The Modern at MoMA

[Nathan]

I think we have a case of differing expectations here.

The Bar Room at the Modern is one of the greatest bargains in NY because you can have three savory courses a person (about the right amount for a meal) with a glass of wine for $50 apiece. Some of those courses will be hearty and somewhat traditional (the best tarte flambee in the city -- they have a specialized oven just for it; the absolutely amazing liverwurst, the wonderful bakeoffe of conch, lamb and tripe), others are more contemporary (the terrific arctic char, the mushroom soup with chorizo ravioli). That's why it's a fabulous deal.

I get the impression your expectations were different...but I'm not quite certain what you were looking for?

Edited February 2, 2007 by Nathan (log)

[oakapple]

My friend and I are going to The Modern (main dining room) tomorrow evening. Any ordering suggestions? Would you do one of the tasting menus or the prix fixe?

[ulterior epicure]

...the wonderful bakeoffe of conch, lamb and tripe...

That sounds, at once, both terrifying and stupendous. I'm constantly amazed by the creativity of chefs. Conch and tripe together in bakeoffe... Alsace meets Caribbean.

[BryanZ]

My friend and I are going to The Modern (main dining room) tomorrow evening. Any ordering suggestions? Would you do one of the tasting menus or the prix fixe?

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My mother was just in the main dining room with a client last night and said it was very enjoyable, though not as good as EMP. She also said it was very, very busy due to the RW activities in the Bar Room. I suppose, however, that that doesn't really apply to you because you're going on a Saturday, but I'm guessing the Bruni trey is helping business.

She had the prix fixe and said it was enough food, though anytime I've looked at the menus--frequently--I'm always much more intrigued by the seasonal (most expensive) tasting menu.

[flinflon28]

I think we have a case of differing expectations here.

The Bar Room at the Modern is one of the greatest bargains in NY because you can have three savory courses a person (about the right amount for a meal) with a glass of wine for $50 apiece.  Some of those courses will be hearty and somewhat traditional (the best tarte flambee in the city -- they have a specialized oven just for it; the absolutely amazing liverwurst, the wonderful bakeoffe of conch, lamb and tripe), others are more contemporary (the terrific arctic char, the mushroom soup with chorizo ravioli).  That's why it's a fabulous deal.

I get the impression your expectations were different...but I'm not quite certain what you were looking for?

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A three star review might be setting unrealistic expectations.

[Nathan]

very few restaurants will live up to three star expectations on a small plate and a half a person....

Edited February 2, 2007 by Nathan (log)

[Gruzia]

very few restaurants will live up to three star expectations on a small plate and a half a person....

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I don't think it's unreasonable to order three dishes between two people and have them live up to expectation. Is there a "plate minimum" that would have changed my experience?

[rich]

very few restaurants will live up to three star expectations on a small plate and a half a person....

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I don't think it's unreasonable to order three dishes between two people and have them live up to expectation. Is there a "plate minimum" that would have changed my experience?

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In order to determine the bonafide stars of a restaurant here are the official guidelines as set forth by the powers that be:

0 stars - five dishes, no desserts

1 star - one dish, three desserts

2 stars - two dishes, no desserts, no wine, three bathroom visits

3 stars - no dishes, 17 desserts, three bar-stool seating tests, one bathroom visit

4 stars - 26 dishes, no desserts, 1/2 bathroom visit, six wines, one included gratuity, two visits to the kitchen and six pre-paid cancelled reservations at prime time.

Edited February 2, 2007 by rich (log)

[Megan Blocker]

very few restaurants will live up to three star expectations on a small plate and a half a person....

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I don't think it's unreasonable to order three dishes between two people and have them live up to expectation. Is there a "plate minimum" that would have changed my experience?

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I don't think so...I've never done more than two savory dishes in a meal, and had more than enough to eat (and enjoyed it).

[Nathan]

very few restaurants will live up to three star expectations on a small plate and a half a person....

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I don't think it's unreasonable to order three dishes between two people and have them live up to expectation. Is there a "plate minimum" that would have changed my experience?

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well, it's a "small plates" restaurant...a tapas bar if you will.

still, if you didn't like what you had, you didn't like it.

[robyn]

you only had three dishes for two people?

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Just in terms of the amount of food - the two main dishes seemed pretty large - more than enough for me (although I probably would have rather had smaller mains - a small starter - and a dessert). Robyn

[Nathan]

there are no mains.

those dishes aren't as large as they looked in those photos.

[ulterior epicure]

there are no mains.

those dishes aren't as large as they looked in those photos.

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I thought they looked rather smallish in the photos to be full main courses, actually.

[BryanZ]

Again, that's because they're not full mains. As they explain on the menu, they're half-entree size, whatever that means.

Edited February 3, 2007 by BryanZ (log)

[Sneakeater]

It's a personality test. It means your plate is either half empty or half full.

[ulterior epicure]

Again, that's because they're not full mains.  As they explain on the menu, they're half-entree size, whatever that means.

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From these pictures, I guess it means substantial appetizers... or meat without much garnish. How many ounces would you say that duck confit was? Or the lamb loin? Prices for "half-entree" sizes?

I'm planning a trip to NYC within the next few months, and The Modern has been on my short list. The back-and-forth on this thread is really insightful - I appreciate it!

Edited February 3, 2007 by ulterior epicure (log)

[docsconz]

Gruzia, were you at The Modern or the Bar Room? Never having dined at either, it is not clear to me and not clearly specified in your post.

[Nathan]

She was in the Bar Room (the dishes she had are on the Bar Room menu).

