The Modern at MoMA

[Pan]

I wonder where they're getting fresh lychees from this time of year. If anyone knows, please pass on the information. It's a little early for lychee season in Guangdong, I think, though this may already be the start of it.

[DanaT]

Bryan,

Sounds delicious. Did you have to have a reservation? If you didn't I wonder if it was because of the time you went. Do you remember when you got there?

Thanks.

Dana

[BryanZ]

I made a reservation at Open Table just to accumulate the points. The g/f almost has 10,000 and is one the verge of getting that $100 gift certificate. We made the reservation for 4:00 but were running late so didn't get there until 4:30. We called ahead and they had no problem with this change. By around 5:30, the Bar Room was nearly full and the first seatings in the main dining room were just underway. If you're going for lunch or an early dinner I don't think you need reservation. If, however, you want a prime dinner spot, call ahead or use Open Table.

[AK@Spicehouse]

As the purveyour of the lychees to MOMA, they are indeed fresh.

Thanks....

I wonder where they're getting fresh lychees from this time of year. If anyone knows, please pass on the information. It's a little early for lychee season in Guangdong, I think, though this may already be the start of it.

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Edited May 23, 2005 by AK@Spicehouse (log)

[Pan]

As the purveyour of the lychees to MOMA, they are indeed fresh.

Thanks....

I wonder where they're getting fresh lychees from this time of year. If anyone knows, please pass on the information. It's a little early for lychee season in Guangdong, I think, though this may already be the start of it.

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Thanks. Where are you getting them from? Guangdong already?

[pingarina]

I wonder where they're getting fresh lychees from this time of year. If anyone knows, please pass on the information. It's a little early for lychee season in Guangdong, I think, though this may already be the start of it.

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Saw them in Manhattan Chinatown yesterday. Rambutan, too.

[juuceman]

I assume there are no reservations in The Bar Room. How long of a wait would be typical if you drop in on, say, a Saturday evening?

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ate there on a crowded Saturday two weeks ago.. we were a party of six, without a reservation.. coming from the ICFF party at the MoMa, we were able to secure a seat in the front room with about a one hour wait, sitting just after 10 p.m.. what with the smaller size dishes, it's a perfect lateish meal..

loved the food, the service, the whole deal.. as we were the last ones out of the place, we left with a plethora of the lemon tea cakes, which were amazing the following morning..

[DanaT]

I made a reservation at Open Table just to accumulate the points.  The g/f almost has 10,000 and is one the verge of getting that $100 gift certificate.  We made the reservation for 4:00 but were running late so didn't get there until 4:30.  We called ahead and they had no problem with this change.  By around 5:30, the Bar Room was nearly full and the first seatings in the main dining room were just underway.  If you're going for lunch or an early dinner I don't think you need reservation.  If, however, you want a prime dinner spot, call ahead or use Open Table.

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Thanks Bryan. I wouldn't be able to get there before 6 so it looks like reservations are in order.

[DanaT]

loved the food, the service, the whole deal..  as we were the last ones out of the place, we left with a plethora of the lemon tea cakes, which were amazing the following morning..

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The lemon tea cakes sound heavenly

[philadining]

A friend and I had an outstanding meal at the Bar Room at the Modern on Sunday night. Everything we had was delicious and well-presented. Service was (for the most part) good and it’s a lovely space. I’ll agree with the above posts that this is an extremely good value, very high-level food at quite reasonable prices.

Many thanks to previous posters, especially Jason and Rachel, for helpful tips. A few new menu items and personal preferences enticed us to try some things not previously mentioned, but we couldn’t resist sampling a few things described/pictured in this topic.

Oysters with American Caviar: not much to say, two good oysters, good (relatively mild) caviar, good dish. Not much evidence of the billed leeks or cider.

Cucumber-Mint gazpacho with crab croquettes: loved the cold cucumber soup, loved the little crabcakes, didn’t love them together. They didn’t clash, they just didn’t amplify one another to be more than the sum of their parts. And I’m not sure that chilled cucumber soup has ever cried out for a warm croquette, or a panko crunch. Nonetheless, each element of this was so good that I was quite happy with it, I’d get it again in a minute, I just think they should keep the croquettes on the side.

Even better was the mushroom soup with chorizo ravioli. It’s been appropriately lauded in previous posts, and I’m not sure I have much to add, except to concur that it’s terrific. We chose to toss the raviolis into the broth, and the crunchy fat-bomb was a perfectly complimentary escalation of the deeply intense soup.

They’ve tweaked the tagliatelle: what we had wasn’t over-rich, and it’s now served with crispy pancetta, sweet peas and earthy morels, combining beautifully with the delicate pasta, little overt evidence of cream, cheese, or other sauce, although something was holding it all together elegantly. I don’t think I could eat a huge bowl of it, but I happily wolfed-down probably two-thirds of the ample portion and lived to tell about it.

As mentioned several times in previous posts, the octopus was superb, wonderfully tender, a light liquorice tang from micro-tarragon lifting the flavors above the comforting potato.

