Day 6 of my Seven Michelin Star Restaurants in Seven Days series brings me a lot closer to home, back to the San Francisco Bay Area. On a trip back home in May 2012, I had a chance to visit Gary Danko, right by Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman’s Wharf.
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The impressive menu selection of their 30+ dishes, mix and match! |
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Amuse bouche – Asparagus and Ramps soup |
Appetizers
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Seared Sonoma Foie Gras with Caramelized Red Onions and Apples – now BANNED from CA 🙁 |
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Crispy Farm Egg with White Polenta, Royal Trumpet Mushrooms, Frisee and Pancetta |
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Potato-Leek Soup with Creme Fraiche, Salmon-Crab Fritter and Bacon |
Fish and Seafood
Alright, I’m going to be a bad food blogger here and tell you that honestly, I don’t even recall what I ordered for this course, although intuition would tell me that for sure I probably ordered the Soft Shelled Crab, but was definitely debating the Maine Lobster. I only know that each of these dishes were well made, the sauces on it went well with the dish and I would gladly eat any of these dishes again. So, pick your poison, and just enjoy the food porn.
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Seared Sea Scallops with Asparagus-Pea Puree, Pickled Radish, Spring Onions and Sauce Marechal |
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Roast Maine Lobster with Potato Puree, Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Edamame and Tarragon |
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Striped Bass with Speck, Stinging Nettle Gnocchi, Morel Mushrooms, Asparagus, Capers and Meyer Lemon |
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Soft Shelled Crab with Bacon, Grits, Fava Beans and Roasted Chili |
Meat and Game Birds
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Quail Stuffed with Foie Gras, Mushrooms and Quinoa, Nettle Panisse, Spring Onions, Peas and Artichokes |
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Seared Filet of Beef with Yukon Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Roasted Pepper-Eggplant Marmalade and Soy-Mustard Glaze |
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Roasted Pork Belly and Tenderloin with Potato-Ramp Puree, Cauliflower, Roasted Peppers and Maple Cider Glaze |
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Juniper Crusted Bison with King Trumpet Mushrooms, Glazed Cipollini Onions and Herb Spaetzle |
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Lemon Pepper Duck Breast with Duck Hash, Green Garlic Puree and Roasted Grapes |
Say Cheese!
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The Cheese Cart siting idly on the side waiting to be consumed. |
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Our course of cheeses, came with grapes and a fruity bread, but I kind of wish they served it with some preserves too |
Desserts
Let’s wrap up with some desserts. Same business as the 2 other categories, all tasted good, no particular standouts, except perhaps the beautiful presentation of the Chocolate Souffle that comes with 2 sauces. Just look at how fun it is as the server pours the two sauces into the perfectly baked souffle:
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Baked Chocolate Souffle with Two Sauces |
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Lemon Souffle Cake with Creme Fraiche Panna Cotta and Raspberry Sorbet |
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Warm Louisiana Butter Cake with Apples, Huckleberry Sauce and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream |
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Creme Fraiche Cheesecake with Caramelized Pecans, Rhubarb and Strawberry Sorbet |
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Petit Fours |