Where did the taste go?

This is not my first time here; however it is my 2nd disappointment when ordering the tasting menu. I made the reservations as a surprise wedding present for friends who were en-route from Geneva to their honeymoon in Cabo and stopped in a layover  for 22 hours in NYC; and who always wanted to visit Daniel. We got the tasting menu, an 3 bottles of wine selected by the Sommelier to accompany our dishes.

The point of visiting a place such as Daniel, is for you to try things that you would not everywhere else. Selecting its tasting menu should be an explosion of flavors that only gets better as the evening continues. However out of all the courses, only two were good; one of these been the amuse (not part of the tasting menu the other the lamb which was perfectly executed.  There were numerous dishes that were  unimpressive, such as the bland arctic chard and few that were outright over powering with so many entwined flavors like the Scottish langoustines that you could not appreciate the minuscule langoustine pieces itself .  The highlight of the night were the selection of cheeses course right before dessert. If I may say so, this has been the best selection outside of Europe I have had thus far; the fun fact? most cheeses were from the North-East region of the country! Also their Beer ice cream was to die. 

The bread! now that's a selection I could eat all day & night. They are baked freshly from their own bakery, and the top ones (for me at least) were the sweet garlic rolls , the olive rolls

 I do have to say or server (who name escapes me) as well as the sommelier were a true gem, who made our dinner a much better experience. 

Perhaps I just happened to choose an off night (twice); we all have them, even the chefs at Daniel; however it cannot erase the fact the it was a  truly disappointing experience for a place named on the top 13 most expensive & tastiest menus in America. 

We met with dear friends who made it a point to have a 22 hour layover in NYC to meet us, and that's what really mattered. In the end, our evening was a fun one, and we created experiences that only we know how

Until the next time we meet!

XO