Vandaag

Pretty sleek décor here! I loved the lighting and decorations at the restaurant. each table was prettily adorned with mini red and gold tulips.
The food is pretty good here — loved the noodles, the candied tofu and the shrimp chips.
Though Scandanavian, it was almost asian-​esque, because the food was also served in mini blue and white Chinese bowls.
My only negative is that we came here for dinner on Queens’ Day so the place was packed and our food was a bit slow (an unintended extended dinner). The servers were still very nice and as consolation, we order was spruced up and we received a bit more food than we ordered!

Only went to the bar on a random weekend day. The drink was yummy and the bartender was cool and nice.
Curious about the food…

Had a really pleasant experience here with some nice pine and kumquat infused aquavit cocktails and oxtail croquettes. Nice spacious ambient and some fun, interesting flavor combinations, alongside nice smiling faces from the crew. Need to get around to having dinner here soon.
As for the lame-o’s who won’t get off this gucci bag situtation /​drink spillage situation — from what I’ve read, not only did the restaurant comp the drink, but they also gave you a gift certificate, AND comped the dry-​cleaning of it? Get over yourselves. What else do you think they can do? If you’re handbag is soooo expensive, and sooo precious to you then maybe you shouldn’t take it out, girlfriend. Bunch of whiny losers…

Vandaag has ambition and some pretty unique combinations of food on the menu, but it just didn’t work for my husband and I. The bitterballen braised oxtail croquette was extremely dry. The beef short rib was okay, but I couldn’t really understand or appreciate the sauce made of little tapioca balls swimming in beet juice. For $ 27, the dish consisted of just one short rib and 3 slices of beets along with the tapioca balls swimming in the sauce. I don’t think it was quite worth it. I like the space though and think I would come back, but just to go to the bar.

Pancake Alert! 5 Star brunch experience. Big modern Dutch feeling space with lots of arty touches– VanGogh plates, arty delivery of food. One of the cleanest bathrooms in all the city– European standard.
We started with a half of sweet bread with a jelly center and salted top– served on a cheese block w/​butter and fig jam– lovely $ 4
Latte– $ 4 perfect
Hot chocolate– Dutch Hot Cocoa w/​cinnamon and other stuff– $ 4 insane– one of the BEST AROUnd.
Ordered: Savory pancake w/​speck, gouda, apple pieces in Juniper apple syrup– $ 15
Scrambled eggs w/​slab bacon-​$ 15
My pancake was absolutely amazing– bacon, cheese with rind and apple pieces oh my… this pancake was soooooooooooo delicious.
Slab bacon on my dad’s eggs on a piece of brown bread was orgasmic. Surprised this place is not more packed as the food is still on my mind…

Cruised in on a Friday at noon for some lunch with two of my coworkers. Our waitress was super kind and explained a lot of the menu to us, giving us her recommendations and favorites. For an appetizer we had the «Hete Bliksem», which consisted of spicy potatoes, bacon, apple, and «stroop syrup», which gave it a sweet/​spicy flavor palatte.
My coworkers ordered the Vandaag Burger ($ 15) with gouda cheese, pickled onions, and dutch west indies sauce. They really enjoyed the burger, as well as the side of potatoes that came with it. The restaurant’s lunch menu specializes in a variety of open-​faced sandwiches, from which I ordered the Shrimp Remoulade which had kohlrabi (a type of cabbage), lemon, and herbs. The sandwich was a healthy thick slice of bread with large shrimp spread out on top.
Décor is fantastic and unique. Very cute and unlike anywhere else I’ve been in New York. The plates were also adorable. We contemplated running off with them, and even told our waitress of the plans (who agreed they were awesome as well).

