The happy couple arrived late Saturday morning. After dropping off their stuff at our pad, we headed out for our first meal of the weekend. However, fate threw a wrench in our plans, as we’d planned to hit up Cheeseboard Pizza in the Gourmet Ghetto area of Berkeley, but when we arrived, it was apparent that they were not open, as the usual sight of tons of people queued up on the sidewalk past several storefronts was conspicuously absent. Turns out they were closed for the week, and would not be reopening again until Chips and Salsa’s last day up here. After a few minutes of hemming and hawing, we headed back south, to Aunt Mary’s Café, a little breakfast place in the Temescal area of Oakland Shweetie and I recently discovered. We really like this place for its southern twist on the usual breakfast fare and for their covered patio.
Chips ordered the country fried steak with beer gravy and Salsa ordered the pain perdue. Shweetie ordered his usual two egg breakfast, while I went for the cat fish sandwich.
Pain perdue, Cajun-style French toast made with baguettes, soaked in a whiskey-laced custard, served with a white wine berry compote
Two eggs and sausage, with biscuit and potatoes
After brunch, we headed into San Francisco for some sightseeing. Because we were having dinner in the city, we put on our dinner clothes before heading out. It was a little bit weird walking around some of the popular touristy spots in fancy clothes, but at least it wasn’t too chilly out.
Alamo Square – recognize the houses from the opening credits of Full House?
Lombard Street – we opted to just do a drive by, rather than a drive DOWN
After a bit of wandering around, we found ourselves driving up Van Ness, and I spotted Philz Coffee, this coffee shop that Wendells absolutely swears by. We decided to stop and see what all the fuss is about, and we’re glad we did. We’re now fans of Philz, though we won’t be giving up our trusty Peet’s anytime soon. (Sorry, Wendells!)
I think Salsa likes it
After our city escapades, we headed over to Gary Danko for dinner. Salsa only had a handful of requests about where to eat, and gave us free reign over the other choices. We’d been wanting to give Gary another chance after having only a so-so experience there the first time around about five years ago, so we decided this would be the perfect time. We each ordered a four-course menu and picked our individual courses.
They’re looking pretty hungry
Amuse bouche: Melon, Foie Gras, and Brioche
First course #1: Seared Sonoma Foie Gras with Caramelized Red Onions and Cherries
First course #2: Lobster Salad with Avocado, Roasted Tomatoes, Haricot Verts and Mustard-Tarragon Vinaigrette
First course #3: Dungeness Crab Salad with Hearts of Palm, Avocado, Mango and Lemon-Curry Vinaigrette
First course #4: Risotto with Lobster, Corn, Peas and Roasted Tomatoes
Second course #1: Roast Maine Lobster with Potato Puree, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Corn and Tarragon
Second course #2: Sautéed Guinea Hen Breast with Leg and Pork Crepinettes and Porcini Mushrooms
Second course #3: Mushroom Dusted Sea Scallops with English Pea Puree, Shimeji Mushrooms and Meyer Lemon
Third course #1: Herb Crusted Loin of Lamb with Tian of Vegetables and Polenta
Third course #2: Seared Filet of Beef with Cumin Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Tomato-Corn Relish and Basil Butter
Third course #3: Lemon Pepper Duck Breast with Duck Hash, Bacon Braised Endive and Cherries
Fourth course #1: Warm Louisiana Butter Cake with Caramelized Peaches, Huckleberry Compote and Peach Ice Cream
Fourth course #2: French Macaroon Ice Cream Sandwiches with Three Sauces
Fourth course #3: Baked Chocolate Soufflé with Two Sauces
Fourth course #4: Chocolate-Caramel Mousse Cake with Spiced Hot Chocolate and Caramel Corn
Food was not bad, but we're still unclear as to why this place keeps getting ranked the best restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area. There were a couple of highs (seared foie gras, chocolate-caramel mousse cake) and some lows (filet of beef), but the main problem was that most of the dishes were just so ordinary and unoriginal. We gave it an 8.00.
Service was fine, though not as perfect and unpolished as I remember it being five years ago. Perhaps we've just been out more now and have more to compare it to? We gave it a 9.00.
Décor was nice, though the dining room was much darker and trendier (not a positive change, in our opinions) than we remember. They also had some crazy tall floral displays. We gave it an 8.00.
Overall we gave Gary an 82.50. We're glad we had this opportunity to try Gary again, since now we've had more dining experience and felt we'd be more objectively able to evaluate the place. Personally, we still don't see what all the fuss is about this place, as we feel there are better places for food in San Francisco. We'd recommend it with reservations, but we don't think we'll be back again for a long time.
*For a refresher on our rating system, check out this previous post.*
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