Since we discovered Daniel’s, at 900 N. Main St. in Fuquay-Varina, it has been our favorite Italian restaurant in the area. Any time we are craving Italian food, Daniel’s is our number one stop. When you walk in, the dim lighting and decor gives it a romantic, subdued, and comforting feel, while remaining somewhat modern. However, the wall art, in house-made wine-cork tabletops, and general ambiance definitely gives it a Tuscan, family-feel to the restaurant. It's romantic enough for a quiet date night, but still large and comfortable enough to take out an entire family. While I love their Seafood Bisque, our favorite appetizer is the Mozzarella Melt. The Mozzarella Melt is very, very good. Unlike the typical mozzarella sticks you would get in another restaurant, at Daniel’s, they take a large slice of mozzarella, cut it diagonally, then hand-bread it with a wonderful combination of breadcrumbs and italian seasonings and fry it. It's served on a plate smothered in their marinara sauce. The cheese is fried to a golden, crispy brown and is melty and delicious on the inside. We love cheese, and this is a huge win in the appetizer department.
For main courses, we've actually had a number of really great dinners at Daniel's. My favorite is their namesake, Fettuccini Daniel, while Megan just loves the Shrimp & Grits Ravioli. My Fettuccini was a combination of an ultra creamy Alfredo sauce mixed with steamed broccoli and sliced, baked chicken, topped with oven-toasted walnuts. The star of the dish, of course, like any good Italian restaurant, is the sauce. The Alfredo sauce has a light garlic flavor to it and is heavy on the cheese. This is a very good Alfredo sauce and I would know. I am half-Italian and grew up in an area of North East Pennsylvania considered the "Pizza Capital of the World", so I have eaten in many Italian restaurants and have sampled many Alfredo sauces. Daniel's has one of the best and that is one of the reasons why I order the Fettuccini Daniel. I love this dish, consistently order it, and I always clean my plate.
Megan has taken a liking to the Shrimp and Grits Ravioli after her mother ordered it on a joint family outing at Christmas. The ravioli is house made, and stuffed with a Southern staple, grits then served in a garlic cream sauce, similar to an Alfredo. It sounds like an odd combination, but my carb-loving lady swears it's perfection. (And being born and bred in the South, we'll consider her my expert.) At first, she was concerned about whether the textures would mix well, but found that they were great together. The ravioli also contain bits of shrimp, which adds a nice extra protein to the dish. Normally, the dish comes with black beans and Tasso ham, but Megan nixes the beans and gets Pancetta instead of ham. Trust me, her change makes the most of this dish, and gives it an added decadence. Honestly, my favorite part is the originality of the dish. Where else can you get Shrimp & Grits Ravioli? It's the ultimate win for a southern lady like her and a part-Italian guy like me. It is truly a fabulous dish. I may actually be in love with the garlic cream sauce, though I am glad Megan always orders this, so I can eat some and still order another dish.
I went with something new for me on a different occasion, the Chicken & Mushrooms in a Marsala Cream Sauce. This dish includes julienne sliced chicken, grilled Portobella mushrooms, penne, and diced tomatoes, all topped with frizzled onions. The sauce is a Marsala cream sauce. I thought the sauce was a little light on the wine, but I do love my Marsala. Otherwise, it was a very good cream sauce; not as good as the Ravioli sauce, but still delicious. The frizzled onions were something new for me, and I loved their slightly charred taste combined with the creaminess of the sauce and the heartiness of the mushrooms. If you saw just how clean my plate was, you'd know that I enjoyed this dish. While it will not replace Fettuccini Daniel as my favorite dish, I would gladly recommend it to my friends.
Another of my favorites is the Penne alla Vodka. It consists of Penne pasta cooked al dente, and served mixed with a rich, pink vodka sauce. Now, I love vodka sauces and actually think that I make a pretty good one, but Daniel's sauce is just great! It is light and yet creamy, with just a tinge of vodka flavor dancing on your tongue. You can taste a hint of garlic and some parmesan folded into the sauce and then accentuated with a dusting of parsley and bits of diced tomatoes. It is such a simple dish, yet when it is done perfectly, like at Daniel's, it can be so elegant and filling.
When you visit Daniel's, I can almost guarantee that your table will get a visit from the manager, Carol. She is such a delight. She makes you not only feel welcome at Daniel's, but her warmth and personality makes you feel like you are both part of the family and their most important guest. She is truly a treasure in the restaurant industry and I believe that she may be the reason that Daniel's gets so many repeat customers.
