We went to the restaurant when it first opened 7 years ago and again for
lunch recently as were reminded by our friends of its excellence. The restaurant serves locally sourced Californian-French fare in a
lovely converted house with patio seating.
Chef John Marquez, owner and chef, is a local guy who grew up in
Danville and graduated from San Ramon High School. His first
apprenticeship at Danville's Bridges and a culinary degree from Diablo Valley College. He originally wanted to open his own place in San Francisco, but eventually turned his attention to
the Walnut Creek area. He has a rich foodie history including working at San Francisco's Coi and Fringale and for Thomas Keller at the famous French Laundry in Napa, also helping him
open Per Se in New York in 2004. He prides his
creations as using the freshest, finest ingredients and a labor of love. We had the pleasure of meeting
him.
Our server Ken was very knowledgeable and has been with the restaurant
since its beginnings 7 years ago. Chef John
features a 3 course luncheon special for 30 dollars. For 5 dollars more you can
include a Martini or Perfect Manhattan.
We chose to order ala
carte and began with Tempura Squash Blossoms with goat cheese that were warm,
fresh and fantastic. For the main
course, we ordered the fish tacos and corn soup, Croque Madame and sweet potato
fries. Both entrees were nicely prepared. For dessert, we shared the
chocolate decadence that was a cake with chocolate mousse and a ganache frosting.
Chef John, who is of
Peruvian decent, told us he will be
opening a new Peruvian restaurant in Concord called Lima. It will be open around July 1st and promises to be a joy to experience
with lots of unique and flavorful Peruvian recipes planned.
We would highly recommend
Artisan as it is close to Danville and food prepared with great attention to
detail and very, very good.
