Celebrity chef Gary Danko is the winner of the latest Golden Local.
Danko won easily, taking in 69 percent of the vote against Michael Mina.
For ten years, food enthusiasts have filled Danko's 75-seat Fisherman's Wharf restaurant that holds his name.
They choose from three-, four- and five-course meals that include a variety of specialties such as roasted quail stuffed with mushrooms, Maine lobster as only Danko can prepare and pancetta wrapped frog legs.
Danko's unique flair for making the ordinary exotic has drawn international praise, and the simple but elegant design of the two adjoining rooms creates the ambience of an intimate New York restaurant.
Danko combines his classical training with a mix of French, Mediterranean and what he calls regional American cooking.
Danko says Gary Danko is the culmination of his dream to create one of America's great restaurants.
The place is now in its seventh year of operation and not going anywhere soon.
As you would expect, reservation are hard to come by and only taken for two months out. Dinner is served between 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Dining at Gary Danko is inimate with a table for six being the maximum available.
Danko was raised in upstate New York and is quick to credit his parent for a strong work ethic. His mom is the first to give him a cooking lesson.
He made a name for himself initially in the city as chef of the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton.
Not to forget the other chef in the Golden Local contest. He is also a celebrity of sorts.
In 2002, Michael Mina combined Hollywood and fine dining in the Bay Area when he opened his first restaurant on Nob Hill with tennis star Andre Agassi.
Mina has won numerous awards including the prestigious two star Michelin award in 2006 and San Francisco Magazine's Chef of the Year in 2005.
Foodies flock to his San Francisco restaurant for his famed seafood such as his scallops three ways or his succulent meat dishes like the Kobe beef roulade.
The combination of the extraordinary six-course dinner and the elegantly grand atmosphere make for a dining experience to be savored.
