Dean & Deluca
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I used to live in NYC and when I first heard there was a D&D here I was skeptical. Quite frankly, I didn't think it could survive. But, in actuality, this is a thriving and very popular gourmet food mecca that I am happy I discovered. OK, I can't afford the groceries, but I will return for the deli items, coffee, chocolates and, OMG, the gelato!!!!!
Atmosphere
The fact that on the outside this space is one, large, brick box of a building made me a little skeptical at first, thinking that once inside I might feel cramped, anxious, and claustrophobic; and yet, when I walked in, I got the complete opposite feeling.
The first thing you notice is the crisp, clean, all-white interior that makes the space feel large, contemporary, and sophisticated. The ceilings are extremely high, and exposed metal beams and duct-work give it that great NY loft feel. The chrome display shelves and long service counters are laid out perfectly, so you have plenty of room to wander around. And there are several sections, chocolate, bakery, cheeses, hot foods, coffee, etc., to keep you entertained. Oh, and there are samples too! Although, on this day, Sunday, they were not stocked very well.
The 'restaurant' part of the store is on the far side as you walk in, and there is a hot-food and prepared-food section, a salad and sandwich counter, a coffee and gelato station and, in the middle, a number of bistro tables where you can enjoy your meal. There is also outside seating that, although it overlooks a parking lot, is still comfortable. A mixture of classical music, opera, and jazz plays at a comfortable level both inside the store and on the patio.
The first thing you notice is the crisp, clean, all-white interior that makes the space feel large, contemporary, and sophisticated. The ceilings are extremely high, and exposed metal beams and duct-work give it that great NY loft feel. The chrome display shelves and long service counters are laid out perfectly, so you have plenty of room to wander around. And there are several sections, chocolate, bakery, cheeses, hot foods, coffee, etc., to keep you entertained. Oh, and there are samples too! Although, on this day, Sunday, they were not stocked very well.
The 'restaurant' part of the store is on the far side as you walk in, and there is a hot-food and prepared-food section, a salad and sandwich counter, a coffee and gelato station and, in the middle, a number of bistro tables where you can enjoy your meal. There is also outside seating that, although it overlooks a parking lot, is still comfortable. A mixture of classical music, opera, and jazz plays at a comfortable level both inside the store and on the patio.
Service
The service was friendly and efficient. The girl at the bakery section was on call to answer our questions, the check-out line moved quickly, and the 2 cute sandwich-making boys were friendly and funny. (though they were talking about going back to school the next day which made me cringe, not because they were doing anything wrong, but because it made me feel old!!)
Food
When you are in a place like this it is very difficult to decide what you want to eat. I mean, you are in the center of this amazing gourmet food store, stocked with goodies, left, right, and center. The temptation is almost unbearable. In fact, we wandered in with no intention of actually eating anything and yet, after an hour of wandering around, ended up stuffing ourselves with goodies.
Although a lot of the grocery items are very expensive, a $9 bar of chocolate or $40 container of truffle butter, for example, the deli food was quite reasonable. We ordered a design-your-own sandwich from the sandwich counter and got a huge roast beef, turkey, and brie sandwich on whole grain bread, with chipotle mayo, and sun-dried tomato pesto, for $8. It was great, especially the bread, which was fresh, soft, and delicious! The second thing we got was a brown rice sushi roll, also very fresh and good. And, although brown rice sushi is never as good as the white rice version, this was filled with a good amount of tuna and the brown rice was sticky, as it should be. The wasabi and ginger were also really fresh-tasting. And, there was no guilt that comes from eating the bad-for-you white rice.
And, speaking of bad for you, the best thing about our meal was saved for last. Having just been in Italy a few weeks ago, and eating a lot of gelato there, we decided to give the gelato at D&D a try. It is very soft and only comes in cups, small and large, and there were not many flavor selections, about 8, but that was fine. We decided on one small cup ($3) and got 2 flavors, Tahitian vanilla and cappuccino. The cappuccino was great, with the real taste of coffee and cream, but the vanilla was excellent!!! Its soft consistency and strong vanilla flavor was perfect (good ice cream is best eaten a little melted to maximize its flavors). It reminded me of when you leave the Haagen Daaz vanilla out until it is just melting (if you've never done this you are missing one of the great pleasures of the world!!) but this was even better because it was so fresh. I can't rave about this enough, it was better than Italy, well, not the whole country, but at least the gelato part of Italy. I could eat this forever and ever!!!! Good thing there isn't a D&D close to my house or I would have a serious gelato addiction.
Although a lot of the grocery items are very expensive, a $9 bar of chocolate or $40 container of truffle butter, for example, the deli food was quite reasonable. We ordered a design-your-own sandwich from the sandwich counter and got a huge roast beef, turkey, and brie sandwich on whole grain bread, with chipotle mayo, and sun-dried tomato pesto, for $8. It was great, especially the bread, which was fresh, soft, and delicious! The second thing we got was a brown rice sushi roll, also very fresh and good. And, although brown rice sushi is never as good as the white rice version, this was filled with a good amount of tuna and the brown rice was sticky, as it should be. The wasabi and ginger were also really fresh-tasting. And, there was no guilt that comes from eating the bad-for-you white rice.
And, speaking of bad for you, the best thing about our meal was saved for last. Having just been in Italy a few weeks ago, and eating a lot of gelato there, we decided to give the gelato at D&D a try. It is very soft and only comes in cups, small and large, and there were not many flavor selections, about 8, but that was fine. We decided on one small cup ($3) and got 2 flavors, Tahitian vanilla and cappuccino. The cappuccino was great, with the real taste of coffee and cream, but the vanilla was excellent!!! Its soft consistency and strong vanilla flavor was perfect (good ice cream is best eaten a little melted to maximize its flavors). It reminded me of when you leave the Haagen Daaz vanilla out until it is just melting (if you've never done this you are missing one of the great pleasures of the world!!) but this was even better because it was so fresh. I can't rave about this enough, it was better than Italy, well, not the whole country, but at least the gelato part of Italy. I could eat this forever and ever!!!! Good thing there isn't a D&D close to my house or I would have a serious gelato addiction.
Cleanliness
Generally speaking, this is an immaculate-looking place, mostly because of the large, open space and all-white décor. Still, because I guess Sunday is a very busy day, things looked a little messy. The bathrooms could've used some tidying up and, as I mentioned, the samples were out, leaving lots of messy, crumb-filled baskets. That said, the food-preparation areas looked very clean and the tables and eating areas were fine. The food itself and the packaging and presentation were all excellent.
Pros
A sophisticated, vibrant interior is stocked with tons of goodies. The food is fresh, the portions large, and the quality excellent, and mostly at a good price. The gelato is world-class, especially the Tahitian vanilla. D&D is expanding in 2009, moving to a larger location across the street from where it is now. Yay!
Cons
The grocery items can be very expensive and, on a Sunday, the place can get a little messy.
