Daniel

[jaybee]

One criteria I use to rank cookery is whther a chef peforms alchemy--creating a taste and experience that transcends and transforms the ingredients.

Clearly you aren't speaking about Italian food.

No fair. This is LXT's party.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Your bias is showing.

[Jinmyo]

lxt, I am simply astonished by this report. I can only hope that you enjoyed writing it as much as I did reading it.

[snowangel]

lxt, your post, and Cab's reply, was like a prose massage.

I feel relaxed and ready for sleep.

[Bux]

dominated by smoothly shaved men

Well I wasn't there then. My one question is whether there's a typo in the wine listed as served with the chocolate dessert. I suspect you pasted in the Sociando-Mallet '95 again by mistake. Which, I guess, is my way of saying I was paying attention to every word you wrote.

[mikeczyz]

great report!!!! can't wait to read your next one....

mike

[lxt]

awesome report!  where are the other pictures?

awbrig – Thanks. We made the mistake of not using the flash (not to disturb other diners) until that last picture of little delights. You can’t possibly imagine the disappointment we faced upon discovering that instead of pictures with little and big memories all we had was one big dark blob. Next time I may consider being less considerate toward other diners.

[lxt]

lxt -- Thanks for sharing your experiences.  So many things to look forward to -- and wait until you get to France.  

A fortunate and proactive diner could find resonance in a subjectively matched restaurant that moves her and sustains her spirit in small ways until her next visit; that gently, but markedly, shades her sensation of scents, light, colors and shapes; that has a cuisine that plies itself around her likes and dislikes, seeping itself into shaping those preferences; that makes her believe she is tasting so many products for the first time when she had taken them in innumerable times elsewhere; that begins to weave a history with her, laced with meals that murmur to her when she is exuberant, other meals that console when she is vulnerable, and yet others during disparate other times; that always has a place for her and goes out of its way for her; that, no matter how many other restaurants she visits, would always offer a cuisine that most pleases her ...  That is the kind of restaurant that she could find

Cabby, your paragraph is inspiring, intense and expresses in the most concise and poetic form the experiences I am looking forward to. It is when each dish forces a shiver of expectation, and all senses become engaged in the feast of flavors, that happiness and excitement take their utmost form. If one was ever able to experience it, I don’t think he can ever go back.

Our appreciation of the artist’s intention depends on our ability to sort out the fake, the imitative, the second-rate, and the second-hand. The essence of criticism is the asking of questions, and once we start asking such questions we must go on. Books can tell us something of a chef’s and restaurant’s times, something of technique, something of composition, and it is certainly helpful to be made aware of these things. But the best way to widen our knowledge of “art” is to look at many more “pictures.” Therefore, i am not sure whether Daniel will be the one and only for me in the future since I am an explorer by nature. It is possible that on my second visit, I’ll become more critical, but Daniel certainly was the first place that touched me in the most profound way, and I will treasure this experience.

And I actually can’t wait until I get to Paris which I am going to visit in June.

Edited February 12, 2003 by lxt (log)

[lxt]

Bravo.

Steve – thank you. I’ll make it my signature line as a slight reminder for our future battles.

[lxt]

Thank you LXT for that wonderfully detailed report, including the atmoshperics.  (Fading ladies and hanging flesh--worthy of a scene in a Visconti movie).  Aside from the venison, did your consort enjoy the meal as much as you did?  One criteria I use to rank cookery is whether a chef peforms alchemy--creating a taste and experience that transcends and transforms the ingredients.  David Bouley, at his early peak, did that.  Jean Troigros as well.  I suspect Robuchon, too, but alas I have not had the pleasure.  Your description of the skate implies this transformation.

Jaybee-the “fading ladies” were just for you. I had no doubts that this element of the story would move you the most.

My consort was not prepared for the “gala concert” and the whole experience not only had an element of surprise for him, but literally knocked him off his feet. He was overwhelmed, surprised, and extremely grateful, exclaiming that the bread was so good that it was all he really needed to be satisfied with the evening in the beginning of our dinner, and “I’d really like to live here” at the end. There was no sign of remorse or hesitation in paying our check. For us, every penny we paid was worth that and more for how much pleasure it provided us.

You are right. The skate was meant to be transformed. The value of the chef’s work depends first on the quality of his intention, and secondly on the success of the technical realization of that intention. Though I can clearly see an interesting concept behind the skate dish, I can’t tell you that I was able to fully accept a combination of a strong beef flavor with the skate texture, on my subjective level, of course. Perhaps psychologically, I’d expect a more robust flesh with such a strong sauce. However, it was very interesting.

[lxt]

Jinmyo- Thank you very much. I indeed enjoyed writing this report, but I must assure you that I enjoyed eating what is described in this report to a much greater extent.

Snowangel – thank you and I hope you’ll have nice dreams.

Bux – No, you weren’t there, but I took the liberty of mentioning your name while having a conversation with Pascal, our captan, and he did seem to recognize you right away. And you are correct, I have been careless in listing wines and have already corrected my error.

mike - thank you.

[Beachfan]

Thanks for a wonderful post! I loved Daniel the last two times I was there, and this helps me relive it.

[badger0412]

Lxt

What a wonderful piece of writing. I have a feeling that my anniversary dinner will result in a significant haul of 'brownie points'!! In all seriousness I feel as if I've already been - I just can't wait to do it for real.

