The Modern

The scene at the modern was far more bustling than I anticipated. I guess it was just one of those things that I assume…a restaurant at a museum will be quiet and, well, museum-like. So the fact that I couldn’t hear a pin drop, was a welcome surprise. In fact, I really liked the vibe. The entrance is through a long white hallway that opens into the bar area that has a number of tables and was quite packed the night my friend and I were there. The dining room is just past the bar and has floor to ceiling windows that have a lovely view out onto the museum’s courtyard and 54th street. The service was impeccable and the level of bonus bites was impressively overwhelming; however, the food itself was sadly too inconsistent for me to give the restaurant a rave review. But, I would like to go back and sit in the bar area for a light dinner sometime.

Just after we were seated, we were brought a series of three bites from the kitchen: Brussels sprouts with roasted squash (very good), smoked trout rillette (also very good), and popcorn that I can’t remember what it was flavored with (I think they said lemon verbena but I didn’t taste the lemon). A short while after we finished these our waiter presented us each with a test tube of chestnut soup that had some sort of red puree down the bottom. The soup was so delicious and rich…just an absolutely winning experiment! The bread basket offered the typical choice of olive, French, or whole grain rolls and both goats milk and cows milk butters are placed on the table. The bread selection was typical but in that warm and delicious way that’s so reliable you adore it.

Silly me thought these were it for the amuse bouche, but then our waiters brought what they referred to as the amuse bouche, a beef carpaccio in a cockles sauce. The beef was so tender and wonderful and the sauce was extraordinary. The broth had a slight sea flavor and there were little crunchy bits on top. We both got every last drop of sauce from the bowl with our bread. For my first course, I had Alaskan king crab salad cannelloni with Sea Urchin Coulis. I love crab but couldn’t taste it at all because the sea urchin was FAR too overpowering. It was quite a shame because the crab looked amazing. My friend had the oven-roasted trumpet royale mushrooms with Mussels, Toasted Almonds, Jamón Iberico and Harissa Vinaigrette which was also very disappointing in that it was very bland. With all those ingredients I couldn’t understand how that was possible.

For the second course, I had the tempranillo risotto with Crispy Duck Breast, Radicchio and oregano. The risotto was delicious and served with this really flavorful foam that I want to say was parmesan. BUT I didn’t see or taste any duck and nothing was crispy which I found a bit confusing. My friend had the sturgeon and sauerkraut tart with American Caviar Mousseline and Applewood Smoke. This came over with a huge lid on it and when our waiter lifted the lid the aroma of applewood was gorgeous. I loved the applewood smoke flavor, but it was just a tad too strong leaving us unable to taste any sauerkraut or caviar. A sad, sad waste. I did like the texture and everything but I think they need to slightly cut the smoke.

The entrees were the crowning glory of the night. My friend had chorizo-crusted cod with White Coco Bean Purée and Harissa Oil. This was really good – the fish was cooked perfectly and was so tender and the coco bean puree and white beans served along with it were very good. Mine was better though! I had the roasted heritage pork tenderloin with Sauerkraut, Pumpkin and Parsnip Purée and Soy-Caramel Jus. I don’t even know where to start here. The pork tenderloin was insane and it was so tender I didn’t even need to use my knife to cut it. The pumpkin and parsnip purees were both incredibly flavorful but it was the soy caramel jus that won my heart. It was sweet and salty and absolutely amazing.

My friend won the best dessert hands down with the lemon napoleon with Exotic Fruit Brunoise and Fromage Blanc Sorbet. This was awesome. The napoleon layers were super crisp and the lemon cream was tart and just delicious. I had the fig tart and there was not one thing that either of us liked about it.

Just when I thought we were nearing the end, the chocolate cart arrived! Three levels of chocolate, cookies, and candy from which to choose. We had our waiter do a mixture, and found that sadly the chocolates were unimpressive. After this, they brought over a little tiny ice cream cone of maple ice cream that we LOVED. I would rather just that and no chocolate cart. Our parting gift was a trio of mini caramel cakes, which made a nice little breakfast appetizer the next morning.

So overall, I would go and eat in the bar, but I don’t think I would go back and eat in the dining room again. There was something about the place and vibe though that I really liked. I just wish they had every course be as good as the main courses.