Daniel

All 322 rated mentions, most helpful first

  • I’ve had canard à la presse at many top restaurants before, and this was definitely the worst.

    H3

  • replying to u/kennedy_notrelated: I’m starting to feel that way. How does it maintain the stars if it’s no bueno?

    But like I said the food was lacking.

    H3

  • replying to u/ab216: Daniel was terrific. My wife was pregnant with twins and they sent us home with 2 bibs.

    The service at Daniel is extraordinary. They prepared us a special tasting menu with extra dishes and didn't charge, plus sent us home with a written record of everything we ate and the wine we drank. At various points virtually everyone from the kitchen and floor staff came out to greet us. Everything was exemplary.

    H3

  • But the food was beyond reproach - among the top three meals in my life.

    H3

  • Which...were squashed with uninspired dishes, some menu offering downright ordinary. Cheese plate..had ones that were awful. They traded with 2 that were fine. Husbands real desert wasnt very good either. I told him at the end..it was more like a 1* meal not 2*.

    H3

  • replying to u/une-petite-dame: I actually went to Daniel this year in Feb and had a fab time- I’d never been before but there were some really fun and delicious dishes on the tasting menu. Plus the dining room is gorgeous. Was pleasantly surprised to see it on the list tbh

    Daniel has the best service, both hospitable and clockwork like in precision, I've had in New York. And there was a great dish on the tasting menu both times I tried, and the rest of the dishes were good, with interesting touches.

    H3

  • Food @ Daniel was just ok, nothing really STOOD out other than the veloute and the service.

    H2

  • Unremarkable. The bread was so hard that I thought it broke my tooth (looked cool) tho. Ruined the rest of the meal for me ha

    H2

  • replying to u/DFVSUPERFAN: can anyone explain to me why Daniel has gone from 3 to 1 and Le Bernardin still has 3?

    Daniel was a terrible experience for which we got a full refund after I emailed the GM, something I've never done before that meal.

    H2

  • The cheese cart at Daniel is legendary—you can sit in the bar area and have it, I think, without doing the whole tasting.

    H2

  • Daniel because I’m 0-for-2 in having a dining experience worth the money and time there.

    H2

  • The cheese plate looks like they pulled some extra bits from the fridge and tossed them onto a dish

    H2

  • replying to u/PuggleLover11: I appreciate that they seemed to emphasize breadth, but i don't know that they nailed the best option in a given category. I also think more than a few spots were coasting on past accolades rather than current output. Have people had standout recent meals at daniel? casa mono? rezdora? i'd be looking for i cavallini, cesar, torrisi in the top 10. i guess atomix if its not 11-100; would also be somewhat surprised to see yoshino shut out (though sho is better).

    I’d never been before but there were some really fun and delicious dishes on the tasting menu. Plus the dining room is gorgeous. Was pleasantly surprised to see it on the list tbh

    H2

  • replying to u/Costco1L: Did Daniel never have 3? It seems not. Alain Ducasse did for a while. I’m shocked that EMP retains theirs. I’ve only heard complaints since they went vegan.

    Daniel lost the third a while back - they're pretty hit or miss (they do genuinely hit sometimes though) for non-regular diners.

    H2

  • replying to u/mulleargian: What did you think of it? My husband made a reservation but I’ve been dubious based on the sheer commercialization of the Boulud name. Although the smoked salmon at Wholefoods is very good.

    Daniel is amazing. The food, the service.all of it.

    H2

  • As this is your husband’s 40th and you’re looking for the best meal of his life, the list of restaurants for which that claim would not be controversial is pretty short. Le Bernardin, Per Se, Jean-Georges Daniel (food is worse than Jean-Georges but setting is better).

    H2

  • The quality of the top places in NYC has fallen drastically and is far far away from the San Francisco metro area, Paris, Tokyo, Copenhagen, etc. There was a magical time when Le Bernardin, Per Se, Jean-Georges, Daniel, etc. were all at the top of their game, but those days were practically a decade ago.

    H2

  • That scallop plating in the second photo. Like something from the 80's. Not in a good way.

    H2

  • If it's a special occasion I would suggest Daniel or Gabriel Kreuther (the former classic, the latter contemporary, both very elegant). 2 stars feel like the sweet spot for me.

    H2

  • Daniel and Gabriel are also 2 star places that have menus (you choose 1 thing per course) and are like 250-350 for food.

    H2

  • replying to u/willtravel4stars: I think mostly notably, Daniel lost another star, taking them down to just 1*. They had 3* until 2015, when Michelin said "inspectors found examples of food at Daniel that wasn't at a three star level" and dropped them to 2*, and now they only have 1*. The decline is sad but expected when the chef/owner is more concerned with his empire and not his namesake.

    that overcooked steak should never have come out of the kitchen to begin with at a place with that price point.

    H2

  • replying to u/MifuneKinski: Daniel is always a treat in my opinion. The food is fantastic, and the service still impeccable

    Meh. It isn’t what it used to be and has largely fallen off in my experience. That said, it’s not like I go often but last time I went (October) the portions were so small I had to fill up on bread.

    H2

  • replying to u/AnyVoice4186: Daniel, for being the best French fine dining in the city

    It was terrible last time I went. Massive disappointment compared to how it once was.

    H2

  • replying to u/Icy_Adhesiveness_227: I booked Daniel's for my birthday with my girlfriend and it was not worth it at all. All the dishes were 7/10 and nothing memorable. Hard pass for sure.

    Went to Daniel and I was very underwhelmed and don’t remember much besides the cheese trolley at the end and wishing the food would wow me.

    H2

  • replying to u/Brown8382: I'm fairly open! I just don't want cake, cupcakes, cheesecake, etc. I love laminated pastries (kouign amann, morning buns, almond croissants, etc). I would love to find kolaches, i don't have time to go to brooklyn but I've heard Yellow Rose has those. I'm also interested in trying the caneles at Ansel's, which I don't think is a pastry per se but something different. I think I'm looking for things that are a bit unique!

    The free madeleines at Daniel are better than any I’ve paid money for.

    H2

  • The food at Daniel is objectively worse than Per Se, but it’s still passable, and the room and service make up for it in my opinion.

    H2

  • replying to u/BlondDeutcher: Love this place 10x more than 2 Michelin star Daniel… we went within a month of each other… I kinda wanted to go back to Manhatta since we loved it so much but wanted to try a “classic” we have never been to. The only bad side it’s a bad in the ass to get to from midtown but that’s a minor quibble

    Daniel is very, very old school. Not really in a good way, unless you love fustiness.

    H2