First stop was 5th Avenue. I had to convince myself not to buy too much stuff since it would not fit in my luggage...so walked away with just a purse. We stopped at Chef Colicchio's Witchcraft for lunch, which was pretty tasty as far as sandwiches go. I was most impressed with how reasonably priced it was, considering it was NYC.
Then it was off to the Guggenheim for the afternoon. They had an amazing Kandinsky exhibit. I had only been familiar with his work in the middle of his career and it was really great to see how his paintings evolved over time. The format of the Guggenheim makes touring an artist's work in chronological order very pleasant. I hate when museums have a crazy floor plan and I have to spend a lot of time back-tracking where I've been. Plus they had free audio tours, which was key to making the experience meaningful.
After the museum, it was back to the hotel for a quick change before dinner at Daniel Boulud's Daniel. We actually spotted Daniel in the waiting area, which was fun since he owns so many restaurants and decided to be there that particular night.
Let's talk about the food. We were brought a canape of beets three-ways. My husband hates beets, but loved this dish. I love beets, so no complaints. My favorite was the beets with hamachi.
For appetizers, I had a seared foie gras and husbando had abalone. I think liked his better. My foie gras was paired with a pear puree and it was delicious, but my only issue was that it was such a huge portion...way too big for an appetizer. I would hate to waste foie gras, so I ate the whole thing and by the end, I was glad it was done because it was just so rich. I don't remember the details of the abalone, but it was delicious (and appropriately portioned).
Both of us got beef for the main course. My husband had a short rib and rib eye duo. I had a beef cheek prepared two ways. No complaints there...I love every taste of it. The beef itself was very rich but paired with the sides, it was perfect.
Dessert was blueberry vacherin and chocolate and peanut butter ganache. The blueberry vacherin was mediocre. Good flavors, but nothing gave me that warm feeling on the inside like with an amazing dessert. I did not taste my husband's dessert, but he promises it was very good. Our server then presented us with freshly baked mini lemon cupcakes and I think they might have been the best part about dessert.
Now about the wine. We did the wine pairing with the menu and I think they hit the spot for appetizer and main course. The dessert wine was good, but I guess I'm just not very good at discerning what makes the pairing work.
All-in-all, it was a great experience. The food was definitely creative and delicious. When I dine at fine-dining restaurants, I don't expect to absolutely love every single dish. It's more about appreciating the flavors and work that went into creating the dishes. And Daniel is definitely a worthwhile experience.
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