In our most recent visit, we tried dessert at Daniel's for the first time. We had the Chocolate Chambord Mousse and it was to die for. Don't get me wrong, I love my chocolate and I don't believe that anything can be "too rich", but this was just sheer magic. The Mousse was served in a tall wineglass, accentuated with raspberries, mint, and a pirouette cookie. The Mousse itself was somehow light and airy, but yet thick and sumptuous; it was fabulous. The chocolate flavoring coupled with the raspberry Chambord was intense and kicked my senses into high gear. I loved it and if I wasn't already full from dinner, then Megan and I would have had to spoon-wrestle for the final bite. Carol explained that they have a new dessert chef, recently of Culinary School in NY, who makes some of the best after-dinner courses around. I thoroughly agree. Next time, I'm planning to try the Oh, My God, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. With a name like that, I bet it will be great.
Megan has taken a liking to the Shrimp and Grits Ravioli after her mother ordered it on a joint family outing at Christmas. The ravioli is house made, and stuffed with a Southern staple, grits then served in a garlic cream sauce, similar to an Alfredo. It sounds like an odd combination, but my carb-loving lady swears it's perfection. (And being born and bred in the South, we'll consider her my expert.) At first, she was concerned about whether the textures would mix well, but found that they were great together. The ravioli also contain bits of shrimp, which adds a nice extra protein to the dish. Normally, the dish comes with black beans and Tasso ham, but Megan nixes the beans and gets Pancetta instead of ham. Trust me, her change makes the most of this dish, and gives it an added decadence. Honestly, my favorite part is the originality of the dish. Where else can you get Shrimp & Grits Ravioli? It's the ultimate win for a southern lady like her and a part-Italian guy like me. It is truly a fabulous dish. I may actually be in love with the garlic cream sauce, though I am glad Megan always orders this, so I can eat some and still order another dish.I went with something new for me on a different occasion, the Chicken & Mushrooms in a Marsala Cream Sauce. This dish includes julienne sliced chicken, grilled Portobella mushrooms, penne, and diced tomatoes, all topped with frizzled onions. The sauce is a Marsala cream sauce. I thought the sauce was a little light on the wine, but I do love my Marsala. Otherwise, it was a very good cream sauce; not as good as the Ravioli sauce, but still delicious. The frizzled onions were something new for me, and I loved their slightly charred taste combined with the creaminess of the sauce and the heartiness of the mushrooms. If you saw just how clean my plate was, you'd know that I enjoyed this dish. While it will not replace Fettuccini Daniel as my favorite dish, I would gladly recommend it to my friends.
Another of my favorites is the Penne alla Vodka. It consists of Penne pasta cooked al dente, and served mixed with a rich, pink vodka sauce. Now, I love vodka sauces and actually think that I make a pretty good one, but Daniel's sauce is just great! It is light and yet creamy, with just a tinge of vodka flavor dancing on your tongue. You can taste a hint of garlic and some parmesan folded into the sauce and then accentuated with a dusting of parsley and bits of diced tomatoes. It is such a simple dish, yet when it is done perfectly, like at Daniel's, it can be so elegant and filling.
When you visit Daniel's, I can almost guarantee that your table will get a visit from the manager, Carol. She is such a delight. She makes you not only feel welcome at Daniel's, but her warmth and personality makes you feel like you are both part of the family and their most important guest. She is truly a treasure in the restaurant industry and I believe that she may be the reason that Daniel's gets so many repeat customers.
In our most recent visit, we tried dessert at Daniel's for the first time. We had the Chocolate Chambord Mousse and it was to die for. Don't get me wrong, I love my chocolate and I don't believe that anything can be "too rich", but this was just sheer magic. The Mousse was served in a tall wineglass, accentuated with raspberries, mint, and a pirouette cookie. The Mousse itself was somehow light and airy, but yet thick and sumptuous; it was fabulous. The chocolate flavoring coupled with the raspberry Chambord was intense and kicked my senses into high gear. I loved it and if I wasn't already full from dinner, then Megan and I would have had to spoon-wrestle for the final bite. Carol explained that they have a new dessert chef, recently of Culinary School in NY, who makes some of the best after-dinner courses around. I thoroughly agree. Next time, I'm planning to try the Oh, My God, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. With a name like that, I bet it will be great. Every single time we have been to Daniel’s, the food has been wonderful. The servers are very knowledgeable of the menu and helpful in their suggestions. There is no question that in the Triangle area, Daniel’s sets the standard for Italian food. I guarantee your first visit there will not be your last. Trust me, eat there once, and soon you'll be like us, wanting to go back every day.
Category | Scale 1-5 stars |
Food Quality |  |
Food Creativity | |
Service |  |
Atmosphere |  |
Value for the price | |
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