Has anyone eaten at Gary Danko lately? If the food is still great I would like to try and get a reservation for my wife and I.

I looked at the French Laundry but I just can't imagine spending that kind of money on one dinner. I have been in most major cities in the US and have eaten some amazing food at incredible restaurants and have never spent anywhere close to the $1000 price I saw in this thread on one dinner.

I just had dinner there on Thursday. It is considered SF's "best restaurant", and I agree with that designation. The food is just phenomenal. It is probably less exotic than French laundry, but as you stated, it is way cheaper (3-course menu is $68) and much easier to get to. One of their 'signature' dishes is the roasted lobster (not the lobster salad, but the roasted lobster under the seafood section). You can have that as an appetizer.

It takes 2 months to get a reservation, so make sure you call early. You can e-mail them a request, and they will call you back.

The 3 course menu is plenty of food. The 4 course is a lot of food, so if you're a big guy (over 200lbs) and are starving, get the 4 course. But the 3 course is more than enough for average sized people. I once got the 4 course, and I simply could not finish the food.

You will really like the food at Gary Danko, and for $68, it's actually a relative bagain when it comes to fine dining.

Thank SFflyer.

I called today for a reservation seven weeks from now and many of the times were already filled. Glad I didn't wait!

How hard would it be to get from the Hyatt SFO to Gary Danko and back on a Tuesday evening? Our reservations for dinner are on our last night in SF, which we are staying at the airport due to an early flight, and I am thinking about dropping off the rental car, checking in to the hotel and then taking a taxi or public transportation to/from the Hyatt to Gary Danko for dinner. Would this be a pain?

Public transit would be a pain but a taxi would not. Expect to pay about $50-60 and spend about 20-30 minutes in the cab (each way).

511.org will help you look at options - there is a SamTrans bus # 292 that goes nearby, total trip is an hour each way.

taxi would be $40 each way at least

valet parking is $11.
unless you think you will drink too much to drive....

Thanks for the help. Maybe I should plan on keeping the rental car until after dinner and then drop it off. $11 valet fee sounds way better than a $100 for 2cabs.

Yeah, I would definitely keep the car. Just don't drink too much at dinner, and you'll be set. Before you go to the valet, look around for street parking. As a SF native, I almost never valet my car at a restaurant. It is a surprisingly parkable city, especially around Gary Danko. Just cirlce around a few times, and you will see plenty of street parking.

I never valet at Gary Danko because they put it on your bill at the end so you end up paying tax and tip on the valet, then you walk outside and tip the guy again!

Parking after 6pm is completely free in San Francisco (except by the waterfront near the ferry building), so you can park at any of the metered spots in SF. The 2-hour zones also are not in effect at night. Just check the meter itself and the signs once you've parked your car. So if you're a cheapskate like me (but like good food), then try to park on the street. It's worth the effort to look. Which day of the week are you going?

I did the same thing but from Walnut Creek. Knowing I drink too much I took BART to Montgomery Street and cabbed from there and back again. Worked a charm and cost no where near the coin being discussed. Easy as anything. Lately I have been doing the "stay at SFO hotel" thing too. Makes sense the next morning in a rush. I have found that BART works very well to a point from which I can cab.

Another +1 here for Gary Danko.

Some other good options that I've tried are Boulevard and Masa's, and next on my to-eat list is Benu.

I ended up keeping the car and parking on the street less than a block away. It was definitely worth keeping the car and not using a taxi two directions. Gary Danko was fantastic. Service was just as expected from fine dining.

My wife and I both ordered the four course menu and made sure to order completely different items so we could try as many things as possible. Without a doubt both of our favorite was the Salmon. You must order it if you eat at GD. All in all, the meal was very good and deserving of the praise it gets.

Thank you to all of the posters who offered advice and help.

Glad to hear that you enjoyed the meal. Thanks for the feedback. I'm actually going to Gary Danko's tomorrow night. I have never tried the salmon, despite my many times going there. I'll definitely order it this time.

The free street parking in SF is always a perk, isn't it?

I hope you enjoy it as much as my wife and I did. Thanks again.

So has anyone been to Benu yet? I have another dinner where someone else is picking up the tab, and I'm thinking of giving it a shot.

This was quite good. It was really good. However, I would have to say that the lamb takes an edge over it. Perhaps I am more of a red meat person. But the salmon was quite ecellent. I started with the crispy farm egg, and it was quite good. Overall, a great place!