U.E. the dishes on the Bar Room menu range from $10 to $18 (approximately). They're all small plates, except for the desserts which are "normal".

Except the tarte flambee which is full-size....and a bargain at $12 or $13.

The menu is divided into three categories (I, II, III)....but this nomenclature does not relate to size (by far the largest single item, the aforementioned tf, is in category I or II). I think it refers to the relative "heaviness" of the dishes. Personally I find that three savory dishes is a great meal for one person (I rarely eat dessert)....that might be cut down to two if one ate dessert. Since there are close to 40 savories on the menu and considerng that they're all small plates...group sampling of many plates is obviously the ideal way to catch BRM at its best.

[kathryn]

My friend and I are going to The Modern (main dining room) tomorrow evening. Any ordering suggestions? Would you do one of the tasting menus or the prix fixe?

←

My mother was just in the main dining room with a client last night and said it was very enjoyable, though not as good as EMP. She also said it was very, very busy due to the RW activities in the Bar Room. I suppose, however, that that doesn't really apply to you because you're going on a Saturday, but I'm guessing the Bruni trey is helping business.

She had the prix fixe and said it was enough food, though anytime I've looked at the menus--frequently--I'm always much more intrigued by the seasonal (most expensive) tasting menu.

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I went on Thursday night and did the Winter Tasting menu. It is very heavy on the black truffles as they have a quite generous hand with them. None of this "4 shavings of black truffle" business. Now, I'm a fan of black truffles but even I started to wear on the taste of them by the 3rd time around. However, I really enjoyed the poached foie gras (perfectly cooked and with a great garnish) and venison with the absolutely fantastic, soft, tender butternut squash "crepes."

Those, IMHO, were the two knock-out dishes, everything else was "merely" good to very good. I haven't had the Chef's tasting so I can't compare. Also, I would note that you don't get the cheese cart like you do in the regular Chef's tasting.

The only misfire was the Grand Marnier Baba, but I didn't like it because I don't like my desserts to taste (excessively) of alcohol. The thing was basically like a donut sponge of Grand Marnier! Unpleasant to my tastebuds and perhaps the most strongly flavored dish of the evening. Kind of a let down because everything else had been very good up to that point. Also, a different server than the one we'd had all evening came with the dessert, placed it on the table, and walked away without any explanation. This was the only dish where that happened.

My favorite parts were actually the fried fava beans that you get as a "pre-amuse" and the 1-2-3 post-dessert punch of sorbet in a cone, petit fours (wonderful macarons!), and chocolate (European style with subtle herb flavorings, kind of close to La Maison). I wish we'd had the foresight to try to substitute the Grand Marnier Baba with the Chocolate Tart.

Also, the room is visually stunning (as has been mentioned all over the press), the booths are very cozy and comfortable. Service isn't as fawning as some other Danny Meyer places but it may have been due to the extreme business of the place. Also, there's a film installation in the MOMA Garden, which you may be able to see a bit of dependent on where you are sitting. I found that the art installation enhanced the view of the garden.

Additionally, the couple seated next to me did one of the Chef's Tasting and one of the Winter Tasting and shared both, and added on extra cheeses when the cart came around. I'm jealous I didn't think of doing that first!

Edited February 3, 2007 by kathryn (log)

[Gruzia]

Gruzia, were you at The Modern or the Bar Room? Never having dined at either, it is not clear to me and not  clearly specified in your post.

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Nathan is correct, i was a the bar room.

A side note, btw, on the seating arrangements there - the tables are fine but we sat right next to the bar, at a low long couch with low set tables - if you have any back problems or plan to spend a long time eating, make sure you sit at an actual table because my back was killing me by the time the meal was over.

[oakapple]

My friend and I had dinner at The Modern last night. We ordered the chef's tasting menu, the less expensive of two tasting menus offered. Both are nominally seven courses, although with various extras it's really more like ten.

I'll put up an illustrated post on my blog in a day or two, but the short story is that this was one of the top handful of meals that I've had in New York. I would rate it (by a slight margin) superior to the tasting menu we had at Jean Georges. If every meal at The Modern is this good, then The Modern is a four-star restaurant.

I do realize that opinions about The Modern are more mixed than for Jean Georges, which may suggest that it is uneven. But it is quite difficult for me to see how The Modern is not at least a three-star restaurant.

[rich]

I really want to like The Modern - I really do. I've been there twice now and while there's nothing really wrong with it, there's nothing overwhelming about it except the room itself - but not being a big ambience guy, that doesn't count that much for me. The food is good, the service is better than good, but both times I've left saying (with apologies to Peggy Lee) is that all there is?

I haven't tried the Bar Room yet and by all accounts that's better. I'll probably try it when I get the chance.

[Sneakeater]

I ate at The Bar Room last night (thanks to Daisy17 for reminding me to do so).

Without going into the details of the dishes (I didn't have anything I hadn't tried before -- I don't think there's anything left there that I haven't tried yet), I didn't notice any of the diminution in quality that FG says he's heard reports of, post-NYT review.

Either (a) those reports were based on expectations raised inoridnately by the Times's three-star rating, (b) The Bar Room was overwhelmed by a landrush for a while after the review but no longer is (it was fairly crowded, but not scary crowded), or © (most likely) I have a completely undiscerning palate and will like anything put in front of me that has fat and some seasonings.

Edited March 23, 2007 by Sneakeater (log)

[flinflon28]

The lamb dish and the gnocchi w/ fried sweetbreads at the Bar Room are two of my favorite dishes in NYC right now. The tarte flambe is no slouch either.

[Sneakeater]

That's so funny. The lamb dish and the gnocchi were two of the three things I had last night.