DH and I will be celebrating our 18th in our favorite city. Fleur de Lys, my first choice, is completely booked. I have reservations at the following. Which of these (or any other) would you choose?
-Fifth Floor
-Masa's
-Gary Danko
-Jardeniere
-Aqua

As always, thank you for your help.

I live here. I had dinner with my husband and two friends last night at Aqua. This has always been a favorite; my husband and I had our first date there. The food, while elegantly served and very pretty, was not in my opinion anywhere near the quality of the past. I did not really like any of the three dishes I had. I found it very disapointing. The service, while attentive, was extremelly slow with long waits between courses. Have not been to Masa's recently, but Gary Danko and Jardineire have both been very good in the past year.

Just one opinion, but check back a couple of times at Fleur de Lys to see if there's a cancellation. If not, I'd head over to Chez Panisse in Berkeley.
www.chezpanisse.com

For celebrations (or if someone else is paying) I go to Gary Danko or La Folie. Aqua can get quite noisy, so I don't find it that romantic. Jardinaire is quite "sexy" but I think the food at my other two choices is more interesting & creative. Never been to Masa's or Fifth Floor.

Stu Dudley

Iregeo, may I jump in?
StuDudley, choosing between those two--Danko's or La Folie--what would you say? [I see that Danko's received no.1 in Zagat's new list--for whatt that is worth]

Thanks, all. I'll cross Acqua off the list for this trip.

We won't have a car, so I don't know if Chez Panisse is really doable. How is BART late at night?

We're "waitlisted" at Gary Danko, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for it. I've not heard of La Folie, and will check it out.

Betsy, thanks for the tip about calling back at Fleur de Lys. The receptionist did say she didn't expect cancellations, but I guess it's still worth a try.


Still open for other suggestions, if you have any.

Thanks, Stu Dudley. La Folie looks beautiful. I've added it to the list.

>>StuDudley, choosing between those two--Danko's or La Folie--<<

Flip a coin. The chef at la Folie - Roland Passot - is French. Gary Danko is not, but his cooking is borderline French. His mentor/teacher was Madeleine Kammen, who is definatly a classic French chef. I've taken several cooking classes from both chefs, as well as Hubert Keller from Fleur de Lys. I think Roland Passot's dishes are a little more creative than those from Keller or Danko.

I bet if you polled San Francisco Foodies - it would be a "tie" between these two restaurants. Wouldn't even be surprised of La Folie got the nod.

Our local food critic rates the restaurants by stars. There are about five 4 star restaurants in SF. Masa, Fleur de Lys, Aqua, & La Folie are 4 star places. Gary Danko is 3 1/2 stars and Fifth Floor is 3 stars. I usually do not agree with the local food critic.

I'm dining at La Folie next Saturday - special event!!

Stu Dudley

Thanks StuDudley (and Iregeo for letting me in).

We've been to Danko's twice and to La Folie not at all--so I guess it is time for La Folie. Iregeo, I have received the impression that StuDudley just corroborated--that you will get a split of opinion from SFans. For example, I noticed that mstraveler who lives there believes that Danko's has been very good for the last year, friends of mine who live there thought it had been in a slump. Go figure! [I guess that is what we are trying to do.]

FWIW we celebrated our 5th anniversary at La Folie and were very happy that we did. The food was very tasty, but the portions were almost too large. We did the 4 course menu and could hardly get up to leave!

-Bill

Inasmuch as I love Gary Danko, with the numerous times we've dined there all with great experiences, you may want to consider Michael Mina, as well the Dining Room at the Ritz for your anniversay dinner.

Even with the impecabble service, sometime Gary Danko can feel a little more cramped and somewhat too business-like than the other 2 restaurants that I mentioned.

BTW, Michael Mina's tasting menu is just great. Ron Siegler oversees the Dining Room at the Ritz.

Oooops. Didn't want any spelling police sniffing, nor don't want to disrespect the chef - but that should be Ron Siegel (former chef at Masa's).