Had lunch here with two others. Loved the pickled sausage (it is cold and pickled, so I wouldn’t suggest this to everyone) and burger (gouda cheese).
I asked for medium well, but got a well done instead, but the burger was still good, due to great sauce, lovely cheese, and oh yeah… crispy fries!
I would do a group dinner/​brunch here (Yeah, I am the event planner for my group of lazy butts).
Décor is minimalist… sunflowers by the window… birds are chirping… strangers are looking in… such a relaxing lunch

I can tell how guilty he’s feeling by where he’s taking me. More expensive = more guilty. Vandaag = moderate feelings of guilt.
I started off with a Belgium beer, Gueze Boon Lambic, which typical of Belgium lambics of being fruity and carbonated. The fruit notes are not as heavy as the Lindemann’s lambics, but more dusty and citrusy.
For my next beer, i wanted something sweeter, so the bartender recommended Kasteel Rouge, a sour cherry beer also from Belgium. This was perfect. I’ve have Lindemann’s Kriek, another sour cherry beer, before and it was entirely much too sweet. The Kasteel Rouge was just sweet enough to imbue you with the feeling of eating fresh summer cherries without making you feel like you’re drinking high fructose corn syrup laden cherry juice. It was bursting with a clean fresh summer fruit taste while still being a beer. It was amazing and it’s quite possibly my new favorite beer. Props to the bartender who knew how to make this girl happy.
We also had a couple appetizers. The first was the meatballs with ligonberry and dill gravy. Tiny juicy balls that I wished I had more of with the delicious ligonberry jam. These are no Ikea meatballs. I don’t like dill, so the gravy wasn’t to my taste, but the dill flavor was light and tolerable. If you love dill, you’ll like the gravy.
The other appetizer was the slices of lamb leg with summer beans, spiced tomato, croutons, and dill skyr. Skyr is a soft cheese/​yogurt. I didn’t notice the dill flavor in this, so I was happy. This is a cold dish. The lamb meat was very delicate and tender and something that I could have gladly had more of on a thin slice of a hearty grain bread as an open-​faced sandwich. The summer beans still had a snap to them when you bit down. It was a lovely refreshing plate to have on a hot summer night.
And oh, Gentlemen, this is how you take care of a lady. He called and paid for the check while I was gone from the table. When I came back, I was very pleased to see that everything had been taken care of and we could just leave.

Prix fixe Brunch menu Review! ($ 35) It was a beautiful sunny day– there is no outside seating but we sat by an open window and watched the 2^nd Ave foot traffic and paw traffic outside. The ambiance is inviting, furniture comfortable, and waitress– hip, efficient, and friendly.
Started off:
Sweet and Savory Bread basket: different bread types and cakes (i.e. beer bread/​carrot cake/​coffee cake) with beautiful toppings: hummus/​olive oil, nutella, sage butter, thick apple sauce type thing
My FAVORITE part of the meal– could have this for b-​fast, lunch, dinner, and midnight snack. I heart carbs!
Drinks!
Bloody Mary– refreshing and delicious
Rhubarb Bellini– also refreshing and delicious
Appetizers:
Kale salad — Green almonds, sweet onions, caraway– light and flavorful
Bitterballen — slow braised oxtail croquet, mustard relish– melt in your mouth oxtail with tangy mustard creamy flavor to lubricate your swallow= heavenly
My SECOND FAVORITE thing
Main course:
Smoked mackerel Scramble — onions, yogurt, dill, green peppercorn– I’ve never been to Scandinavia but I clearly pictured lakes and lovely snow-​capped mountains when I had this meal :)
Vandaag «Ham» Burger — Dutch Blend patty, gouda, charred onion– it was wrapped in bacon :) so its a winner to me.
Dessert:
Stroopwafel: meh. I wanted another sweet and savory bread basket =/​
If this is how the food tastes in Scandinavia– I need to plan a trip there pronto and escape the heat! Until then. I’ll just cross the street and have me some Van Daag.

