Restaurant Review of Gary Danko
On a cool Friday evening I was given the opportunity to dine at Gary Denko for my birthday. I had heard many great things about this restaurant and I was excited to finally experience it for myself.
Gary Danko is located in Fisherman's Wharf just a few blocks away from the famous Ghiradelli Chocolate factory. As you enter you are immediately hit with bustle of a small establishment. Everywhere you look people are busily engaged in discussions. It's so loud it is sometimes difficult to hear what the person across from you is saying. There seems to be so much chaos with waiter and waitresses running around trying to handle everyone orders and at the same time making sure not to run into ambling guests or other servers in this tight maze. However, they are professionals who deal with this everyday and so in an odd way it is controlled chaos.
The layout is cramped and Gary Danko tries to utilize every inch of space as efficiently as possible. As you enter to the left is the bar and to right is several tables and booths closely packed together. We were sat at a table sandwiched in between two others. It appeared that personal privacy was not on the menu tonight.
The staff was efficient and quickly brought us bread and took our drink and food orde
rs. I was a bit disappointed that the bread was cold and dry one of my indicators of a quality restaurant.
My family and I partook in the 3 course meal.
However, before the courses we were brought a small portion of gazpacho soup. A nice refreshing dish to start the meal.
Then it was on to the 3 course meal.
I had the the Risotto with Lobster consisting of Laughing Bird Shrimp, Corn, Butternut Squash, Parmigiano-Reggiano and Basil Oil presented in a wonderfully seated bowl. The dish itself
was solid but nothing extraordinary. Composition wise I felt that the corn overpowered the other great flavors such as the juicy lobster which should have been the central ingredient of the dish. I would also warn on getting this dish as it might fill you up before you even reach the entrees.
My brother had the Sweet Corn Soup with Dungeness Crab, Red Pepper, Creme Fraiche and Pancetta Biscuit. I had a bite which was a nice composition but had no excitement and mystery to it.
On the second course I had the herb Crusted Lo
in of Lamb with Tian of Vegetables and Polenta. This dish had great presentation as each of the lamb strips was neatly stacked on top of a bed vegetables. The lamb was fairly succulent and was lathered in a nice sauce. However, a few of the pieces were dryer than others and I had to try and ration the sauce in order to make the pieces of meat flavorful.
Then it was onto dessert. I had the Baked Chocolate Souffle with Two Sauces. Once the dish was brought out the waitress poked a hole adding in the second milk chocolate sauce. The two sauces hugged each other swirling around inside making a neat design. The souffle itself was ext
remely rich, almost too rich as I had to share with my family in order to finish it.
At then end of my meal I was fairly satisfied but not wowed. I had come to this restaurant with extremely high expectations and unfortunately it had missed it. The service was efficient by not as personal or friendly as I imagined it to be. I saw other tables with regular customers getting A+ treatment while we were considered just another slot on the reservation. I guess I was trying to compare the experience and meal to French Laundry which was on a completely different level for customer service and food quality.
Throughout the courses I was hoping for my tastebuds to be thrown a curve ball but there were no twists, turns, or memorable dishes. It was just quality food that you can find at several restaurants in San Francisco.
While the price is much less at Gary Danko, the overall experience just can not compare to French Laundry. Presentation was impressive, but the dishes lacked the flair and excitement I was anticipating after reading them off the menu. I do hope to return some day and have a better experience from a different menu which has exciting and inspiring dishes. However this time, I was not so lucky.
Ambiance: 3 bites
Appetizers: 3.5 Bites
Entrees: 4 bites
Overall: 3.7 bites
Gary Denko
Neighborhood: Fisherman's Wharf
San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 749-2060
