I've eaten at three Michelin Stared restaurants in the bay area. Gary Danko, CPQR and Manresa. All were interesting experiences. Gary Danko was by far my favori

I've eaten at three Michelin Stared restaurants in the bay area. Gary Danko, CPQR and Manresa. All were interesting experiences. Gary Danko was by far my favorite. The other two felt like it was all about he ego of the chef. Gary Danko was all about my enjoyment of the meal. They have three courses separated in sections, but you can mix and match. If you want a taste of filet mignon as an appetizer and a huge plate of escargot for your main, that's fine with them. Their wait staff is by far the most elite I have ever experienced. No one asking you if you need anything and not a waiter to be found, unless you need something then they magically appeared just as the thought was percolating into consciousness. Amazing. CPQR was weird. We did three courses from the menu. Appetizer was the best, but the most memorable was the second course, though not for the taste. I order a pasta dish and before they serve they place a steak knife next to me. A steak knife, what the hell did I order? The dish comes and looking at it I'm still wondering what exactly I ordered... Manresa was also a unique experience. First all the dishes were absolutely, amazing. One person in our party did not like fish except for scallops, which they accommodated. We proceed to have five fish based dishes in a row. Even though all five were fantastic, at the end my mouth felt like a tide pool, and having grown up on the beaches of Santa Cruz, I know that taste/feeling well. On the third fish dish, our friend got his scallops and boy did they look good. Then on the fifth and last fish dish he was served squab. The rest of us looked longingly at that bird, our collective mouths watering. He was lucky to leave that table alive... I think the food was more inventive and more perfectly cooked at CPQR and Manresa but it's Gary Danko I would like to go back to.