Best Contemporary French Restaurants in Saratoga

We'd been to Gardenia once for lunch during the week and once for brunch on a weekend; both times we very much enjoyed the food and service. Those visits were during the winter months, so we sat inside -- once downstairs and once upstairs. Last night we were again seated upstairs, but this time inside the little turret in the corner of the old Victorian-era building housing the restaurant. It was very comfortable and quiet. Last night we tried their dinner service and were not disappointed! As with our prior visits, the food was excellent. We started with the a cocktail (the Mt. Fuji) and a glass of champagne (a Brut Reserve Billecart-Salmon) , followed by the Gardenia Salad (very tasty, though we needed a knife to cut the salad greens into bite-sized portions) and the excellent Tuna Tartare (substituting for the Thai Ceviche, according to our server). We especially enjoyed the tuna's creative presentation: served in a rectangle with the beautiful tuna diced and mixed with fresh avocado puree, topped with mung bean sprouts and dots of a mild red pepper sauce. For our mains, we had the market fish (wild-caught Alaskan halibut grilled, served with bamboo rice and a grilled artichoke and the braised rabbit pasta. Both were wonderful. We also shared a chocolate mousse for dessert -- true to form, it was excellent! The service was excellent as well, as our waiter (an Italian gentleman named Raffaele, who normally works at Evvia in Palo Alto) was very knowledgeable and friendly, as were all the front of house staff we interacted with. The restaurant wasn't very busy for a Saturday night -- something that we hope will change, especially as the weather warms up and the beautiful outside dining area in front of the restaurant becomes a more popular destination. Highly recommended!

Good food, great service. My only wish would be to have a better selection of wines that weren't too expensive.

Truly a one of a kind experience. Usually when my wife and I eat out, I can imagine how I might manage a good enough simulation at home. Not so with Chez TJ. This is truly a special place for special occasions and especially now with the current head chef, it surpassed a previous visit many years ago. Go now!