Curiosity and uncertainty usually drive me a little nuts. This is why I don't like knowing about surprises coming my way, because then I'll undoubtedly be thinking 24/7 trying to figure out what it is. I'm the kind of person who shakes gifts under the Christmas tree to guess the contents inside - maybe that's why no one gets me fragile items? The kind of person who loves knowing exactly what songs will be on the next episode of Glee, and will have listened to them several times prior to the episode airing. And the kind of person who always wants clues about where her surprise birthday dinner will be.
This, of course, has caused my boyfriend to get sneakier about his clues over the years. So even after a lot of pestering, I had no idea where we would end up this year. I was beyond excited when it turned out to be Gary Danko (or what I prefer to call GOD), where we went for my birthday two years ago. It was amazing then, it was amazing again, and I'm fully confident that it will be amazing the next time. In fact, after trying some new dishes in addition to some of the ones we ordered last time, I already have a rough menu in mind for our next visit.
Lobster Salad with Melons, Cucumbers, Roasted Eggplant and Thai Mango Dressing
Striped Bass with Arugula Pesto, Basil Gnocchi, Tomato and Cucumbers
Herb Crusted Lamb Loin with Tian of Summer Vegetables and Polenta
Lemon Pepper Duck Breast with Duck Hash, Bacon Braised Endive and Port Glazed Figs
All good things: Silver Oak cabernet, petit desserts, and a nearly-empty chocolate souffle cup
And my awesome boyfriend also got me an iPad which I now use to edit photos on the go. All the photos in this post were tweaked using Snapseed, which is surprisingly good for a mobile app. Pretty soon I'll be too lazy to use Photoshop on my desktop!
Again, the meal was so good that all food tasted pretty bland for the next week or so. But that's what happens when you taste perfection!
Gary Danko
800 North Point Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
www.garydanko.com
