We flew into Skavsta in the rain. We crossed Nyköping in the rain. We had learned about Danuta’s through a prior web search, and decided that the little café would be the ideal place to try some traditional Swedish fare immediately upon entering the country. We also hoped to get out of the rain for a bit and perhaps warm our bellies and bones with some local cuisine. What Danuta had ready just minutes after opening was local, but not traditional. There were several pasta dishes prepared for take-and-bake or ready to be heated in the restaurant, and there were a few salads made with local ingredients.

 

Raz went for a salad, and I for a pasta, but a little bit of language barrier wound up with us getting 2 plates of pasta and a single salad. No matter, the pasta was completely amazing, and I was happy to package the second plate to take it with us and eat later. Danuta is an artist of flavor combination. The pasta was a combination of a white sauce, local cheeses, wild mushrooms, and a local sausage that I did not get a full translation of. The salad was fresh, light, green, hearty, and filling all at the same time.

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I’m going to go back and mention the language barrier, as we barely have rudimentary phrases down in Swedish. The benefit of modern internet is the ease with which sites in varied languages are translated. This becomes mildly problematic when you are relying on the presence of the translated website to order in a language you don’t actually speak. That’s on us for not doing more homework, but Danuta was endlessly patient with our attempts to communicate and pick up a little of her language while we were at it.

 

Danuta’s dining room also deserves a note for being bright, clean, and inviting, even with the leaden grey sky outside. The front windows were created to catch every last ray of sunshine, and the soft colors used inside just made the place feel like a café in the middle of summer, regardless of season. This is definitely a must stop… and for the record, that pasta we took for the road was every bit as amazing when we had it for dinner.