Came here for dinner. On the website, the place looked super cool, but I wasn’t as impressed with the architecture when I was actually there.
We had to wait a couple of minutes for our table even though we were there on time. No worries… we headed to the bar and I ordered a Bohemian Spritz ($ 12) which is a wine cocktail. I didn’t like it at all and actually couldn’t even finish it, which is a shame since it was $ 12.
Here’s what we ordered:
–pickle pot ($ 5): I never knew pickled veggies could taste so good! Perfect with a cold beer!
–snail smørrebrød ($ 12): the meyer lemon is a great accompaniement to this dish. A very unique way to do snails… different than the typical Italian way. Would recommend this.
–bitterballen ($ 10): my friends liked this better than the above dish, but I disagree. It was a ball of fried meat. I thought it was okay.
–mangalitsa pork ($ 28): 2 of my 3 pieces were dry. The tender, juicy piece was the slice with the bone and then there wasn’t even much meat on it. The other two pieces were dry. My friend who ordered the same dish said his pieces weren’t dry.
–vandaag «Ham» Burger ($ 15): I would recommend this. I only had 2 bites, but I wished I ordered this. Ham and gouda… YUM.
–market fish (MP): had a bite and agreed with everyone else that it was way too salty.
We waited over an hour for our entrees. Once we ordered, we received the appetizers rather quickly, but then our entrees came over an hour later. The appetizers were great as well as the amuse bouche (smoked salmon, camel meat and sauerkraut). The wait left a sour taste in our mouth and we ended up going to a dessert place to end the night on a high note.

I chose this place for dinner with my friend and my adoptive grandpa. He used to work in design so I wanted a restaurant with a visually pleasing setting and not just good food. Well, I came to this place with high expectations and it actually surpassed them!
The design gets 5 stars! It’s industrial but comfy at the same time. I love the clean colors, the cool chairs, the lighting fixtures, I even love the menu cards! And the little visual recording playing on a corner designed for people waiting to use the WC!
The food. a solid 5 stars! We decided to order two big plates and a couple of appetizers and that was more than plenty for the 3 of us. We had pickled sausage and skyr toast along with the complimentary ‘fish food’ for appetizers. I don’t even know what was in that ‘fish food’ but it was a perfect small bite to tickle the palate! The pickled sausage I’ll skip next time around but the skyr toast was scrumptious! Creamy yummy skyr over perfectly toasted but soft bread. Delectable!
We had that night’s market fish. It was poached and served with pomegranate, quinoa, onion, and some greens (Originality: 5 stars, Presentation: 4.5 stars, Taste: 5 stars!). The fish was moist and well cooked and the side of quinoa worked so well with the flavors! We also had the stuffed hen (O: 4.5 stars, P: 5 stars, T: 5 stars!) that was phenomenal! It serves two so if you’re with a group of 3 or more I recommend getting this. It’s stuffed with barley which I loved, cooked such that the meat feels slightly gamey but so tender that I was cutting through the bones with a table knife, and served with parsnips and potatoes. It was delicious!
Now, the drinks are worth a visit as much as the food. They have genever, akvavit, and bier cocktails as well as an impressive Scandinavian beer list. My friend started with the Cb3 sour and I with the Twisted Thistle. Mine was very refreshing but still with a kick. After that round we debated on another round of cocktails but opted for shots of infused akvavit instead. We tried the apricot and coriander and it was great! Very clean and smooth with a touch of sweetness. This is the type of shots I can throw back all night!
The service was attentive and friendly enough and the atmosphere is casual cool. They take reservations so do so if you don’t want to wait as the place was packed by 8:30. The prices are reasonable. Our tab came down to $ 65 each with tax and tip.
Last word: highly recommended for dinner that’s away from the usual and boring choices. It’s not the most romantic of settings so I wouldn’t peg this for a first date unless your date is a foodie, more like a ‘been going out for a month now’ type of place. I’ll definitely come back to dine or even just for the bar!