One questions if I may - how did you get copies of the tasting menus? They're not available on the otherwise excellent web site and my requests via email have been met thus far only with silence?

Your help would be appreciated.

Regards

Dean

[Bux]

lxt, I assumed the Bordeaux with the chocolate was an absent minded cut and paste and I was hoping the Rivesaltes was the one actually served to you. I believe I had that in December and it's an interesting and, I think, unusual wine. Most of the Rivesaltes I've seen have been muscats--sweet white wines--and inferior to the Bise Côteaux du Layon-Beaulieu ?l?Anclaie.? This one is more like the Banyuls and Maury's of the area and, I believe, the result of a solera like aging resulting in a sherry like wine. Someone with greater wine sophisitication may have more to say about it, but for me it was a new taste and one I really enjoyed.

Obviously I enjoyed reading your post or I never would have gotten as far as the dessert wine. We've been fans of Boulud's cooking since shortly after someone took us to his old place not long after it had opened. We've also become friends, or at least close acquaintances of a sort, so I'm pleased the meal pleased you. What I find even more pleasing is your reaction when you noted that this was "the first place that touched me in the most profound way, ..." This sort of dining experience is one we don't have all that often, but nevertheless plays a large part in our life. It's an obsession, if not an addiction, and I regard such meals as cultural in much the same way as attending concerts, theaters or museums. I believe it's utterly unimportant if your next dinner at this level lives up to the food at Daniel or surpasses it in your estimation. It's the appreciation of the unique experience each time that we love. Many people, even those who may love food, regard dining at this level a sheer waste of money. I clearly don't and feel they are missing something, except perhaps when I am paying my credit card bills from time to time. Welcome to the club.

[scamhi]

mmmm and ahhhh.

[herbacidal]

hmm,

i think i've read books that were less detailed.

most definitely have read restaurant reviews that had less depth.

[lxt]

Lxt

What a wonderful piece of writing.  I have a feeling that my anniversary dinner will result in a significant haul of 'brownie points'!!  In all seriousness I feel as if I've already been - I just can't wait to do it for real.

One questions if I may - how did you get copies of the tasting menus?  They're not available on the otherwise excellent web site and my requests via email have been met thus far only with silence?

Your help would be appreciated.

Regards

Dean

Dean, in the context of a discussion of slow response from Daniel's general email address, Bux suggested contacting Daniel Boulud's personal assistant at htolman@danielnyc.com. I now seem unable to locate this thread to point you directly to the original. After sending our request, we received a very welcoming response with all the information and more within several minutes.

If you fail to hear from them, PM me and I’ll forward you the copy of the word documents with their current 5-course and regular menus. Also please be aware that they tend to slightly change their tasting menus every now and then.

Daniel is a great place for special occasions and I hope it’ll be as memorable for you as it was for us. And if anything goes wrong, just mention Bux.

scamhi and herbicidal, thanks.

[KatieLoeb]

lxt:

Food Pornography as Prose. I love it! Merely reading about your dinner has given me gooseflesh. Keep up the good work - your report is amazing

[Lady T]

Glorious prose, lxt! You make me want to pounce on a phone and make a res at Daniel NOW.

[maggiethecat]

lxt:

On a site with many good restaurant reviewers, may I call your post the one that has moved me most?

You said "the first place that touched me in the most profound way." Enough said. That's it.

Or: As my friend Glen says when describing a wonderful dish: "Honey, this is so good I'm gonna have to touch myself!"

[Bux]

Cabby just said it was not the best in her subjective taste. The advice to sample other restaurants in this range is sound advice to my ears. Daniel is clearly among the best in my subjective taste and I'd offer the same advice. Variety is the spice of life.

[Bux]

Bux suggested contacting Daniel Boulud's personal assistant ...

Gee, did I really give her e-mail address in public? I better hope it's also on their web site. I may become the first guy who makes it a point of eating there when the chef isn't in town.

   

Glorious prose, lxt!  You make me want to pounce on a phone and make a res at Daniel NOW.

Okay, I'm going to save this post if I need to clear my name.

[mikeczyz]

Bux suggested contacting Daniel Boulud's personal assistant ...

Gee, did I really give her e-mail address in public? I better hope it's also on their web site. I may become the first guy who makes it a point of eating there when the chef isn't in town.

i've emailed the address given and i received a gracious response. they were more than happy to send me the online menus. not that this is an encouragement to bombard the address with requests, but it's just to calm bux down. i don't think you'll be in trouble at all, if my experience is the norm.

mike

[Steve Plotnicki]

I'll add balance. Daniel is a terrific restaurant that many people who have many high end meals under their belt have outgrown. To those diners, I would say that the food can be somewhat homogenized. Let's call it about 65% of the dishes served. Of course this isn't the reality for someone who has never had that type of meal before, or who doesn't do it often. If that is your level of experience, you might consider Daniel the best restaurant in the country, and indeed it might very well be in spite of our nitpicking. I used to love going there and still find it exciting which mostly is because I now go infrequently. In the past I've had meals that were just terrific. But it's somewhat harder to find the great dishes each time I visit. Part of that is my being jaded, and part of it I think has to do with the restaurant becoming more systemized in how they prepare the food.

[lxt]

Gee, did I really give her e-mail address in public?

Bux, I’ll be happy to erase this information from my post if you are concerned, uncomfortable or consider it inappropriate.

For the record, the complete current menu, though not the tasting menus, is available on their web site.