Danny Brown Wine Bar And Kitchen

[rating:4.5]

The story with this place is a little strange. So they were closed for a week or so as they implemented a new menu. Yesterday was the first day that they reopened and unveiled the new menu. However, the restaurant’s lease will be up in December and they have decided to not renew it for whatever reason. This means they are moving, but where to is still a mystery. That’s the story with them. The other thing to note, is that for the rest of the year, they will update the menu every month.

On to the experience!

When we arrived, the hostess wasn’t sure if she would be able to seat us, it was opening night, and we kind of just showed up. Fortunately there was a table available for the lady and I. I have to tell you guys, this place really feels like the upscale fancy type of restaurant that you would expect to find at Soho or something. I was very, very impressed with their service, attention to detail, plate presentation, and the ambiance that they create. It didn’t feel like I was in Metropolitan Avenue in Queens, I felt FANCY.

The service was not the only aspect that impressed, the food was really outstanding and creative too. We were provided a small carrot soup along with some warm bread and mini baguettes to start with. These starters were all very delicious, and we really enjoyed them. Hmm. So good.

Next up as appetizers, we had the hamachi dish, and halibut. The hamachi was absolutely delightful, it had a tangy, citrus flavor and really made my mouth happy. Now, the halibut itself was really good, but I am not in love with the sauce that came it came with.

In their defense, the menu does say pickled, and I don’t like pickled anything! Though I can tolerate olives, I’m also not too crazy about that either, and those were part of the dish. I knew these facts and I ordered it anyway, so I can’t be mad at them for my own palate’s preferences. I wanted that fish though, and it was good. It was fresh and very soft and yummy. My wife liked the sauce, and I don’t it was bad per se, just contained some flavors that I don’t particularly like.

As my main course I had fish yet again, this time I had a cross between chilean sea bass and black bass called loup de mer. This came with bits of cauliflower, rum raisin, and a delicious sauce that I enjoyed very much. Usually my wife and I share each other’s dishes, but I went shark frenzy on this one dish. Before I knew it, the entire dish was gone and I hadn’t offered my lady any. Oops! She was not pleased with me about that.

My wife went with the duck and that came with a spring roll of sorts. I didn’t partake of the duck, it looked just a bit too bloody for my taste, so I passed. That’s kind of why I forgot to offer the lady from my dish, the usual routine broke, and it threw me off. Anyway, good thing I passed because I didn’t give my wife any of my fish, remember? Haha.

Throughout the entire dinner, they kept our water glasses filled, expeditiously moved out dishes in and out of the table, and though the food did take a while to come out, I’ll write that off as growing pains with a new menu. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt on that one.

I didn’t have dessert as I’ve been dieting and training hard, but my wife went with the  orange mascarpone canolle with figs. She seemed to enjoy it.

Overall I highly recommend this restaurant. It’s not a cheap place, but I think it is well worth the cost, and the wait.

Unrelated to the food, we made friends with our table neighbor, and spent the time talking together. It was like we all went there together, nice guy. We all had some laughs.