Bring on the Scandinavian places! Yes! Cocktails with Aquavit! Yes! I got salt-​n-​pepa… delicious! I came in for brunch, and got scrambled eggs with dill and mackerel! Delicious! I’m so happy to have found mackerel somewhere in the city. Also, got a Stroopwaffel for desert. It’s two really thin wafers with salty caramel in the middle. Who thinks of these things??? Oh, that’s right, the Scandiavians do! This place gets 5 stars for just serving the great food from lands up north and not messing it up!
Oh yeah, there was a guy at the bar who looked just like Isaac Asimov!

On the corner of 2^nd Ave and E 6^th St lies the chic modern Vandaag. It stands out beautifully.
My friend and I decided it was time for some fine dining and boy did we do that! With the recommendations of our waitress, we ordered the Gravlax salad. The mix of the celeriac, celery, and roe with the smoke salmon was light and refreshing — perfect for what was to come… the stuffed hen for two and the crispy fingerling potatoes! Shortly after we ordered, we received a small graphile tile with a tiny salad. I forgot what it was but it was tasty!
The stuffed hen for two really is for 2 hungry people! The skin was crispy, the meat juicy. The greens that came with it could’ve been omitted. The small white turnips was lovely roasted. The barley stuffing was an interesting and different alternative. It added texture more than flavor to the meal.
The «hot lightning» crisp fingerlings, which was cooked with bacon, apple and stroop syrup was our favorite. It was a tad greasy but it was absolutely delicious! There was some spicy kick to it too. Definitely a must have!
For just under a $ 100 bucks for 2 people, it was a fabulous meal. Next time, I’m having the grilled quail!

When I first stepped into Vandaag, it felt like I was somewhere different. Not necessarily somewhere in The Netherlands, but a place far, far away from the East Village. It took me a second to put my finger on it, but then it dawned on me… The seating is well spaced out. It’s a far cry from most places in the neighborhood that need to cram as many seats into their location as possible to turn a profit. But this one simple thing set the tone for the evening.
The food was very good as well, and seemed very authentic from what I recall (my mom lived in Amsterdam and then Arnhem, and I visited a few times).
Things I tried:
BITTERBALLEN — «SLOW BRAISED OXTAIL CROQUET, MUSTARD RELISH » Exactly correct. One of the lasting memories of Holland was that croquets were *everywhere*. Even McDonalds had them. And these were so incredibly tender on the inside. Yum.
hete bliksem ‘hot lightning’ — «crisp fingerlings, bacon, apple, stroop syrup» While each of the ingredients in this were good, the dish didn’t exactly come together as a whole. It kind of reminded me of a mushroom and onion medley, where the mushrooms and onions just happen to be sitting next to each other, but not really becoming friends.
NORTH ATLANTIC CRUSTACEANS — «SWEET POTATO, SAFFRON, HAY SMOKE» This was my main dish, and it was very good. The sweet potato was initially a bit dry, but that was until I realized that I should be eaten in conjunction with the rest of the «wetness» on the place, as well as some of the crustaceans. Only then does the dish really pop. One of my co-​diners asked about the hay smoke, and I have to say I was looking forward to it, but couldn’t really pick the taste out.
We got the mushrooms as a side dish, but since their website doesn’t list it, I can’t give the exact description. It was however, steamed/​smoked in paper, which we thought was pretty cool. And the flavor and aroma of the paper could definitely be tasted.
Same goes for the amuse, which was something like a thick, squid ink broth with mint. Very tasty an unexpected with the mint.
Overall, Vandaag was quite good. I’m looking forward to going back. Not quite a 5 star place, but approaching it.

