This past Friday my wife brought me to one of the swankiest restaurants I've ever dined at. Gary Danko (http://www.garydanko.com) Being the planner that she is, she had made the reservations at least 2 months before. Was the wait worth it...Absolutely. Waiting 2 months for a reservation can go either way 1) Anticipation for it builds up so much that ultimately it becomes a disappointment or 2) Anticipation builds up so much that once youre there, you just enjoy the ride with all the unexpected twists and turns along the way.
Last Friday was definitely a surprise and a very enjoyable experience. Where to begin...
1) We decided to valet, since we never valet, it was really cold that evening, and we wanted the full "fine-dining" experience. It was so nice not to have to drive around for parking, not stress about being late, and not have to walk from a billion miles away.
2) Since we arrived about 20 min early and there were no seats at the bar, we were directed to stand with some other patrons(who were dressed to the nines, men in suits and ties and ladies in evening attire). But the coolest part was when a waitress asked us if we wanted anything to drink, and simply took our names to put the lemonade drink that I ordered on our bill. Small little thing, but I thought that was totally excellent. Gary Denko has "hands down" the most prolific wine menu I have ever seen. But my wife and I had a dry evening. Supposedly they have one of the most amazing wine pairing dining experiences in San Francisco. Perhaps next time.
3) We were then directed to our table right on time. The one thing that threw me off initially were the number of different waiters serving our table. One brought us the menu, another gave us an introduction to the restaurant, another brought us our drinks. It can happen. But what was completely different about this experience was how well coordinated their communications were. As an example, when we had asked for tea at the end of our dinner, one waiter brought us the menu, while a different waiter came back and asked us if we had selected our tea. This menu had other drinks in there as well, but it was just another example of how well the wait staff was coordinated. It was like the precise well coordinated movements of a swiss watch.
4) My wife and I decided to do another atypical thing and order bottled still water instead of tap. Ok they were $7.50 for a tall bottle. But I am a huge fan of mineral water and can "absolutely" tell a difference in taste. (Not that I can't drink regular tap water) But the greatest thing about ordering still mineral water, was how it brought back memories of our honey moon in Europe. So that $7.50 x2 was completely worth it.
5) Youre probably getting tired by now, so what about the food. I decided to go with the 5 course option and my wife the 4 course option. Basically you can choose whatever you like (2 appetizers, 2 seafoods, 2 deserts, pretty much any combination) But we both decided to do the standard selections (appetizer, seafood, meat and game, and dessert) For my 5th course I selected the cheese course. This actually turned out to be the highlight of the evening. (more on that next) But all our selections were fabulous, which included a lobster salad, lobster risotto, seabass with crisped skin, another lobster dish, lamb, duck, and 2 souffles. All relatively large portions, but in our typical fashion we finished every bite.
6) Each dish that evening was a highlight in itself (I felt like I was a tasting judge on iron chef), the highlight for me was the cheese course. And I say course, because the presentation and selection completely warranted it. They bring out a marble topped cart with about 25 different selections. Categorized by sheep, goat, and cow. After providing brief yet understandable descriptions of each of the cheeses, we were allowed a selection of four. Being a fan of strong, hard cheeses I chose one sheep and one goat cheese immediately. I then selected one of the most expensive cheeses, for the sake of an expensive cheese. Plus my wife prefers soft cheeses. The final selection was tough, but we ultimately went with a blue cheese. I apologize for being so generic, but there was no way I could remember any of the names. They served the four selections with thin slices of crisp bread and some grapes. Grapes never tasted sooo good. Cheese, bread, and grapes. A fantastic combination that releases all the flavors on your tongue. A definite can't miss.
7) For dessert we ordered two souffles. My wifes a chocolate souffle with both a creme anglaise and a chocolate sauce. Perfection. I love creme anglaise and chocolate, but Ive never had both at the same time. Mine was also good, but a little too fruity for me with a blackberry sorbet dropped right in the middle with a creme anglaise sauce.
8) Finally after a second bottle of our "expensive" $7.50 water, we ordered a camomille jasmine tea. Warm and perfect to top off the evening.
9) After about a 2 hour service they brought us the check and delivered their signature muffin to my wife. They have a tradition of giving the women at the table a muffin to take home with them for breakfast the next morning. This time it was a pumpkin cheesecake muffin, beautifully wrapped and gently handed to my wife. My wife brought it into work the next day to share a little Gary Danko with her co-workers.
10) At the end of the evening they try to time to have your car ready at the front door when you depart. Unfortunately there was a mix up with our car and we had to wait a few minutes. Allright by us, since we just continued to enjoy the elegance and christmas decorations of the restaurant.
We're not ones to regularly experience fine-dining, but this was a memorable and fun experience. On special occassions it's a nice treat to try something different and expand your experiences.
