I got to go to Gary Danko last week with my cousin who was up here for a conference.



Although we were both planning on getting the three-course option, the menu was so extensive with mouth-wateringly descriptive dishes that narrowing the choices down to three (including dessert) seemed entirely too taxing. So we took the easy way out and each splurged for the four course.


salmon and squid ceviche                                         seared scallops with fava beans

My favorite of my four courses reminded me of a deconstructed tuna and avocado roll without the rice. The seared ahi sat beside strips of avocado with rolled up ginger and triangular sheets of nori—all made to look like a butterfly. My favorite of Tom’s was the roasted loin of bison with herb spaetzle and fingerling potatoes. Of course the fried Maryland soft-shell crab special, salmon and squid ceviche, seared scallops with fava beans, yellowtail with cannellini beans, chocolate soufflé with two sauces and rhubarb-berry shortcake were hands down some of the best food that I’ve ever eaten. Best of all, they give you a treat, wrapped in gold (plastic), to take home for the morning.


rhubarb-berry shortcake

From the signature service (they’re super friendly and professional at the same time) to the elegant presentation (everything you’ve heard about the cheese cart is true, by the way), a night at Gary Danko doesn’t disappoint.

It’s like a tightly directed play—one I wish I could be cast in over and over again.