birthday, birthday!

The pressure was on.

In honor of yours truly turning twentyseven (oh, you can’t read that? hmm…so strange…), there was no question that the occassion would be celebrated over a fabulous meal.

The question, however, was where.

It had to be delicious, it had to be cutting edge, it had to be age appropriate (hey, I am officially an adult now), it had to be classy, it had to be…me!

Looking back, I couldn’t have picked a better spot.  Nailed it.  Again.

eaten! @danji

Danji |  The Perfect Beginning to a Perfect Birthday

Having just opened a few months ago (cutting edge, check) and from a chef who’s pedigree includes none other than Mr. Bouloud himself (classy, check), I picked Danji hoping it would be the perfect intimate setting for a small birthday dinner.

How right I was!

While the wait was a tad bit long (no reservations are taken after 6), our group of 4 was seated in the back near the kitchen.

The menu was split into traditional and modern tapas (much like Jose Andreas’ Bazaar).  Olivia and I were a bit confused when more of the modern tapas sounded like the traditional Korean dishes we knew.

We began with yellowtail sashimi with Korean red pepper sauce (possibly my most favorite condiment).  The tuna was delicious and fresh and the pepper sauce was  combination I’ve never had before.  But I love it!

Next came the homage to traditional – kfc (korean fried chicken) covered in sesame seeds.  Quite delicious, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Filet bulgogi sliders topped with a pickled cucumber.

Japjae, korean vermicelli noodles (traditionally made from potato noodles).  So delicious!  With some crunchy veggies and tender meat, this was a dish I would order again and again.

Possibly my favorite dish of the evening was the pork belly sliders.  The buns were slathered with a heavy hand of butter so the charred butter was a bit overwhelming.  But it otherwise went really nicely with the sweetish pork inside.

Another stunner was the miso glazed pork chops.  I’ve never had miso glazed lamb (or any red meat for that matter) but I really enjoyed it.

By this point my memory gets a little fuzzy. Oh those whiskey gingers…

Finally we ended with a kimchi “paella” which playfully resembled a bowl of bibimbap.  With chorizo and a runny egg, we were scraping the skillet for more!

The dessert menu was limited to sesame or ginger gelato so we ordered a bowl of the sesame and stuck a candle in it for good measure.

I think we all agreed the food was good.  But looking back over these photos, it’s no surprise that I ended up so um..inebriated by the end of the night.  The portions are tiny!  And sadly, the price tags weren’t.

Regardless, I can’t be mad at anything that was part of the amazing day I had. It was the perfect way to spend my birthday, with the perfect company and the perfect atmosphere.  Would I go again? Ooh that’s a tough one.  I’m going to say no…but just so this birthday memory remains in-tact.

3.5 out of 5 stars for Danji.

(PS – I’m 27)