Danal

[Sandra Levine]

Danal is a casual, eccentrically-decorated restaurant on East 10th Street just west of Third Avenue that I don't think anyone has mentioned on eGullet. Alan and I had a cozy early dinner there tonight. We shared an appetizer of two spreads, one made with roasted cauliflower, the other with chickpeas, served with grilled pita. Alan drank a glass of champagne. I had reisling.

For mains, Alan had grilled calves liver, served medium-rare, as requested, that came with a confetti-like mountain-let of red cabbage, shredded apple, onion and brussels sprouts, with Calvados Dijon sauce.

I had wild striped bass perched on spaghetti squash and roasted garlic in a mushroom broth. It's good to see striped bass back on menus again. The vegetables were beautifully caramelized, the broth rich with mushroom flavor. A few slices of red beets were strewn on top of the fish, to no purpose.

We each drank another glass of reisling (Louis Sipp) with our entrees.

For dessert we shared pumpkin bread pudding with cinnamon ice cream -- wonderful flavor complements. Why isn't cinnamon a more popular flavor for ice cream in this country?

Edited December 6, 2002 by Sandra Levine (log)

[Suvir Saran]

Why isn't cinnamon a more popular flavor for ice cream in this country?

What country is it popular in?

Thanks for this great post Sandra. I was not sure if Danal was still open. I used to go there years ago. With a girlfriend that was introduced to me by my counsellor at School Of Visual Arts. He had dated her once, and upon realizing I was Indian, he played Yenta and introduced us in the hope that I would marry her. Very quickly, in fact that first time we met, I took her to my apartment, the closet was bared and we have remained close friends ever since.

She lived near Danal.... It was a restaurant we treated as the neighborhood reliable.

I am glad you enjoyed a nice meal there. Gives me a big smile.

[awbrig]

Sandra,

Sounds very nice at Danal.

I agree with you on Cinnamon and ice cream! What I do is use Haagan Daaz ice cream or frozen custard from Milwaukee and drizzle warm Charlie Trotters Cinnamon-Butterscotch Sauce over the ice cream. It will make you feel, as Emeril says, very very happy.

[Sandra Levine]

I've seen it in France more often than here.

[mikec]

Sandra,

Thanks for the review. My wife and I lived near Danal for about 5 years. We went a couple of times and always had a pleasant meal.

However, I have a problem with Danal. The problem is that the air conditioning system is virtually non existant. Anytime the outside temperature was over 70 degrees, Danal was sweltering inside. I suspect that this is due to a poor AC system and their open kitchen.

Mike

Edited December 6, 2002 by mikec (log)

[Sandra Levine]

Not a problem last night!

[yvonne johnson]

Thanks for the reminder about Danal. We often pass it, think about trying it and forget. The calf's liver sounds good.

[laura]

I haven't been to Danal for many years , so I'm glad that it is still alive and well

They used to serve a very pleasant afternoon tea, that one needed to make reservations for, as it is a very personal place. I wonder if they still are offering

afternoon tea?Sandra did you notice ?

[Sandra Levine]

I didn't notice whether they are still serving afternoon tea. I know that pre-9/11 they did.