Can Danville support yet another new restaurant? Chow owner Tony Gulisano thinks so and to back up his confidence he has invested a ton of money in converting the old Blockbuster premises on Railroad Avenue into an extremely individual space.
This is the fourth restaurant in the Chow empire, two being located in San Francisco and the third in Lafayette. I know the Lafayette restaurant well and although there is a similarity in menus, the ambience seems very different.For a start, there is much more outside seating in Danville, with lots of outside gas heaters and some firepits. Inside, too there are many differences. Both have fireplaces but Chow Danville seems much bigger and lighter with a rather quirky style of décor. Tony Gulisano says it is in the style of an Amish barn. I think that is a bit of a stretch but it is certainly very appealing.Chow Danville opened a few weeks ago and it seems to have been pretty full from the get-go. Danvillians have embraced this style of smart-casual dining and Chow delivers in spades, being open from breakfast through dinner. There is also a full bar which seems to be just as popular as the rest of the restaurant.Sylvia and I visited on a Thursday evening around 6.30 for an early dinner and the restaurant was almost full both inside and out. We opted to eat inside with a table in the center of the dining area and we immediately noticed what a “buzz” there was. Like many people these days, we much prefer a lively atmosphere to a staid one and that is what you get at Chow. This is probably not the ideal place for a romantic dinner for two.Chow’s philosophy is based on the concept of providing good wholesome food at reasonable prices. They use organic produce and local suppliers where they can.Neither of us wanted an appetizer and the menu has a surprisingly good (and perhaps a little eclectic) selection of fish, pasta, meat and game for main courses. Sylvia chose the steak frites, one of her favorites, and as I am a game enthusiast I went for the squab, not a dish commonly seen on menus in these parts.The steak with the frites was hanger steak and having tasted it, I agreed with Sylvia’s comment that it was full of flavor and cooked to perfection. My squab was equally delicious - pan-roasted to a dark pink color and served with an imaginative selection of sides - braised cabbage, a mélange of diced vegetables, a slice of sweet potato and bruschetta. This was one of the best meals I have had in ages.Having declined an appetizer, we felt justified in sharing a dessert, and although the selection was fairly small it was definitely tantalizing. We decided on a chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and a bitter chocolate sauce. Although neither of us are great desert eaters, we had to agree that this, again, was superb. The chocolate cake was like a very light chocolate brownie and the chocolate sauce was phenomenal.I predict that Chow will soon become the most popular restaurant in Danville. The service, overseen by manager Tonino Drovandi (who, despite the name, is Scottish, believe it or not) was impeccable - attentive and unobtrusive, and it is really difficult to find anything to fault. We will be back. You can see more about Chow on their web site at www.chowfoodbar.com.
