Seccession Restaurant

11/16/08

A great place for a unique and classic dinner out

by kileyyclm at Citysearch

Seriously it's beautiful, the food was amazing and I love the three ways preparation. The timing was perfect, service was on task and not at all overbearing, the food, the food - yum. I left stuffed, a tad tipsy, and just plain thrilled to death that my friend picked up the tab.

A great place for a unique and classic dinner out.

06/25/08

Old world charm with superb Austrian cuisine

by Stephanmueller at Citysearch

A beautiful dining experience that's like stepping into a Klimt painting. The Austrian cuisine is exquisite. Try the Tasting Menu with the wine pairing and you'll be in good hands. My favorite dishes include the Rabbit salad with foie gras, the butternut squash soup and the baby lamb chops. Opulence without being overdone. If ever a restaurant was made for a four-hour meal, Danube is it.

• Pros: food, ambience
• Cons: none

12/27/07

ambiance plus food excellence equals a memorable dining experience

by dchubin at Citysearch

Visiting from DC over Xmas and celebrating our wedding anniversary, I was intrigued by the picture of the room and the Bouley name. Other reviews had expressed disappointment in both the food and the service. Our experience was overwhelmingly positive. The room is gorgeous and the first impression is that of a more formal restaurant. The host is a bit officious, but loosens up. Similarly, the meal slows its pace by the entree, and the dessert course is Bouley at his best. The palate cleansers are remarkable. Because I had noted on my reservation that this was a wedding anniversary, we got two desserts -- we couldn't decide between them -- and gratis glasses of Muscat plus a platter of sweets. Then a handwritten card arrived with best wishes and a thank you (probably the warmest dining experience I've had in NYC). My wife had duckling, I had fish, and we both liked the idea that in addition to the tasting menu, one could choose either from the American or the Austrian menu. We sampled from each. The beet salad is a thing to behold -- even before you taste it! On the way out through the now-teeming bar, the hostess handed my wife a breakfast bread in a plastic bag -- another gift from Bouley. If you want to relax and dine in pastel surroundings with service that is attentive but not hectoring, go to Danube.

• Pros: food, presentation, generosity
• Cons: rushed at first

09/14/07

Wonderfully romantic ambiance, food slightly disappointing

by kweber1 at Citysearch

Tucked away in a fairly grimy part of lower Manahattan, when you enter Danube you are transported into a world of elegance. Save this one for a special occasion, when you are not rushed to be somewhere else, and where you want you and whomever you are with to feel special. It's perfect for a romantic meal, or even to impress an out-of-town client.

The food is mostly excellent, but not extraordinary. The goulash, supposedly a house special, was a disappointment. Other courses ranged from very good to superb (the creme brulee with figs and balsamic ice cream). Service was competent, but our waiter asked us three times, "is everything delightful?" That's simply not appropriate for a restaurant of this level.

02/09/07

Amazing special occasion restaurant!!!

by sw33tears at Citysearch

We recently celebrated our year anniversary at Danube and everything was perfect! The restaurant has great ambience- it's elegant but not overly stuff. The food and wine was delicious- I highly recommend the scallop appetizer, the lobster entree and the veal entree. The desserts were scrumptious (including the petite fours and the pound cake that we were presented with as we left) The staff was attentive and very thoughtful- we received a complimentary dessert of crepes with "Happy Anniversay" on the plate and a very sweet card! It is a pricey dinner but it made our anniversary even sweeter!!! Highly recommended!!

12/30/06

A true culinary disappointment

by mnew at Citysearch

Aside from desserts, the chef's degustation seemed like a row of leftovers. Some wines did not match the served dishes (beef cheeks dish), as they left strange acerbic after taste. Our waiter was rather clueless and could not answer most questions. It doesn't take much to educate your wait staff! The sweet courses were definitely a winner in this poor ensemble of tasting dishes. However, the ambiance and decor is quite beautiful and romantic. But I would definitely not go back, even if they slashed their prices in half!

