Continuing the food factor...........

I began with Bouchon and I will probably finish with it. I absolutely love Bouchon, be it in Napa or Las Vegas. When I turned 30, I had an awesome meal with Pocketsize, Sara Jo, Michaela and Castello. We had been wine tasting all day and finished at Bouchon. It was awesome. Castello treated us to a bottle of champagne and I opted for a bottle of red. We shared roasted chicken, foie gras, pommes frites and salmon. The wine was amazing and I think that is the lasting impression. Napa, for the first time, overwhelmed me.
French Laundry is the best all-time experience that I have ever had as a diner. The service was fantastic, efficient, non-intrusive and lasted 4 hours. I had an amazing meal, great wine and loved every minute of the meal. I went with a friend of mine from Denver. She, too, is a food fanatic. Her boyfriend likes burritos. Need I say more?
Gary Danko, another star restaurant in San Francisco, is definitely in the top 5. Shari and I celebrated the 3rd anniversary of Brian's passing there. We sat at the bar and had an excellent meal. We began with champagne and continued with a bottle of Craggy Range Merlot. I had been to the winery in New Zealand, my boss, Dave, was there and so it seemed fitting. Dave recommended Gary Danko.
We began with the seafood risotto, continued with the foie gras and finished with the chocolate souffle. The bartender was accomodating and friendly. I liked how the restaurant ran the bar. Instead of allowing open seating, they had a hostess in charge of the bar rotation. She informed me that we would wait for an hour to an hour and a half and then have an available seat. She was accurate.
Aqua, in San Francisco, again. I was continuing the celebration of my 30th birthday and persuaded a friend to meet me there. We had the 3 course tasting menu and it was delicious. I would like to return to sample more of the food.
Tru, Chicago...amazing food, interesting dining mate. I went for my anniversary with Brian--it would have been our 6th. I wanted a meal to stand out and so I made reservations there. They didn't offer the full menu to people at the bar.
I prefer to dine at the bar, but it wasn't an option for me since I was dining solo. The first two courses of my 9 course tasting were solo. The host approached me and offered to bring me reading material. I inquired about the solo gentleman that was dining to my left. They asked if he would like to join me and so I had dinner with a 19-yr-old boy that was an intern in their kitchen. It was interesting and amazing. This guy, Sam, reminded me of Brian and I had a wonderful time. He was young, passionate and full of life. I envied his optimism.
I know that there are so many restaurants to profile and consider. I know that I have been fortunate to dine where I have and look forward to the next meal.
Be well.