People are always recommending places to me, and I’m also attentive to reviews and such. There are moments when one restaurant’s name would pop out from various different sources, and last week it was Vandaag. So, I decided to try it and went with a friend.
I got a bier cocktail — the Radler. It was a long day and the waiter recommended this drink because it was refreshing. I really liked it, it was definitely refreshing from the beer, lime, and pineapple, and there was a hint of ginger too. For appetizers we tried the Bitterballen and Mutton Pie. Both were delicious, the bitterballen’s crust was crunchy and the meat inside was juicy. The mutton pie’s meat and vinegar made an interesting combo, it was a new flavor to me. I very much enjoyed the pie, though the meat flavor was a bit strong for my friend.
For entrée we tried the stuffed hen for two. I loved the skin — it was thin but crunchy and just slightly sweet from the glaze. The meat itself was cooked perfectly juicy. The barley was cooked with some insides, which in some bites I could taste a bit too much of. I like everything except liver, I’m just not a fan of its flavor and texture. But other than that I loved the dish. The vegetables were scrumptious in the hen’s juices.

*** brunch review ***
Vandaag really blew me and my family out of the water with their innovative brunch menu. It is definitely for the more adventurous eater, but even my relatively picky cousin found something he liked.
The biggest winner to me was the french toast with stroop, blood orange, and rosemary. Yes, it sounds weird, but it was truly a great tasting breakfast item.
Another winner was the oxtail croquettes with poached eggs. They were some of the prettiest poached eggs we had ever seen. Lastly, the rookworst deserves a shout out as a great traditional Scandanavian item.
As always, their drinks were delectable. I suggest the Fountain Fizz.
One last crucial piece of advice: get the bread basket. Lots of different breads to try and a great butter and lentil spread on the side.
This place is totally underrated for brunch, in my opinion. I’d definitely come back here. (No wait for a table, either! Major score.)

COMPOST: EVER TRY IT?
If so, then I imagine their sea urchin bisque comes pretty darn close to what it might taste like. I should have sensed something was amidst when the manager kept asking if we had any food allergies, or if we’ve ever tried sea urchin after we ordered. I kept thinking to myself, «c’mon, we’re Asian– we’ve probably had every animal we could get our hands on.» Save it: there are no dogs/​cats on my plate, OK?!
The bisque is NASTY. It’s black, not the color you would expect. And it’s grainy– cue compost reference. And salty. There is not a hint of urchin ‘cept the small piece that accompanies the brioche. My friend fled to the bathroom to spit it out. I swallowed. I like to rough it out. HARDCORE.
Safe bet: ‘HAM’ burger.
The décor is definitely modern and minimalistic. However, there’s an entire space that’s not being put to any use. When you walk in, you’ll notice the gaping emptiness that is.
Unlike Arnold, I won’t be back– unless I turn into a worm.

I have a new food nemesis, and his name is Sam Sifton.
Mr. Sifton’s glowing 2 star review in the NYT promised ‘excellence’, ‘magnificence’, and ‘the sort of meal you can wake up thinking about a few mornings in a row’. The food at Vandaag is ambitious, seasonal, and plated with the flair of fine dining. However, the execution falls short on nearly every level.
‘Excellence’ missed our starter of pig head and octopus terrine, which was under seasoned and mealy. Another starter of ox tail croquet’s was executed adequately, but again, under seasoned and certainly nothing memorable.
‘Magnificence’ failed to make an appearance in a severely undercooked and insipid main course of Spanish mackerel. A quinelle of beet purée is a cute trick, but added nothing in the flavor department. They even managed to blanche away the salt and flavor out of the accompanying seabeans (which are naturally salty), which is a difficult and ill-​advised technique.
The grilled quail was perhaps the highlight of the meal, but marred by an uncomfortably crunchy and undercooked bed of wild rice. And a cook with more experience could have easily masked the bitterness of the inedible dandelion greens through proper use of seasoning, lipids, and cooking technique (a blanche and a sautee or a slow braise).
It’s an unfortunate case — I drooled over the NYT review, lusted over the menu online, and was immediately impressed by the cozy yet modern space upon entering. While Sifton’s 2 stars denotes praise, my 2 stars reflects the disappointment that I had in Vandaag.

