster dish served with Potato, which was absolutely perfect. From the seafood menu, I ordered scallops. Two scallops came with two dollop of pickled salad. The flavor and texture was absolute perfect perfection, with a slight hit of citrus and turmeric. My sister had ordered the beef with potatoes. She said it was extremely tender and delicious. And for dessert, the chocolate soufflé was light and every bite was a decadent pleasure. A couple of observations in the pricing, I picked lighter smaller foods while my niece picked heavier, more filling foods and it’s priced the same for examples. She received a whole beautiful portion of risotto for her appetizer. While, I picked a deconstructed lobster bisque and the price is the same. For my entire dinner, I had a small soup, the mushroom tart, two scallops and a soufflé for $150. It seems like three tapas and dessert shouldn’t cost $150. My niece had risotto, lobster tail, beef, and dessert, and that was $150 which seems like it should be worth it as an actual meal, rather than what felt like small bites on my course. It’s just an observation in regards to the pricing not a rant or a rave. I just like to say another word about the service from the moment you sit down it will be the best service you’ve ever had. They take the plates and the silverware away after each course the staff is informative and helpful. Overall, it is a very memorable experience perfect for a celebration. One last observation, my niece and sister do not drink so they ordered diet soda, and I believe people become accustomed to have their soda fountain refill at no charge, And the final bill showed $38 for just diet soda. I’m sure the bill was over $600 for three people with only one alcoholic beverage. So keep in mind this is not a place that you want to go to if you are budget conscious, yet it will definitely be a memorable experience filled with perfectly prepared and...

Three-and-a-half stars, rounding up. Let me explain why. The food is seriously fantastic. Some of the best I've ever had and well deserving of it's Michelin star. Service was excellent. One of my favorite things about Gary Danko, and one of the reasons I'm SO glad they reopened, is how flexible and accommodating their menu is. You can choose 3-, 4-, or 5-course menu and you can pick any combination of dishes. You want three starters and two desserts? No problem! The lost star -and-a-half is because of an issue with the menu. Before coming, they check any dietary concerns or allergies (I don't eat pork) and they confirm after seating your party who has the restriction. Which is all awesome. But we were a party of four and my partner and I usually share bites. Again, the food is amazing, I want to try it all--don't judge me! Well, my partner knows this and usually scans his menu choices to accommodate me. Unfortunately, the menu did not show the side on the duck was "bacon-braised endive." It was only after tasting it and asking the waiter what it was that we were informed. After excusing myself to the restroom, let's just say it put a damper on the rest of the evening. I could excuse the server for not pointing it out--after all, it was not a dish I ordered--but I couldn't excuse that it wasn't listed on the menu. I called the next day to let them know and to make sure they updated the menu for any other non-pork eaters, and they were very apologetic and the manager both emailed and called to apologize and listen to me. He assured me that the menu had been updated, seemed genuinely apologetic, and said he hoped I would be back. It seemed sincere and I do think I'll return (if I haven't mentioned, the food is superb) but it definitely felt like a major oversight in the opinion of someone who has dietary restrictions. But that concern and the assurance of rectifying it for future diners was appreciated so I only took off one-and-a-half stars (one for it happening and a half because I was surprised there wasn't some sort of overture along the the lines of, "please return and we'll include an extra course to make up for it" or, I don't know, here's a dessert to get you to come back, or, literally, anything to attempt to get us to return). Anyway, the food, menu options, and service are five stars. I'm glad they're back but it might take a little while for...