Actually, 4.5 stars.
Wow - this meal totally made up for my abysmal birthday meal in San Diego (see George's California Modern review).
This is a fairly new restaurant that I've been wanting to try. I used to go to One of a Kind Pasta which finally closed, and was interested in seeing how Canis would convert the space. You wouldn't even know you're in the same location!
I keep seeing photos of the roast duck (for 2) whenever this restaurant is mentioned in reviews. Being a lover of duck, imagine my disappointment when they told me that they had just changed over to their spring menu and there's no more duck. Oh well, this just gives me another reason to visit again.
There were 3 of us and we ordered oysters, the duck pate (yay, I got some duck!), their "falafel", and also enjoyed their bread basket.
For my 4-course meal, I had the albacore tuna, the celeriac, the short rib, and the chocolate/buckwheat. Everything was beautifully presented - my friend was snapping away at photos, and the flavours and textures a delight to the mouth (this sounds so corny I know, but it's the truth!) I had originally chosen the squid as my 2nd course, but mentioned a slight sensitivity to nuts when ordering dessert and the server actually came back to explain that the romanesco has nuts, and suggested the celeriac instead. I normally would not intuitively order root vegetable - but this dish was delicious!
We all enjoyed the meal - it was paced well, and service was excellent.
So why 4.5 stars, instead of 5? The wine list had limited new world offerings by the glass, which is our preference. However, the sommelier asked us our preferences, and suggested a bottle of wine that not yet on the list. It was a perfect suggestion. And for one friend who wanted white (our bottle order was for a red), they brought her a tasting to ensure she would be happy with the choice.
For the presentation and the quality of the food, this restaurant is a super good deal. This is probably the best meal I've had in 2017 so far!