The afterlife of fast-food outlets carries all kinds of karmic implications. Look, for instance, at Flatbush’s late, lamented Veggie Castle, a Rasta soyburger-and-juice joint that sprung from the greasy ashes of a onetime White Castle. Now, in the space previously occupied by a midtown McDonald’s comes the soon-to-open Danku, the American beachhead of a nascent Dutch chain that tosses around terms like “organic” and “recycled” as if performing a Big Mac exorcism. Danku, though, isn’t entirely virtuous — its specialty, after all, is the kroket, a deep-fried fritter filled with everything from chili con carne to macaroni and cheese, each served with a designated dipping sauce (creamy ranch being one).
There are also breakfast variations, like bacon-egg-and-potato, which you can wash down with Fair Trade coffee, plus poffertjes (mini Dutch pancakes) and a selection of organic breads, like the European multigrain spanner, custom-baked by Boiceville’s Bread Alone. The menu’s Indonesian specialties, a consequence of three and a half centuries of Dutch colonialism, include chicken and tofu satays, sweet soy beef stew, and basmati fried rice. There is also fro-yo, just because. And the former Golden Arches have been rendered eco-friendly with recycled composite wood, low-energy appliances, and a compost-and-recycling station front and center.
Danku opens at the end of the month at 47 W. 57th St., nr. Sixth Ave.; 212-888-3777
