Weekend Report

[lagilman]

The weekend has mainly been filled with post-tour decompression and puttering. But the end of August is Time of Celebration, and I’ve always wanted to go to Daniel. And so last night a dear friend and I bit the financial bullet and went.

To quote dianora2, O.M.G.

The place is lovely. Not what I had expected (I was thinking smaller, and a little darker) but lovely. The service is just a step below white glove (agamisu, I’d place it almost up there with the Dining Room) and yet somehow friendly as well (although when a busboy bumped slightly into the head waiter, oh dear! If looks could kill we’d have been short one busboy).

And the food… yum. Started with a glass of Daniel cuvee sparkling brut, which was just a touch sweet and was another successful salvo in the effort to change my mind about champagne. They started us off with a series of amuse-bouche, including a bite of salmon on a bed of shredded cucumber, and a warm Roquefort cracker with a dollop of another sweetly pungent cheese on top. Appetizer was a terrine of foie gras with toasted sourdough rounds. Main course was black sea bass in a potato crust with a syrah sauce. Dessert was a trio (actually four) of chocolate tastings, each one better than the last. They also brought out freshly-made madeleines, and with the coffee brought us a small plate of petit fours.

Wine was an Archery Summit pinot noir that kept opening into even more incredible tastes over the course of the meal. Chocolate and allspice by the end, and it complimented the fish surprisingly well.

And after, wandering the Village. Ended up in a small little basement bar with real, um, Village atmosphere. And a nice single malt list.

(and, best of all, parking for the evening was all of $8. Which, considering the dinner tab, was a Good Thing Indeed!)


I can now cross another restaurant name off my List of Foodie Desires. :-)


And ending the weekend out on a really nice note, just got a fan letter that made me turn bright pink. Meep. :-D

Comments

[editrx.livejournal.com]

Oh lord, that looks incredible. Alas, even though Daniel is a pris fixe, a dinner for two there will have to wait until (hah!) my boat comes in (again).

I gotta put this on my list, though, in case things change for me as abruptly as they changed last year. Remind me to start earning more money for the same amount of work as I'm doing now? Or start on a bestseller? {huge grin}

[lagilman]

If you stay away from the wine list, it's expensive but not unbearable for a Very Nice Celebration. By NYC standards, anyway.

The wine list is evil. And I mean that in the very best way.

[dianora2.livejournal.com]

Awesome. ::seethes with food envy::

I have to make sure I do some research before Worldcon, because I desperately feel the need to eat good food on the company dime.

[quarkwiz.livejournal.com]

Ooohhhhhhhh. [swoon] Yummy. Must go. But must find dining partner who will be able to enjoy everything, as my sweetie is mister meat-and-potatoes. He loves the atmosphere of fine restaurants, just not the menus. :-/