• Pros: Ambiance
• Cons: Food, wait staff knowledge of food and wine, prices

12/22/06

Excellent service, beautiful restaurant!

by rachelny at Citysearch

We booked reservations at Danube for our company's holiday dinner. I was a bit wary when I read the reviews of Danube on Citysearch, specifically about the service, but the dinner was wonderful - more than expected! Waiters were very attentive and more than willing to accomodate all of our needs and requests. When one of our company partners, who could not join in the celebration, faxed a poem to the restaurant with an order of champagne for the table, our waiter was an excellent sport and read the poem aloud to all of us. Additionally, the servers brought out appetizers and extra desserts, compliments of the chef, throughout the meal.

The meal was delicious. The duck soup, scallops and fois gras (so I heard) were excellent. The restaurant itself was absolutely beautiful, worth all the acclaim. Of course, the price point is very high, but that's just an expectation you should have before you arrive!

• Pros: Great drinks and delicious food, varied menu, beautiful restaurant
• Cons: Expensive

12/20/06

Bouley's sophisticated Austrian outpost draws bigger crowds than ever to Tribeca.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
Tall tabletop candles cast an amber glow across the small dining room, making everyone--amorous couples, business diners and casual Tribeca regulars--look their very best. Light glints off gold Klimt-esque paintings, and mosaics spiral across the ochre walls in a busy, Belle Epoque pattern. Few fine dining rooms are this comfortable; with plush velvet curtains and high-backed settees, it's easy to surrender to the sumptuous service.

The Food
Executive Chef Mario Lohninger (a Munich-trained Wolfgang Puck alum) prepares David Bouley's Austrian classics and "modern eclectic" dishes with finesse. Wiener schnitzel, a puffy cloud of crisp crumb-encasing juicy veal, and fork-tender, spicy beef goulash, are nonpareil. Innovations are just as assured, from the simple Carinthia cheese ravioli with wild mushrooms to the caviar-topped sturgeon, beautifully matched with a bright green spinach-vodka sauce. Menus feature seasonal picks, like sweet corn-foie gras brulee. And desserts, such as the gigantic chocolate-hazelnut soufflé, are unequivocally over the top.

• Pros: lush atmosphere

12/19/06

Please, get rid of the duck soup.

by nydishes at Citysearch

I chose this restaurant for my girlfriend's birthday dinner because I had heard from a reliable source that it was one of the prettiest restaurant/bar he had been to in NY, and the food was good there. Well, I guess it was hyped up too much, since I didn't really think much of the small bar and dining room. Aesthetics aside, I was hoping that the excellent food would more than make up for the let down... Sadly, the duck soup and the Wiener schnitzel really did the restaurant in. First, I heard a man from the next table over comment that his soup (duck soup) was "under-seasoned". When I tasted mine, I was amazed--since "under-seasoned" was the biggest understatement. I would have rather had chicken noodle soup from a can than have that duck soup again. Please, if you're a part of Danube and reading this, get the head chef to taste the soup. Finally, the Wiener schnitzel... I guess the way it was presented on the plate is "authentic"? Because it looked like a cafeteria tray, minus the ridges to separate the various accompanying side dishes from the Wiener schnitzel. Oh, they could have at least put some greens on top of the veal cutlet to make it worth while. If I'm paying that much for veal cutlet, please, make it different from the original version that mom made for me at home. Really, for a restaurant with such high marks, they should do much better. I had to create an account, JUST so I could warn others about this place. I was afraid the service was going to be horrible, as mentioned in other people's experiences there, but it was actually very good. The staff was very nice (although I noticed that the waiter did not ask me how my soup was, but came around to ask me how my beef cheeks were--and those were good.)

• Pros: good service
• Cons: read the review

12/18/06

Lies and the Lying Hostesses That Tell Them

by johnnycass at Citysearch

if i want to be lied to, i can ask my mother's boyfriend if he likes me. what is entirely unacceptable, however, is for a hostess to lie to my face, and upon her admission of the lie to the maitre'd, for him to pretend to only speak austrian. they did offer me complimentary drinks as i waited 45 minutes for a table that i had reserved. i ordered champagne. the house champagne was nice and dry. i will give them that. i usually wouldn't have minded the free drinks, however, what danube failed to understand, was that i had other places to be later in the night. this doesn't surprise me though as everyone in that restaurant thinks incredibly highly of themselves, except the coatcheck girl, who actually is nice and sincere. there's something stale about this place. enter at your own risk. in the end, you may just be horribly dissapointed.

• Pros: nice house champagne
• Cons: everything else