Deserves the good buzz
My parents wanted to take us out for my birthday and I chose Duino Duende. This was a risky choice because my parents' dining habits are determinedly myopic. In addition, my mom can't eat gluten or dairy and hates anything hot or spicy. Fortunately Duende posts their menu online so I was able to scope it out and discovered that it's planning is very allergy/sensitivity friendly! Little symbols accompany every menu item letting diners know immediately what's vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or adaptable to those requirements.
The menu has lots of items with which most people will not be familiar, but the waitress was endlessly patient and friendly answering questions. You can also easily save yourself some time and confusion by looking up the menu online beforehand. Our server was lovely - attentive but not hovery.
The food was great, everything I had hoped it would be! Even my parents (who dislike food that is too "weird") loved everything, and mom was excited about how many gluten/dairy free options she had.
I wish I didn't have to, but I can only give them two stars for ambiance. It was about 78 degrees outside (I just verified this with the National Climatic Data Center database), but inside it was roasting. There were very large, loud fans scattered throughout the space, but they didn't seem to do anything but make it very difficult to hear. We were all dressed in light summer clothes but still sweating profusely throughout the meal. After awhile we gave up trying to hold a conversation because it was too much of a strain to try to yell over the fan noise, and the waitress had to get right up next to my parents and shout to answer their menu questions. We had been intending to stay for desert but by the end of the meal decided unanimously that we needed to relocate someplace cooler and quieter. The whole evening would have been perfect if only we hadn't felt like we were dining inside of a Finnish sauna with a jet engine soundtrack.
Food: 5
Ambiance: 2
Service: 5
Re: “¡Duino! (Duende)”
Deserves the good buzz
My parents wanted to take us out for my birthday and I chose Duino Duende. This was a risky choice because my parents' dining habits are determinedly myopic. In addition, my mom can't eat gluten or dairy and hates anything hot or spicy. Fortunately Duende posts their menu online so I was able to scope it out and discovered that it's planning is very allergy/sensitivity friendly! Little symbols accompany every menu item letting diners know immediately what's vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or adaptable to those requirements. The menu has lots of items with which most people will not be familiar, but the waitress was endlessly patient and friendly answering questions. You can also easily save yourself some time and confusion by looking up the menu online beforehand. Our server was lovely - attentive but not hovery. The food was great, everything I had hoped it would be! Even my parents (who dislike food that is too "weird") loved everything, and mom was excited about how many gluten/dairy free options she had. I wish I didn't have to, but I can only give them two stars for ambiance. It was about 78 degrees outside (I just verified this with the National Climatic Data Center database), but inside it was roasting. There were very large, loud fans scattered throughout the space, but they didn't seem to do anything but make it very difficult to hear. We were all dressed in light summer clothes but still sweating profusely throughout the meal. After awhile we gave up trying to hold a conversation because it was too much of a strain to try to yell over the fan noise, and the waitress had to get right up next to my parents and shout to answer their menu questions. We had been intending to stay for desert but by the end of the meal decided unanimously that we needed to relocate someplace cooler and quieter. The whole evening would have been perfect if only we hadn't felt like we were dining inside of a Finnish sauna with a jet engine soundtrack. Food: 5 Ambiance: 2 Service: 5