Restaurant Gary Danko is one of the top restaurants in San Francisco, they serve contemporary American cuisine. Open in 1999 and located near Ghiradelli Square, it has been at the top of the Zagat Guide for the last couple years. “Danko combines classical training with focuses on French, Mediterranean, and regional American cooking. He incorporates influential culinary traditions from around the world into his own work, adding seasonings and techniques drawn from Asia and India.” Read the rest of this entry »

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is a ‘less’ formal restaurant from “Chef of the Century” Joël Robuchon. He has more Michelin stars than any other chef in the world. This restaurant is located on the Las Vegas Strip in the MGM Grand, right next door to the more formal Joël Robuchon at the Mansion restaurant. This restaurant received One Michelin star. Elegant French food is created right in front of you and served on the counter or on one of the surrounding tables. Our meal at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon was right before a show, so we tried their new low cost pre show menu. Read the rest of this entry »

Bar Masa is the latest outpost for Masayoshi Takayama, famous for ultra expensive, three-star Michelin star Masa and Bar Masa Japanese restaurant in New York City. This restaurant is located on the Las Vegas Strip the new City Center, Aria Hotel on the first floor. He also runs Shaboo, an even more expensive ($500 per person) Omakase Shabu Shabu restaurant next door. Do not visit Shaboo until you have experienced and enjoy Shabu Shabu hot pot dining, otherwise you will be wasting money. No one was dining there when we visited. Read the rest of this entry »

Mandarin Oriental Hotel

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Coi (Pronounced Kwa, meaning calm, quiet, tranquil) is a Contemporary California Cuisine restaurant near the San Francisco Financial District and a couple feet from an Adult entertainment spot. Opened in 2006, chef Daniel Patterson uses the best ingredients they can find and transform them using modern cooking methods into innovative creations. Coi’s cuisine reminds us of molecular gastronomy giant Fat Duck in the UK. They earned two Michelin stars for 2010, the only restaurant in San Francisco to do so. Coi has a $125 11 course prix fix menu that changes every couple days. We had previously dined in the lounge a year ago, ate a la carte, and found it nothing special, so we decided to get the full treatment this time. ($95 for wine pairings) Read the rest of this entry »

Commis is a hot restaurant in Oakland run by James Syhabout. He has cooked at several superstar restaurant; Manresa, The Fat Duck, el Bulli, Mugaritz, and Alkimia. Commis focuses on Contemporary California cuisine with a focus on local, sustainable, and eco friendly practices. The restaurant is located in the Piedmont Avenue area of Oakland, home to hot spots like Bay Wolf, Dopo, and Fentons. Commis received one Michelin star in 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

Village Pub is a fine dining establishment in the small town of Woodside. We have passed by many times and felt it was time to try it. They received One Michelin star in 2009, 2010. Mark Sullivan is the chef and identifies his cuisine as “Contemporary American yet is rooted in the culinary traditions of France and the Mediterranean.” They use lots of seasonal, local, and organic ingredients. The chef has a sister restaurant, Spruce, in San Francisco.

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San Mateo Prime restaurant opened in late 2007 in Downtown San Mateo. They specialize in dry aged prime rib cooked with rock salt and slowly roasted. We have driven by many times and decided it was time for a prime rib dinner. San Mateo Prime is modeled after places like House of Prime Rib in San Francisco and Lawry’s The Prime Rib. Entrees come with hot corn bread, salad, popover, and choice of two side dishes. Read the rest of this entry »

Chez Vong is a fancy Chinese / Vietnamese restaurant located in the 1st Arrondissement, specifically the Les Halles area of Paris. We wanted some Chinese food for a change, so we decided to try this place. Read the rest of this entry »

Le Cinq is a famous two Michelin star restaurant in the Four Seasons George V Hotel in Paris, right near the Champs-Élysées. The restaurant had earned 3 Michelin stars in the past. Eric Briffard, formerly of Paris’ Les Elysées has been head chef since 2008. He is known for dishes with a precision of flavors. They serve classic French Haute cuisine using classic French culinary techniques. Le Cinq embraces newer, lighter cooking styles, and always incorporates the freshest regional ingredients. Le Cinq serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and has been open since 1999. A la Carte as well as two prix fixe menus (160, 230€) are available at dinner. We choose the cheaper Decouverte Gourmande Summer Menu de l’ete. (160€) Read the rest of this entry »

L’Ardoise is a charming Bistro located on a quiet street in the 1st Arrondissement, a block from the Jardin des Tuileries, and not far from the Louvre. They have a very affordable 34€ three course meal as well as an a la carte menu. We ordered two of these meals, plus and extra entree. If you need an early dinner, this is one of the few that start dinner at 6:30pm. L’Ardoise is mentioned in many tour books. Read the rest of this entry »

L’Arpege is a famous three Michelin star restaurant in Paris run by star Chef Alain Passard. This famous spot opened in 1986. They serve classic French Haute cuisine focusing on seafood, poultry, and vegetables. Their three organic farms outside Paris grow their produce. Vegetables are bullet trained to the restaurant several TIMES a day, to maximize freshness. Alain became bored with meat and removed it from the menu several years ago, but later adjusted to include seafood and poultry. We came for lunch Menu L’Ete des Jardins (The Summer Garden) (120€) available July-September 2009, to lessen the damage to the pocket book. It looked like everyone else ordered it too. They had actually lowered its price by 15€!

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