The Dream of the 90s is Still Alive at These SF Treasures: Gary Danko & Boulevard
Two 1990's San Francisco restaurants going strong & worth returning to
Portlandia references may be old news, but I can’t help but hear the show’s Dream of the 90’s song in my head when I return to these two great restaurants that have been showing San Francisco how it’s done since the 1990s. Here’s multiple reasons why they’re still relevant.
Gary Danko (1999)
I still vividly remember the first time I dined at Gary Danko, not long after I moved to San Francisco in 2001. My food-loving Uncle had come to town from Oklahoma, offered to take me out for fine dining — anywhere I’d like. I’d been methodically visiting every restaurant in Zagat guide and beyond, faithfully color-coding each place with my own review system. Fine dining was tough to make happen on my minimal income and it was years before I became the SF Bay Area editor at Zagat and helped write the books. But the 1999 legend had been gaining Zagat’s highest rating in SF for years running by that point.
From Danko’s engaged service to its deep wine list to that unforgettable cheese cart, we had a fantastic time. Danko lived warm in my mind for years to come. I was privileged to return twice in 2024. Despite the restaurant inexplicably losing its Michelin star after 17 straight years, it remains clear: Danko still delicious and its impeccable team has been home to some who have been there since the early days, others from three Michelin restaurants like Quince and SingleThread. Also, it is a gay icon.
James Beard Award-winning chef Gary Danko has held steady with French-influenced cuisine, that soothing bathroom and a three, four or five course prix fixe ($128 to $173 per person) where you can mix and match any dishes you like (e.g. you want all desserts or all savory? You can!) Diners delightfully still dress up, roses grace every table and giant flower arrangements are stunning.
Having been at Danko for ages, Greg Lopez is the social soul of the place as guest services director. He greets regulars and first timers with equal joy. One night when I dined at the bar, we chatted about famed diners past, like Liza Minelli. Another visit, a group of guys came in after a Stevie Nicks concert for a nightcap and engaged by Lopez’ inclusive hospitality, we all ended up chatting with each other at the bar like we were at a house party. Whether dining with friends or my mom, I was pampered and treated like a regular/ Both visits showed a heartwarming mix of ages, an elderly gay crowd, date night diners and families alike. The 90s feel alive from diamond-studded older women to chic gays, treating dinner like it’s still worth getting dolled up for.
Start — and continue — right with cocktails from the talented Michael Kudra, who ran the bar at three Michelin-starred Quince and other famed bars like Chicago’s Aviary back in its heyday. Kudra layers drinks like For Reasons Unknown with anejo tequila and Mal Bien Espadin mezcal, vivid with a house habanero shrub, tart lemon and rhubarb. He steps up Greg’s Espresso Martini from the typical ubiquitous versions with rum, the subtle bitter amaro depth of Amaro Averna and housemade coffee liqueur of vodka and Peerless Espresso steeped with pink peppercorns, orange peel and cacao nibs.
Thank God, Danko’s food remains delicious. Under the appetizers, signature glazed oysters teeming in leek fondue accented by zucchini “pearls,” lettuce cream and osetra caviar is rightly small since it’s so decadent, blissfully briny and creamy. When our glorious heirloom tomatoes were still in season, a cool gazpacho poured around mozzarella panna cotta, graced with cucumbers and sourdough croutons, was the ideal cooling contrast to richer dishes.
Likewise, a late summer smoked gouda agnolotti pasta showcased the season in corn fondue smartly brightened by pickled corn and corn husk oil under a ridiculously good sheet of crisped parmigiano cheese. The fish dish that remains on the menu because it’s classic perfection is a horseradish-crusted salmon medallion over dilled cucumbers in grain mustard sauce. The salmon is perfectly medium-rare with just the right mustard-y, horseradish hit.
While I appreciated duck and lamb dishes over both visits, fish and shellfish remain among my favorites, like branzini fish surrounded by a “wreath” of French lentils and braised romano beans dotted with Thai basil and little fried green tomatoes.