Iceland is a land of contradictions, where nothing can be taken for granted. From the name of the country and the shifting reality of the earth beneath the feet creating new volcanoes — nothing is what it appears to be. So while they don’t eat ugly food (they export COD — not to be mistaken for a Republican candidate with the same initials — to the US), I am still at a loss as to why they weren’t blessed with taste buds that conform to a normal distribution when it comes to the other citizens of the world. (*)
$ 34 beer. Yup, a friend of mine got a bottle of beer here for $ 34! Obviously, he only realized that fact when we got the bill. That itself expedited the hangover, even though I tried to cheer him up by mentioning that even while drunk he did his family name proud by managing to save money — he could still have ordered the $ 36 bottle instead!
I don’t know what was worse: that we were forced to pay 20% tip (group of six) for crappy service, or that the food itself was neither tasteful nor filling.
Let’s start with the service. Our server would disappear for long periods of time. Out of nowhere another server would show up and offer us drinks which we hadn’t ordered. While we had the decency to turn him away, another table felt no such compunctions in consuming our appetizers. Just prior to this we had asked the server to replace our glasses and bottle of water (which seemed capable of handling radioactive material) and spare us the foul smell that emanated from them. No sooner had he done this, we were given complimentary amuse douche that was so bad (ergo the name) that a friend almost gagged! Keep in mind there was no water on the table to gulp it down.
I ordered quail, and that was perhaps the best dish on the table. But, the sweet and sour brussel sprouts, wild rice, and mint made for a tasteful 5 morsels — ok, maybe 8. It wasn’t as bad though as the skinned bass with grapefruit confit that another friend ordered. Eating here is probably an acquired taste — if one can learn to appreciate experimentation and flourishes that most would find awkwardly executed at best.
The friends were so scarred by the experience that they didn’t even order dessert (preferring to go to the nearby Momofuku). I ordered the smoutballen just for kicks. It felt somewhat dirty just to pronounce it with a Scandinavian accent — turned out to be a baseball sized cream puff filled with hazelnut chocolate mousse.
At the end of the meal I realized why despite a two star rating from the New York Times, one can find seating comfortably even on a weekend. «Vandaag» apparently means Today in Dutch, to which I would respond with «Morgen», for Tomorrow never comes.
(*) It made more sense to make fun of the Icelanders rather than the Dutch & Danish that serve as inspiration for this restaurant. After all, nothing worthwhile was ever gained by insulting anyone with double D credentials.

Considering that New York City was founded by Dutch merchant marines as the City of New Amsterdam, it’s remarkable that there aren’t all that many culinary reminders of its Dutch heritage. But it’s also true that The Netherlands isn’t exactly known for its cuisine, so it’s not that surprising that Dutch restaurants in this town have been few and far between. In fact, Vandaag is probably the only place in town right now that claims to be inspired by the food of the Low Countries — as well as a bit of Denmark.
Being a Dutch New Yorker myself, I was pleased to be able to sit down at the bar and order a «kopstootje» («little headbutt») — a shot of jenever (Dutch gin) with a beer back. The jenever appeared to be a more potent version of the traditional Jonge Bols, and the beer was (Danish) Carlsberg, which right there sums up what Vandaag is trying to do: its not about offering an authentic Dutch experience, but about using it as an inspiration to offer something more eclectic. In my opinion, Vandaag succeeds in doing just that.
Consider the famous Dutch bitterballen, basically a battered and deep fried ball of ragout. Vandaag took the basic concept, but made it richer and meatier, resulting in an appetizer a few levels above the cheap snack they are in The Netherlands. The hete bliksem («hot lightning»), originally a peasant’s mash of potatoes, apples and bacon, got a similar upgrade through the use of the finest ingredients and ever so gently crisping them up. My impression of the other items on the menu is that they’re similarly influenced by Dutch and Danish food but taken to new heights.
Vandaag occupies a nice space and has kept it airy and spacious. The wait staff was friendly and attentive, and service was prompt and courteous. It’s definitely a fine addition to New York’s restaurant scene. Four stars. They’d get five if they had a herring dish. And if they knew about the secret ingredient in all Dutch food: nutmeg.