Daniel, NYC

On December 30th we had the pleasure of closing out the year with another trip to Daniel in NYC. My long-standing, all-time favorite restaurant - I was so thrilled to be going back for our 13th visit to the flagship restaurant of Daniel Boulud.

On this occassion we were joined by Nick and Patty with the added excitement of being the eve of Patty's birthday. It's a formal place by design so I took no pictures during dinner. What I will share here is a summary of the dinner and our customized menus.

The amuse bouche was a trio of carrot bites served on the classic Daniel tower. For dinner we asked for an eight course, chef's tasting. Almost every course they brought Patty & I different dishes from Alan & Nick and for some, Patty had something without crustaceans. Here's what we were served...

Course #1

• Mosaic of squab with pickled shitake; confit grapes, muscat gelee, purple watercress, pistachio oil and young vegetables
• Pheasant foie gras and black truffle mosaic with artichoke barigoule, celery-mustard coulis and toasted hazelnut

Course #2

• Orange yuzu marinated nantucket bay scallops with pickled Buddha's hand lemon, shiso oil, sea lettuce and chayote
• Trio of salmon: Coho salmon poached with finger lime and mint; salmon tartare with Meyer lemon and shanso pepper tulie; hot, smoked salmon with celery remoulade
• Maine peekytoe crab salad with granny smith apple, pickled cranberries, celery shavings and walnut oil

Course #3

• Slow baked Jade Tiger Abalone with cauliflower, Red Cedar juniper berries, Northern Lights caviar and vodka burre blanc
• Kataifi crusted sweet Maine lobster with licorie braised Hearts of Palm, pickled clementine and Red Ribbon sorrel
• Fennel ravioli with basil salad, Sicilian green oil, braised artichoke, roasted King Oyster mushroom and pickled red onion

Course #4

• Cedar wood wrapped hamachi with braised celery, caramelized salsify, cipollini onion and mustard seed bourbon sauce

Course #5

• Roasted Elysian field lamb chop with Brussels sprouts, spelt risotto, sauteed black trumpet glazed turnips, manouri cheese and hay-lamb jus
• Duo of beef: braised black angus short ribs with wild mushroom, fricassee with horseradish; seared wagyu tenderloin with rutubaga-mace puree and glazed chestnuts

Course #6

• Scottish hare "a la royale" with glazed winter root vegetables, parsnip puree, King Oyster mushrooms, chestnut and winter black truffle
• Roasted Liberty Farm duck breast with hazelnut-spinach subric, confit turnip, poached quince, garganelli pasta, winter black truffle and sauce civet

Course #7 & Course #8
Assortment of desserts
Duo of fruit & chocolate
Petit Fours and Madelaines

Our wines & champagnes with dinner:

• Andre Clouet Bouzy Grand Cru 2002
• Beaune 1st Cru Remoissenet Domaine "Marconnets" Burgundy 2008
• Chateauneuf-du-Pape Domaine La Barroche "Signature" Rhone 2010

Summary...
It can be hard to describe the emotion associated with a great meal. One in which the service flows like an orchestrated ballet; the ambiance is comfortable while being formal enough to feel that something special is taking place; the lighting, noise, roominess of the table, beautiful simplicity of crystal wine glasses on crisp linen; the intimacy of conversation with your dinner companions all a part of a unique ambiance that many restaurants will never perfect. All of that contributing to but taking a quiet back seat to the star - the food.

At Daniel, each experience has been an embodiment of all of those facets with the food shining through to cement itself as (in my opinion) the best restaurant in New York. I don't say that lightly - Per Se is a mega star in it's own right. But on 13 different occasions across the span of 14 years, Daniel has proved why it has earned countless awards, stars and accolades. They never miss a step. Every single presentation of every dish and every bite...it's really the standard in fine, French dining in the US.

If you ever have the opportunity just close your eyes, open up your wallet and say Yes! You won't be disappointed.

Zagat: 28-28-28
Michelin: 3 stars
World's Best Ranking: 25
Jenn's Rating: 99

2012 Recap

A recap of where we were and what we ate in 2012...

Restaurants: 69* (60 of them unique)
States: 8**
Highest Rating: 99 (Daniel, NYC)
Lowest Rating: 65 (Camillia's, New Orleans)
Most Frequented: Pluckemin Inn, Bedminster (average rating: 84)

Our Top Ten Dining Experiences of 2012:

• Daniel, NYC
• Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pontico Hills NY
• Le Bernardin, NYC
• Eleven Madison Park, NYC
• Restaurant Latour, Hamburg NJ
• Herbsaint, New Orleans LA
• Gotham Bar & Grill, NYC
• SAAM at the Mazaar, Los Angeles
• Boulud Sud, NYC
• GW Fins, New Orleans LA

By Cuisine:

• 35% American / New American
• 17% French
• 14% Italian
• 10% Southern / Cajun

Michelin Restaurants:

• Daniel
• Eleven Madison Park
• Le Bernardin
• Minetta Tavern
• Gramercy Tavern
• Gotham Bar & Grill
• Annisa
• A Voce Columbus

Best Casual Eats:

• Pizzeria Bianco, Pheonix AZ
• The Plucky, Tavern at Pluckemin Inn, Bedminster NJ
• Cochon, New Orleans LA
• Rudy's, Austin TX
• Phil's Grill, Scottsdale AZ

__________________________________________________________________
* does not include take out
** US restaurants only, out of country not captured

Molyvos, NYC

It's pretty embarrassing, but this is only the second time I've ever eaten in a Greek restaurant. It's not usually on my radar since there are a number of key Greek ingredients that I'm not a huge fan of...like yogurt and olives.

In December Alan and I went to a Greek restaurant in NYC to celebrate the holidays with others from his company. Located on 7th Avenue between 55th and 56th, Molyvos is a bustling, casual establishment of fairly impressive size. The restaurant is owned and operated by the Livanos family who also run Oceana and Abbocatto in New York and others in Westchester, Connecticut and New Jersey.

Being a group of eight, appetizers were ordered family style to be shared and then we individually ordered entrees. The appetizers covered a good portion of the menu including hummus, Greek salad, lamb meatballs, grilled octopus, cheese fritters and spinach pites with leeks and feta.

These were all pretty good with the best being the Greek salad, meatballs and the grilled octopus.

For our entrees Alan ordered the clay pot lamb shank with orzo, tomatoes and kefalotyri cheese. Like a stew with a big old lamb shank in it, this dish was great. The lamb was slow cooked, super tender and had excellent flavor with no gaminess. Most likely considered a comfort food, it opened my eyes to the possibilities of Greek homestyle cooking.

Staying with lamb, I ordered the grilled baby lamb chops with potato cake, frisee and roasted eggplant salad.

The lamb was medium rare inside and again, great flavor. The nice thing about baby lamb chops is you never feel like you ate too much - they have a minimal amount of meat on them leaving you satisfied but not stuffed. I enjoyed my dish though I think Alan's was the better of the two since my sides were pretty blah.

Overall, I enjoyed this experience more than I thought I would. I'd even consider trying another Greek restaurant in the New Year since lamb done right is awesome and the Greeks do lamb better than anyone.

Zagat: 23-21-21
Jenn: 80