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!

Onto the food.  Grandviews’ 2010 Dine About Town dinner menu offered a three course meal for $34.95.  It consisted of crab cakes with squash risotto for appetizer, flat iron steak or blackened chicken breast for the entree, and a molten chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

With my group, we got to try both the flat iron steak and the blackened chicken breast.  The crab cakes were good, two small cakes on top of the risotto.  Both the steak and chicken breast were cooked very well, not exceptional, but good enough.  The molten chocolate cake was a flop, I ate most of the ice cream and left the cake alone.  Two out of three isn’t bad for a pre-fixed meal for a bargain price.  Since Grandviews wasn’t busy on a Friday night, the service was attentive but nothing high end.  Overall its worth the price for Dine About Town in San Francisco, otherwise, I wouldn’t come here for dinner otherwise.

1. House of Nanking – Great place for lunch and dinner. House of Nanking is Cantonese food with some western flavor. It is usually crowded but worth the wait. If you can’t decide what you want on the menu, just tell the owner how hungry you are and  let him order for you. House of Nanking also has great herbal tea, one of Louie’s personal favorite.

2. R&G Lounge – R&G on Kearny is one of the more upscale Chinese restaurants in Chinatown.  They offer fancy Hong Kong style dishes with classy service.  Fresh seafood and quality food is their staple.  Make reservations as this place is packed during all hours.  And of course expect a large bill.

3. Z&Y – This is one of the newer restaurants in Chinatown on Jackson street.  Z&Y has the more traditional Szechuan style food.  If you are looking for spicy, this is the place to go.  They also offer free 2 hour parking for lunch!

4. Hing Lung Restaurant – Hing Lung is an authentic Chinese restaurant with economical prices. You can get tons of items/dishes for under $6.00 and be full after the meal. Hing Lung has excellent congee and soup noodles.

5. New Sun Hong Kong – New Sun Hong Kong is practically open 24×7. This is a great place for after you have done partying. Our personal favorite is the beef chow fun (fried flat beef noodles).

6. Golden Gate Bakery – Located on 1029 Grant Avenue in the heart of Chinatown, You won’t be able to miss Golden Gate Bakery as there usually is a long line outside.  Golden Gate Bakery is the best bakery in San Francisco. Golden Gate Bakery’s egg custard (egg tarts) is probably one of the best in the entire US. They also offer other baked Chinese bakeries such as traditional buns. Only gripe we have is they don’t have coffee or warm drinks to go with the bakery.

7. Good Mang Kok Bakery – And our personal favorite for cheap dim sum to go, try Good Mang Kok (although it should probably be spelled:  Mong Kok) on Stockton.  There’s a line sometimes, but it moves quick.  The har gow (shrimp dumpling), siu mai (meat dumpling) and steamed buns are amazing.  We’ve tried many other small dim sum shops, but this place offers the best quality for the price.

One of many reviews by Kirk + Louie