A rare phenomenon in my personal dining experience. Something I very rarely see and actively try to avoid was all around us this time. The walking dead has nothing on these guys. The lone approach of avoiding direct eye contact didnt work in this particular case because they were everywhere you turned. I’m talking about.. you probably guessed it by now..{gulp}… theater goers! I know, scary stuff. We saw them on the way to Danji, inside Danji, and even by the theaters! We saw them walking in and out in a bizarre orderly fashion (a line?) out of the mothership which they call, Ellen Stardust, or something like that.
But it turned out not too painful at the end. In fact, while I was in the process of suggesting the tofu to the couple next to us in German (“Der tofu ist ausgezeichnet, ich KILLA”), I realized something. Theater goers are just misunderstood. They are simply regular working folk, just like you and I. And thanks to blog posts such as this one, they are able to eat well after watching puppets having sex on a stage, or Book of Mormon. It also hit me that after many lunches this is my first dinner at Danji and I was simply not emotionally prepared for this change of scenery.
The book on Danji is this. A playful menu that includes more than one signature dish in a cozy setting that feels nothing like your average pre-theater dining spot. The menus are inside the drawers in front of you, and no matter how many times I go there, I always, without fail, hand the menus to the waitress only to be reminded again that I can just put them back in the drawer. One of these days. Here’s what to get at Danji
Lunch:
Tofu – I’ve already written about this one extensively. Quite possibly my favorite veggie dish in NYC. Normally what I do is let someone else have the extra chicken wing and pretend to be polite, in order to get the extra tofu. I throw them a bone (literally) and they fall for it every time. Not Mrs Ziggy however, though she did split the last one. This is pure awesomeness.
Bulgogi Beef Sliders – Another one of the signatures. You get two sliders but you can add more if needed. Small, and packed with sweet deliciousness. I’ve written about them before as well.
KFC Wings – I can only think of a few wings in town that I prefer. Ma Peche’s jerks , maybe Pok Pok. Plenty of joyous heat and complexity in this one. The key is not to wash your hands for a few days after eating them, or until your next convention. Whichever comes sooner!
Bibim-bap – This is a traditional rice dish with marinated veggies, egg, spicy gochujang sauce and the item you choose (beef, pork, veg, etc). I’m partial to the Kimchi Pork, but its all good.
Dinner: Any of the above except Bibim-bap which is not available, plus…
Garlic honey wings w. sesame seeds – My guests this evening actually preferred this over the spicy wings
Spicy Yellowtail Sashimi – This was a surprise in a way since I was expecting more of a basic Yellowtail Sashimi, but instead they were wrapped around some veggies sitting on top a lovely chojang sauce. Good flavors throughout.
Soy-Poached Black Cod W. Spicy Daikon – Last week we were invited to Fushimi one of those Nobu wannabes in Staten Island. Inexplicably Fushimi removed their Black Cod from the menu (we were there before) to Mrs Ziggy’s chagrin. So ordering this classic at Danji was a no brainer, and it did not disappoint. Sweet, perfectly cooked cod, along with a hefty piece of daikon that was braised until it had the texture of a potato.
Kimchi Bacon Spam Wet Fried Rice – A grower. One of those dishes that kept growing on me to the point of not able to stop eating. There’s ham, bacon, pork belly, egg on top, more of that spicy korean sauce, and plenty of toasty socarrat for the occasional crunch. Excellent stuff!
Spicy Octopus w. thick noodles – I’m a bit more on the fence on this one. I enjoyed it, but I couldnt help but wonder if the dish would be better served with a milder sauce perhaps to bring out the flavors of the octopus a bit more. Still, I pretty much demolished this thing and recommend it
No dessert. Just walk along 9th and go to something like Annabel, or if you have the time, Gotham West Market for Ample Hills Salty Crack Caramel.
Danji
346 W 52nd St
$$$
A Heuriger – not quite an Enoteca, not quite a quinta, far from a restaurant. Its a Heuriger! An Austrian wine tavern owned by a wine grower to showcase his wine and allow his guests to experience something the Germans and Austrians call Gemutlichkeit… a place where everyone knows your name and where you can leave all your troubles behind. Unless your neighbor and her annoying dog got the same idea and frequent the same place. If that’s the case, perhaps its time to forgive and forget and leave a little “gift” in the pooches Schüssel.
A true Heuriger may also serve some menuless food. “Do you also want food?” “Yes”… now that’s the kind of decisionless menu I can get behind. An array of homemade spreads, made in this home, not other homes. Fresh vegetables, and fresh kills brought in by the local hunter a few days ago. All delivered to your table until there’s no more room to put your ellbogen. There was a delicately fresh goat cheese, black pudding that could convert you BP hater [insert family relative]. Porky fat spread that you will be hard pressed to find in the states. There was a cheese spread infused with onions and paprika, salty ham, and pickles with just the right balance. And just when you thought things can not get any better than this, there she comes. Roasted pork belly so tender you can cut it with a dirty stare, along with crackling so good, its worthy of a dentist appointment
Courtesy of https://whyhaventwebeenherebefore.wordpress.com/
Eating With Ziggy 