the whole plate.

Oh my.  Last night, I had one of the best dining experiences of my life. 

I’ve had some incredible ones: bliss in Northern New England, nouvelle with a view in coastal Croatia, evenings tucked away in the cobblestone streets of Prague, brilliant creativity on the Lower East Side.

This one was a prime candidate for the best of the best.

After a light lunch at our apartment and an afternoon experiencing the genius of Next to Normal for the third time, my family took a nice long stroll up and along Central Park, finally arriving at Daniel, my dad’s choice for his birthday dining destination.

The elegance was vast from the moment we walked in.  Beautiful floral displays of red, tiny plush ottomans serving as perches for purses, high cavernous ceilings, modern chandeliers, soft light.  I don’t think I’ve ever experienced service as attentive, efficient, and perfectly timed; in the few moments that I could tear my gaze away from my plate or my family, I noticed a constant flutter of suited employees moving throughout the dining room, always busy, always serving.

The entire experience was made in the details, from tableside presentations, to extra complimentary bites, to the lengthy space they allowed between each course [we were there for four hours!].

It began with a carrot themed amuse bouche:

The star was a cumin-scented carrot pureé, which just melted the moment it touched your tongue.  My sister has requested that I recreate this [she dreams big].

After perusing both the regular and the vegetarian menu, I adopted my adventurer’s philosophy.  This was fascinating, inventive cuisine at its very finest, and in the simplest terms, it was go big, or go home.

So I started with an appetizer of:

Frog’s legs!  They were so unbelievably, incredibly, amazingly delicious.  Moist, rich, flavorful, oh, this was such a good choice.

Along the way, there were a couple bottles of Gramercy Cellars syrah and an assortment of breads [there were seven types, which overwhelmed this bread-addicted family].  I tried a walnut raisin and an olive.

On the waiter’s recommendation, I chose black sea bass for my entree, as he mentioned it was Daniel’s specialty.  It came with a syrah sauce, leeks royale, and pommes lyonnaise.  I adored the simplicity of this: just perfectly cooked fish, a perfect sauce, and two butter-infused sides.  

For dessert, I settled on the chestnut sablé with vanilla cream and whiskey ice cream.  I can’t decide what I loved more, mine, or my dad’s chocolate souffle.  

And then, we were brought an extra dessert in celebration of Dad’s birthday: pumpkin cream with brown sugar biscuit and pomegranate sorbet [ironically, something I had considered ordering].  

And then, we were given a basket of warm, perfect, delectable madeleines, dusted just a touch with sweet powdered sugar.

…and then, an assortment of thumb-sized, picturesque dessert bites, of which I had a pistachio cream and the most petite chocolate raspberry tart.  It all escaped the camera’s eye due to the distraction of too much fun.

Finally, wholly content, I had my last sip of wine, enjoying the haze of perfectly nourished tastebuds in the company of my favorite people.

…and then, we were all presented with another plate.  

To cap off the meal, a dark chocolate truffle – I chose the sesame, because it sounded most interesting.  

Sometimes, dessert can seem an afterthought at a restaurant.  This time, it was pure, over-the-top excess, and the multitude of richness wrapped up the meal in the most delightfully extravagant manner.  Quite the end to our wonderful evening.

Now, as I pack up my dish for a potluck brunch, having worked myself into a sweaty mess in yoga this morning, I am thinking of how grateful I am for my family, for the ability they give me to experience pleasures such as this evening, for the existence of genius restauranteurs, and for the knowledge that one evening of gluttony makes me human – and a very happy one at that.

What’s the most unusual food you’ve ever tried?  Frog’s legs are up there for me.  I also tried pigeon a few years back [it was covered in brown sugar and totally delicious!].

Related posts:

1. joshua’s.
2. dinner 10.10: pure food and wine.
3. dinner 10.10: jean georges.