Weekend Report

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