It's not on your original list, but I would consider Campton Place as well. It originally wasn't anything too special, but it has really come into its own under Chef Daniel Humm (it's one of the SFC's 4-star place, FWIW). He's known well beyond SF as an up-and-comer, and the dining room has a nice subdued romantic vibe. I love Gary Danko and Michael Mina, but I personally find those restaurants more suitable for business than romance.

Hi, since you guys are talking about La Folie, I would like to put in my 2 cents. Loved it! My friend told me it was a "special occasion" restaurant, for engagements and anniversaries. I wanted to eat there so badly I took her there to celebrate her getting a new job and my leaving mine (last year). At the end, Mr. Passot came out to greet us and we took a picture with him to memorialize a delicious meal.

If you go there, try not to eat all day. I had a late lunch that day and I should have skipped it--by the end of dinner at La Folie, I was so full I thought I was going to burst. And yet, it's not like the servings are so huge or anything. Anyway, it was all very yummy and the service was excellent.

Hi all. Well, this weekend's the big weekend for us. My husband chose Masa's for Saturday night and we were able to squeeze in to Gary Danko for Friday night. If I don't burst, I'll try to check back in next week and give a brief food report!

Cheers!

Hello Irego, have a beautiful anniversary weekend in San Francisco. Best wishes to you two, and enjoy your dinners!!!

Hope you have a great time - We had out 10th anniversary dinner at Gary Danko and loved every bite. The service was impeccable.

Congratulations!

Thanks for the well wishes, Love Italy and worktowander!

We had a very nice weekend. We go fairly frequently and like to try new hotels. This time, we stayed at the Rex. It was o.k. It did have a very comfortable bed, a good, strong shower and a fabulous location on Sutter, between Powell and Mason. We had taken BART from SFO, and had no trouble walking to the hotel (with luggage) from the station at Powell and Market.

For some strange reason, the weekend was all about food! On Friday evening, we took a cable car to Gary Danko, where I had the best meal of my life! The food, service and decor are all 5*, IMO. After a glass of fine champagne, my first course was seared foie gras (of course) in a sweet, fruity preparation. Sooooo good. My second course was the best lamb I've ever had, and dessert was a "butter cake", which was out of this world. DH started with a lobster salad, then duck, then a cheese course. We had the sommelier pair wines for each of us with each course. They even sent us home with a gift -- a small cake wrapped in gold paper and ribbon. All in all, a magnificient, memorable meal. I give Gary Danko an A+.

Saturday afternoon, while strolling through the Ferry building (there's one store that has the greatest decorative maps of Paris for $3.75 that I plan to frame and hang in my office), we decided to try The Slanted Door for lunch. Wow! We shared a Vietnamese crepe, shaking beef, and one other dish, the name of which escapes me right now. Really amazing food! A good, solid A.

After a round trip, sunset ferry ride across the bay to Sausalito, where we also got to admire the city all lit up at night, we had dinner at Masa's. The room is absolutely gorgeous -- charcoal grey walls, stark white ceiling with pale grey panels and beautiful red shaded chandeliers. It is really very striking and elegant without appearing stuffy. The service was good, not great, but after Gary Danko, I think everything will pale in comparison.

After champagne again, I started with a pear and prociutto salad (it was amazing), then the filet mignon of veal (out of this world) and ended with lemon blinis. DH started with seared foie gras (mine was better at Gary Danko), then venison, but I don't recall his dessert. We again had the sommelier pair wines for each of us. I give the restaurant an A-.

Sunday, we visited friends in their brand new home on Black Beach in Seacliff. Wow! They have a panoramic view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the ocean from almost every window in their home. They are truly blessed (and apparantly, truly wealthy!)

Nothing else exciting to report, but we are collecting donations to help us pay for our weekend of dining, as it put us in the poor house!

Talk to you all soon!

Fleur de Lys. Loved it!!