Restaurant Recommendations for a Foodie

I have a good friend who recently moved to Fremont, and I want to get him a gift card to a really great restaurant. He has a side-gig that brings him all over North America and he enjoys trying high-end restaurants everywhere he travels so I want to help him explore his new city and the restaurant scene.

Google tells me Papillon would be a good choice - would you recommend this? How would you compare this to the food at Ristorante Il Porcino?

Thanks in advance!