Mac & Cheese Krokets Have Arrived at Danku

So I’m still waiting in the hopes that Danku (the Dutch/Indonesian fast food place on 57th btw. 5+6th) will see the writing on the wall, and make improvements before I give them the old +/-, but it appears as if the situation is getting bleaker and bleaker by the day.  The good news is, they finally got the mac-n-cheese croquettes on the menu.  The bad news is, they finally got the mac-n-cheese krokets on the menu.  Lunch’er Adam checks in with this report:

“So it’s the new year and Danku finally has mac-n-cheese krokets. Unfortunately they are as “mac-n-cheesy” as the beef krokets are “beefy”, which means they are just a mushy glop of something that tastes like mac-n-cheese. My artificially high expectations for the “dutch-indonesian fast food” has let me down as the food is made with the same TLC as the site’s predecessor (McD’s). I can’t rationalize the krokets as anything better than bar-food, and adding in a dressed-up salad for the “combo” doesn’t make them any more special.”

More from Adam, plus the Village Voice weighs in- after the jump…

“The krokets are good as bar-food to take into one of the local joints like Whiskey Trader or snuck into Whiskey Park, but on their own, I’d pass. For the price I’d rather have the appetizers on Brasil Row (46th btw. 4+6th). The coxinhas/bolinhios/pastels/rissolis (fritters/patties) are about the same price and 10-times the quality and flavor. The only time I’ll be back at danku is when I have some drinking to do and need some grease and starch to buffer the booze. Just my $0.02 :)”

Sarah DiGregorio from Village Voice’s “Fork in the Road” blog agrees, saying “the mac-and-cheese version was filled with a starchy yellow mash that seemed like puréed boxed mac and cheese. Very strange, and not particularly good.”  However, she said she may return for the curry chicken krokets, only if she “suddenly had a craving for fried chicken pot pie.”

*Sigh*  I hate it when places that seem so exciting in theory, fail to deliver the goods.

28 Comments

  • Zach, my name is Adam, not Josh :)

    Though I’d be very very surprised if there is a Josh out there who sent you the exact same report :)

  • ha! sorry about that… i fixed it.

  • They look like something my Wolfhound would leave in the Garden.

  • The place is overpriced crap. Fortunately, there’s lot of that in this neighborhood with better tasting crap.

  • LOL @ wolfhound comment…and also
    barf @ wolfhound comment

  • I think Adam’s title should be “Special Lunch’er Correspondent” and yes, Danku is an epic fail.

  • Zach, put the hammer down on Danku already! This place is swindling people with their ultra crappy food. I can’t think of a worse dining option in this part of Midtown.

  • haha! wolfhound….
    Now I’m definitely never going.

  • Seriously meh. But on a happy note, I’m getting a burrito at Tehuitzingo today. Anyone tried one yet?

  • I never understood what was so exciting about this place and obika, European chains are only slightly better than US chains no matter how exotic they seem. An exception might be Nordsee though, or that great pretzel chain in Germany, how have those not made it to midtown?

  • Been there, had the kroket. Not unlike breaded cat food. Greasy breaded cat food. >blech< Sigh, it seemed like an interesting twist.

  • @Tom – I totally should have posted about this… but the burritos at Tehuitzingo are really disappointing. 1. They are really wide and flat… almost more like a giant square quesadilla than a burrito. 2. They cover them in some sort of mayo/sour cream concoction. 3. It’s meant to be eaten with a knife and fork, instead of being picked up like a real burrito.

    The taste was ok, but I’d definitely stick with the tacos…

  • Zach, wouldn’t what you’re describing be considered… an enchilada?

  • Why would someone go to Tehuitzingo for a burritto? All you should ever say there is Tres Tacos de Carnitas. Points also awarded for barbacoa.

  • Usually I get suadero, tripa, and al pastor. I read Zach’s response too late and got the burrito this time, which was as described.

  • I’ll preface my response to Zach’s comment by mentioning that I am not mexican or latino–just a guy who likes him some mexican food.

    Now, about this burrito debate–pretty much all of the mexican nationals living in NYC are from the Puebla state, a bit south of Mexico City. The hand held gems we in the USA call a “real burrito” in Mexico are thought of as “Norteno” food. As far as I know, they don’t really eat them in most of the country, save for the northern states. It’d be like somebody from Chicago declaring we don’t have “real pizza” in NYC cause nobody eats that deep dish slop. Do yourself a favor, get a mole, some antojitos (finger foods) or my personal wintertime favorite “Sopa de Camarones” which is a spicey vaguely tom-yum like soup fully awesome on a cold day.

  • I don’t care so much about authenticity or style as long as it’s good. The pork in this burrito was great, as expected, but rice and beans were pretty bland. Definitely could have used some lime and cilantro.

    As for the topping, it was queso fresco and some kind of mayonnaise. They should have left off the mayonnaise. That said, I wouldn’t call mayonnaise inauthentic. Anyone who has been to the Yucatan knows they put that shit on everything. You’d be surprised how popular chopped up hot dogs in mayonnaise or heavy cream is.

  • After four visits, six different krokets and a cold breakfast sandwich, I can safely say that I’m not going back. The only reason I kept going back was to see if the mac & cheese one had come out yet.

    There’s nothing wrong with the lighting in the picture above… that’s actually what they look like – that is to say: ugly, brown logs rolled around in sand. The outside has the consistency of a brick and the inside tastes like mush. You’d think, for example, that the beef one would have ground beef instead of some weird gray puree, but guess again. I had high hopes for the mac & cheese one because I remember how much I loved them when bamn! first opened, but I couldn’t see a single macaroni noodle inside. I only saw globs of yellow shapes I couldn’t identify.

    The food wasn’t bad enough that I would throw it out on the spot, but it was bad enough that I threw away the coupon they gave me for a free kroket…

  • i think this calls for a Mexican road trip.

  • Yo Tom, I ate at La Taqueria on 7th ave last night, as I was madly craving a burrito bad. It hit the spot and their Cali burrito is massive, overstuffed with 2 types of meat/beans/rice, with sour creme and guac. That said, I probably won’t go back until the craving comes back in full force.

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