Wine pairings are smart and elegant from Danko’s wine cellar. Yes, all the Burgundy, Gruner and Riesling you could want, but also fun pours like zippy, saline Granbazan Albarino Etiqueta Ambar from Spain or the bright berry depth of a 2021 Cobb Pinot Noir from the nearby Sonoma Coast.For good reason, Danko’s beloved baked chocolate soufflé with two sauces presented tableside remains the dessert piece de resistance, if you have any room left. But then you must also make room for the killer cheese cart. Big appetites may swing both, but I find I had to choose one or the other each visit. Though apples and oranges, I cannot tell you which I love more.
Gary Danko, the restaurant, has aged beautifully. It feels neither dated nor stuffy, yet it’s refreshingly timeless, genteel and classy, not bowing to trends or the changes of the decades, but still Danko’s original vision and quality. The dream of the 90s, indeed.
// 800 North Point Street, https://garydanko.com
Boulevard (1993)
Boulevard’s Belle Époque, historic Audiffred building (which survived SF’s 1906 earthquake!) evokes Paris, perched along the Embarcadero with Bay Bridge and waterside Bay views. Then you enter pioneering chef/owner Nancy Oakes 1993 restaurant, more gorgeous than ever since its 2021 remodel by none other than Ken Fulk Inc.
Vibrant mosaics, ironwork and hand-blown glass remain, but the space feels more opulent and whimsical with velvet and gold bar stools, Tiffany and tulip lamps, vintage mirrors, seaworthy blues and greens, a blue onyx bartop, contrasting carpet and bird-painted walls, brick and stone ceilings… and peacocks! It’s transporting, from lounge to chef’s counter.
Whether you go for set-price ($125 for three courses) or à la carte menus, Oakes and executive chef Dana Younkin carry on Oakes’ history as a defining California Cuisine chef, maintaining a sense of history while not feeling staid or dated. In fact, Boulevard’s Cal-French cooking feels even more exciting than I remember when first visiting over 20 years ago.
Ubiquitous crudos are fascinating and unique. Think kanpachi crudo in almond milk, yuzu and white soy, accented with fried sunchokes, fermented habanero and ginger pearls. Or all-too-common ahi tuna carpaccio amped up with Virginia peanut salsa macha (yes!), pineapple pico de gallo, lime crema and shelling bean tempura in an oh-so-California way.
Veal sweetbreads could convert the squeamish, delicately fried and partnered with plump prawn tempura in yuzu and cara cara orange marmalade, pickled carrots and wasabi tobiko kewpie mayo. Yes, please. Likewise, English pea soup is next level here. My mouth still waters recalling those fresh, lush, puréed peas surrounding a twice-baked lemon souffle, marked by bay scallops, king crab, tarragon and lemon oil. It hit all the right notes.
And we still haven’t even moved past starters. Entrees cover the gamut from veggie to meat and seafood. I loved the likes of Arctic Shelf sea bass with potato churros in romesco sauce, grilled escarole and a clamshell mushroom jalapeno relish. Clearly there is inventiveness and progression at Boulevard, while it’s classic 1990s ethos and old world elegance remain.
Cocktails won’t push boundaries but they’re made well and it’s a martini kind of joint anyway. There are a few seasonal cocktails and non-alcoholic (NA) cocktails alongside simple perfection like a grassy-elegant agricole rhum Daiquiri dubbed the Front De Mer. The wine list is likewise deep, overflowing with the greats: Champagne, Burgundy and plenty of California, Italy, Germany.
Sitting at the sleek but warm bar on a comfy velvet barstool is as fun as dining at a white tablecloth table by a window gazing over the Bay. Now if staffing and crowds would just allow for weekday lunch to return… Either way, thank God Boulevard is still going strong after 32 years.
// 1 Mission Street, www.boulevardrestaurant.com