October 4, 2003: 27(b): Birthday Dinner at Danube
Meg and Jason, I am laying down the gauntlet: I believe that I've found a tasting menu that beats the stuffing out of the swill you ate last week at the Gramercy Tavern. K surprised me last night by wisking me off in a cab to Danube, Bouley's Austrian restaurant down on Hudson Street. The night is a blur, due to the five glasses of champagne and pinot noir that I imbibed, but luckily, I've been able to recover what I ate through a consultation with the Danube website. The Tasting Menu:
During drinks [complimentary]
Tuna tartare and weiner schnitzel minatures
After ordering [complimentary]
Smoked salmon with creme fraiche
Course 1
Waltz of appetizers: artichoke foam with black perigord truffle, foie gras terrine with crisp porcini, fresh baby scallop from Nova Scotia with wasabi tobiko, crisp Portuguese sardine
Course 2
Maine day boat lobster with mango, sunchoke, shiitake mushrooms and a saffron-curry broth
Course 3
Wiener schnitzel with Austrian crescent potatoes, cucumber salad and lingonberries
Course 4
Organic seckel pear soup with elderflower sorbet
Pre-dessert [Complimentary]
Creme Fraiche with Strawberries and almond paste
Course 5
Austrian chocolate almond soufflé with orange ragout, kumquats, chocolate chip ice cream and pear sorbet
With check
Chocolates and petit fours
Nice! You are very lucky.
PS - The complimentary things were "amuse-bouches" or "amuses-bouche".
Them's fightin' words, young'n! Whoever's cheffing over there at the Danube couldn't hold Tom Colicchio's sauce pan. But I realize that at 27, your palette isn't quite as mature and refined as mine, so I'll let it go.
oh snap! i think david bouley and danube executive chef mario lohniger are going to have to unleash some european whoopass on you and your new american palatte!
You should go to Wallse and try the chef' tasting menu...you'll be nicely surprised
Oh YUM!!! :)
holy crap, sounds great, i can only imagine the cost of such a feast.