help me choose! Daniel vs. The Modern

[deabot]

Hello,

I am looking for a nice spot to celebrate my anniversary later this month. So far, I've narrowed it down to Daniel or The Modern, would appreciate any thoughts if anyone has been recently.

Thanks!

[nyctripper]

Despite the aura of formality, I've never felt Daniel to be the least bit stuffy. I would imagine that if they know it's your anniversary, they will really make it special for you. My wife finds Daniel to be incredibly romantic and loves the new design.

[Spiritchaser]

I think that is a great way to describe it. I've always felt formal but I've never thought it stuffy/snooty. And they do take care of you on special occassions. Went for birthday one time and we were doing the wine pairings, they must have filled my glass at least twice for each course and I felt like I had the "bottomless" glass when it was time for the dessert wine.

[deabot]

holy that's a lot of wine! thanks all for your thoughts, i'm pretty excited to be dining there later this month!

the modern and jean georges will have to wait for another time. :)

[taboo]

Daniel hands down....been numerous times and always fabulous. Modern is nice, but not as good with ambiance.

[deabot]

thank you everyone for your thoughts, a few friends have alluded that Daniel may be a bit too formal and the Modern has better food so hence the indecisiveness!

I did not mind the food at EMP but we were there celebrating another anniversary and it took us 25 minutes after being sat before anyone attended to us. And nothing was made to address this oversight, heck we didn't even get a parting gift at the end like we did at GT. Because of this, the hubby is loathe to be spending $$$ at EMP again based on our last experience.

[Spiritchaser]

I don't think you can go wrong either way but if you choose The Modern ask for a table by the window (ideally in the center of the window row). If the bar is very crowded the sound can bleed over in the dining room if you are near the partition, plus, it's nice looking out onto the sculpture garden.

[bronwen]

Definitely Daniel which is very romantic for an anniversary. The Modern is bustling and fun but I don't think it's a good atmosphere for a special occasion.

[Quimbombo]

Daniel is of course has very good, food and servce. The ambience of the room is quiet and subdued and very nice. The sound level is low and the most romantic of the 2 choices.

The Modern has a very crowded, noisy and active bar scene. The dining area is directly behind it and the noise tends to carry over depending where you are seated.

The dining area is very nice with lots of glass windows. The food and service were very good.

Enjoy your anniversary.

[Spiritchaser]

Two of my favorites. Based on two very recent visits I would at first blush say The Modern but if this is for an anniversary I may be inclined to say Daniel. Maybe it is the lighting or the decor but I see Daniel as more "romantic".

[gutsofsteel]

Go to neither.....consider Eleven Madison Park instead!

[deabot]

thanks I would although I had some service issues there a couple years ago, might be sometime before I work my way back there for a special occasion.

[gutsofsteel]

Eleven Madison Park is VERY different than it was a couple of years ago. There is a new very talented chef, and the service team is top notch. EMP was recently awarded 4 stars by the New York Times. In my opinion, it is the best restaurant in NYC.

You might also consider Veritas.

[hcbk0702]

You should probably tone down the EMP cheerleading.

To the OP, I would lean towards Daniel for an anniversary celebration. Their website will give you a good idea of the dining atmosphere there:
http://danielnyc.com/daniel.html

[ellenost]

I agree with gutsofsteel; I would skip both Daniel and The Modern and go to Eleven Madison Park. I've been to EMP over a dozen times, and the service is the finest in NYC. I've had really bad service experiences at both Daniel and The Modern, and won't return to either of them. Since this is a anniversary celebration for the OP, it would be horrible if they experienced the same poor service as I did at both Daniel and The Modern.

[Spiritchaser]

And the OP stated they had a bad experience at EMP so using your rules he should skip it.

[ellenost]

But more importantly, they should skip Daniel and The Modern. I've had two bad service experiences at Daniel, one okay/one bad service experience at The Modern, so I'm basing my opinion not merely one one bad experience. (I like to give a restaurant another chance to redeem themselves--that's why I mentioned that I've been to EMP a number of times with great service--I'm hoping the OP may give EMP another chance). I definitely won't return to Daniel. The Modern is disappointing since it's a Danny Meyer restaurant, and I expect better from his restaurants.

[Spiritchaser]

EMP is not significantly different than it was "a couple of years ago", Chef Humm has been there since at least early 2007 so if in fact the OP had a bad experience in the last couple of years it would have been while Chef Humm was at the helm.

I have always had stellar service at EMP but what I've experienced probably doesn't mean anything to the OP, bad service makes for a long memory IMO.