Dinner as an 'Enemy of the State'
http://danielnyc.com/daniel/main.html

I read somewhere that when you dine at Daniel, the reason the staff can almost anticipate your every need is that they have cameras in the ceiling so that the staff can always see you. I spent a lot of time looking for the cameras on Friday evening (6/15/07) but didn't see any surveillance equipment. I did however think the interior of the was one of the most beautiful I had ever seen. It was very formal and not exactly the type of place I could be truly comfortable, but it was still beautiful in its detail and design.

Daniel was one of the remaining places on my list of top NYC restaurants and I have to say it did not disappoint. We entered the revolving doors into a dimly lit, elegant lobby. I walked my wife down the small staircase as the hostess beaconed us over. Dinner service had not started yet, so we were seated in the bar area. I sat on what felt like a velvet covered chair and tried to act casual and comfortable. For someone like me, for whom these types of dining experiences are splurges and not really natural, effortless affairs, it is a little hard to ever be comfortable. I have to say that the bar service wasn't as good as I expected. It was downright slow. There weren't many other couples in the bar area but it seemed to take forever for my wife and I to receive our drinks. They arrived and after one or two sips, we were told that we could go to the dining room. I thought the dining area was in a room immediately to the right of the bar but instead we were brought back to the hostess station and into a much larger and grand room.

We were seated at a table on the side and I was very pleased with this - a great view of the main floor and private. There was only one table that looked better and it was a corner booth draped off with its own special decor and a view of the entire restaurant. Very VIP - not me. We were given the menu and wine list and after a quick glance, we decided that the best way to make this easy and enjoyable was to go with the tasting menu and accompanying wine. In retrospect, while I think that the wine accompaniment is a great way to go in terms of getting to try a lot of different wines, it also goes straight to your head and alters your perception of the courses. Keep that in mind if you want to be at 100% in terms of being able to appreciate the food.

The meal began with a small silver tower with small tastings of goat cheese, asparagus, salmon and something that I can no longer remember. All very good, fresh flavors. You go to places like Daniel because you'd probably never take the time at home to make little things like these, but they are such a wonderful way to start dinner and get a sense of the quality and care that is put into the meal and experience.

We decided that my wife would pick each selection for her six courses and I would receive the alternate choice. This way, she was in charge (not often that this happens when I'm around) and happy ( hmm, hopefully she is happy most of the time, but who cares if she isn't!) and we got to try everything on the menu.

Regarding the comment I made on service in the bar area, service in the main dining room was 180 degrees different. Service is impeccable. The staff is pleasant and natural in execution of their job. Their job is to make me happy and make the whole dining experience an utter pleasure for me - and that they did. Knowledgeable, efficient and accommodating. When my wife enjoyed the bing cherry with her foie gras and demanded two more - one for her and one for me - they brought them out expeditiously. When I insisted they were marinated in something and the server at first said no, when he came back he apologized and corrected himself and informed me they were. That means he inquired back in the kitchen - good for him and it made me happy.

So first course for her was that foie gras and at first she thought my ballotine of duck with glazed peaches and spcied pistachios was better. However, at a few bites of her foie gras and my insistence, she realized how this was some of the highest quality foie gras we had ever had and that it was wonderful beyond my delicious ballotine. The wine, like every subsequent wine pairing, was perfect. Honestly, I can't remember specifics, but my memories are that we were in ecstasy at how each one was a wonderful and pleasing experience.

Second courses: her peektoe crab salad was nice, but I prefered my trio of trout was superior - more below. The TV show 'Deadliest Catch' has given me a newfound respect and appreciation for what was already my favorite seafood and her dish represented the best you can get when the food is so separated from its ultimate freshness after those guys catch it. Perhaps my trout was better because a piece of my trout was wrapped in God's perfect food - bacon. After my experience with trout at Aquavit, I have come to enjoy this fish a lot more.

Third, was tortellini with serrano ham and chanterelles. I must admit, I am always skeptical of non-Italians being able to execute pasta. I know it is silly but it is just something in my head that I never want to order pasta if it is not a Batali joint. But I had no choice here and it was wonderful. She had the Crayfish with porcinis and that was also very good. Just in case you are wondering, the wines continued to be unique and highly enjoyable. Like I said, my head was probably really spinning by this point, so I can only remember being very happy in general - nothing specific. I was trying to focus on the food. Service continued to be amazing and we were still enthralled by the decor - the place really is that beautiful. If you want to get laid, take your date here. If I was a hobo or a runaway child, I'd hide in Daniel because it is just a beautiful location. The bathrooms, which I always enjoy inspecting at nice restaurants, was espespecially nice smelling and well decorated.

Fourth, main seafood dish was yellowfin tuna for her and halibut with fresh vegetables for me. Both very good but I had a lot of seafood by this point. Next came a duo of beef for her and lamb for me. Okay, here is one flaw. She requested her beef to be medium rare but closer to medium. Apparently it was too rare for her, so she chewed it and spit it out. I ate the rest because it was perfect for me. I informed a server when he took the plate that the reason there was a small lump of chewed meat was that it wasn't cooked to my wife's liking. I expected the server to go into the kitchen and detonate the vest on his chest, but he just seemed to nod his head at me. I should have pressed the seriousness of the issue more, but my wife didn't seem to care much and I had eaten the rest of the meat. She did the same thing at Smith and Wolensky years ago and I realize that she just doesn't know how beef is supposed to be cooked. But honestly, a place like this should bring her charred ash of beef if that is what she wants. Next time I'm going to create a hostage situation if they don't cook it the way she wants. JUST KIDDING FBI!!!

Finally, was dessert. She seemed to enjoy her caramelized banana and I sort of enjoyed my chocolate praline cremeux. For chocolate to really win me over it has to be done just right. This was just like every other high-end French place chocolate dessert. A long rectangle of chocolate with a chocolate ribbon on top. I'm sure it was representative of the height of chocolate dessertiring (not a real word) but I thought it was just ok. She ate her banana dish quickly so I assume it was very good. Looking at the menu, I should have ordered the cheese platter too - next time I guess.

So, overall, Daniel is a fantastic place. The total bill with tax and tip for 2 tasting menus and wine pairing was $632. I was there for about 3 hours. Her, it's how I like to spend my time and money. I don't like going away - I get very anxious when I leave NYC - so I like wasting all of my money going to absurdly expensive restaurants. When I'm older I'll be so poor that I'll have to eat cat food, or my cats. But in the meantime, I highly recommend Daniel for the impeccable food, service and decor.