This was my first time eating at Restaurant Gary Danko and it was a wonderful treat. As of 2011, it is a one star rated michelin restaurant. It’s always rated high in review magazines and users like it on Yelp.
The restaurant is fairly small, I believe it accommodates around 65 guests, with a bar smack in the middle of the two dining areas. The bar can get crowded. We made reservations a month in advance (you can make reservations up to 2 months in advance). You have to call them or visit their website to leave a callback #. No open table.
So we had reservations at 9pm, and it was packed still. I was fairly surprised since it was Tuesday and I thought it wouldn’t be that filled. We arrived early and the hostess let us know our table would be ready on time. My wife and I waited at the bar observing the decor of the restaurant and the people dining.
Majority of the people here are celebrating a special occasion, birthday or anniversary. When you call to make a reservation they ask if it is a special occasion, and at the end you’ll get a free lemon freeze cake dessert. As for the dress code, most people are dressed nicely, jacket for guys, not too many ties, girls in dresses and skirts. There were a couple of people wearing jeans and a jacket, but nobody in a t-shirt. Although, I didn’t get an uptight feeling like at Quince, so if you were to come in wearing jeans and a shirt, I don’t think they’d look down on you.
The service was excellent from the start, from the hostess, the bartender, and the handful of waiters and waitresses that serve you. They waiters seem to work an area and you’ll get a couple of them assisting you for the night. They definitely rehearsed the menu because one of our waiters recited his lines almost automatically.
Onto the food — They have several options to choose from, 3-course $68, 4-course $85, 5-course $102 and a 5-course tasting menu. I didn’t see any items on the chef’s tasting that was on the list of items, so I think its more of a don’t want to decide, here’s the lazy option for you. The actual menu is broken down to 5 areas: Appetizer, Seafood, Meat and Game birds, cheese, and desserts. You are allowed to choose out of any of the areas for any of the options, 3, 4 or 5 course meals. My wife chose 2 appetizers, 1 seafood, and a dessert. I chose everything but the cheese. They let you do anything you want and they’ll adjust the portions as necessary. So I believe if you order 5 course, the plates maybe a little smaller. The waiter will let you know how it works if you are confused.
What we ate:
Glazed Oysters with Osetra Caviar, Salsify and Lettuce Cream – 5 stars, the sauce was so delicious, I wanted to drink the sauce after I ate all the oysters.
Crispy Farm Egg with White Polenta, Royal Trumpet Mushrooms, Frisée and Pancetta – 5 stars, the egg was cooked to perfection and the mixture of all the ingredients tasted heavenly.
Risotto with Lobster, Rock Shrimp, Shimeji Mushrooms and Peas – 4 stars, my wife loved the risotto flavor, I thought it was a little rich and I could only eat a couple bites of hers.
Roast Maine Lobster with Potato Purée, Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Edamame and Tarragon – 3 stars, you get one lobster arm and one half lobster tail, it was okay, lobster was cooked well, but the sauces weren’t mixing well with it.
Seared Filet of Beef with Potatoes Panadera, Swiss Chard, Cassis Glazed Shallots and Bordelaise Butter – 3 stars, I ordered medium rare and it was cooked medium rare but besides that nothing fantastic, I got about a 2 oz piece. The potatoes were thinly sliced and salted with large sea salt crystals, yum!
Branzini with Tarragon Gnocchi, Artichokes, Asparagus and Shimeji Mushrooms – 5 stars, the fish was cooked perfectly, the skin seared to be crunchy and with the right amount of saltiness. The gnocchi was the best gnocchi I’ve had, not too doughy and starchy like most gnocchi.
Baked Chocolate Soufflé with Two Sauces – 5 stars, far better then Morton’s souffle! They come and break it for you and pour in chocolate and another sauce I don’t remember. There was this soft and warm texture of the souffle that made me feel at home.
French Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches with Three Sauces – 5 stars, Macaron’s w/ ice cream in the mdidle, its like a happy ending! We had a banana, bailey’s and vanilla flavored sandwich.
Overall Gary Danko is a 4.5 star restaurant. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I would return given that is not an outrageously expensive restaurant.
The only comment I do have is they are very efficient, you are not left waiting long without some kind of plate on your table. To some this can feel kind of rushed for a tasting, but for those people, eat slower!