I found the Horseradish-crusted Wild Salmon to be quite tasty, and I don’t even like salmon. This portion looked a little small, but was ultimately just the right size as one of seven dishes shared between two of us.

I’ve made it a point to eat duck confit whenever it’s offered, and this version is unquestionably the best I’ve ever had. The falling-apart tender meat had an almost buttery texture, and just the right level of seasoning. I barely bothered with the sweet (balsamic?) drizzle around the plate’s perimeter, the duck was so moist and full-flavored. The accompanying pan-fried potatoes would be unremarkable except that they were absolutely perfect: tender, crusty, addictive. I could have eaten a whole plate of those.

A glass of light, summery Guner Veltliner was a good foil for some of the early courses. A Gewurtz was sweeter than I like it, I should have asked… . A Riesling paired well with the Salmon, a no-brainer give that it was in the sauce. Our waiter suggested a stout, spicy Australian Syrah (yes, he called it a Syrah, not a Shiraz, but sadly, I’ve blanked on the maker….) which was indeed an excellent match for the duck.

For dessert: a Pannacotta layered with fruit in an elegant glass. A tiny ramekin beside contained sliced strawberries atop an intensely gingery fruit compote, a couple of tuille cookies bridging the two. Their Chocolate Tart is dense and dark, with a crunchy, praline-ish topping. The vanilla ice cream was a little vague, but that might have only been in contrast to the intensity of the chocolate. Both desserts were quite good. An espresso and cappuccino finished us off.

We enjoyed all of the food, and would order any of it again, although we probably won’t, there’s too much else of interest. We had 7 dishes (2 from the first section, 3 from the second, 2 from the third), 2 desserts, two coffees, and 4 (generously-poured) glasses of wine. The tab came to $180 before tip, which we felt was a bargain for the quantity and quality of the food we received.

Service was generally good. Our waiter made some helpful suggestions and was generally available. But we didn’t get a basket of the excellent bread until we asked for it, and all food was delivered by runners, none of whom ever knew who got which dish. I’m actually not all that annoyed by this, but it’s a table of two, it’s not THAT hard to keep track... The one major gaffe occurred when one of the runners picked up my (used) soup spoon and placed it in front of my dining partner, as his soup arrived. I retrieved it, explained we needed a new one, and he apologized profusely and promptly provided one, but that would have been an odd move even if the spoon was clean.

The two-tops in the middle of the room are spaced a little tightly, close enough that we couldn’t help overhearing that our neighbors were fellow eGulleteers, referring to this very topic as they scanned the menu. (BTW- Nice to meet you guys, looking forward to your reviews.)

And while I’ve found Bruni’s recent bathroom obsession to be a little weird, sure enough, I managed to walk-in on a gentleman who hadn’t latched his cubicle door properly, creating an uncomfortable moment, and the automatic toilets weren’t flushing automatically for me, requiring a manual prod. Neither was a huge crisis, but put a thin haze on an otherwise polished experience. Nobody made fun of my coat.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable meal. The food was uniformly strong, service almost as good, the prices more than fair, the setting comfortable yet elegant. I’m eager to go back.

[iheartoffal]

I have a reservation for the dining room in a couple of weeks. Is it all degustation menus, or do they offer a la carte?

[Fat Guy]

Degustation and a la carte are two of the three options one typically sees in New York restaurants, but the most common thing to see at the high end is prix fixe. The Modern is no different: at dinnertime you pay $78 for an appetizer, entree and dessert from the menu. So it's basically a la carte, but you have to get all three courses. They also have degustation/tasting menus. At lunchtime, they have both true a la carte and prix fixe options.

[Tough Cookie]

It seems from all of the earlier posts that people rave about the Bar Room but no recent discussion on the Dining Room. We have booked for July 9th and would appreciate any reviews on the tasting menus or the prix fixe selections. I'm a big fan of tasting menus but the one at The Modern doesn't seem very exciting (the Spring Menu as posted on menupages.com).

We want to try the Dining Room but it seems that the Bar Room menu looks more appealing. Should we switch rooms?

[Bond Girl]

I went to Modern yesterday with a wine maker friend. It is a beautiful dining room that overlooks the garden of the musem. The service was a bit on the disoriented side, but the sommelier seemed to be very knowledgeable and the wioatsatff efficient, albeit a bit cold. The silverware is incredibly modern but difficult and uncomfortable to use.

The amuse arrived with a rhubard bellini, vegeable mix and a long spoon with little cubles of rhubarbs. Overall, the amuse lacked balance, it;s as if someone had forgotten to season the dishes, and the rhubarb bellini was on the watery side.

I ordered the spring tasting menu which started with a tuna carpaccio paired with grapes and fava. It's a lovely yelllowfin tuna and very well prepared with the clean sweet taste contrasted with the sharp peppers. Then came a perfectly seared piece of foie gras with cherry reduction. The sweet rich velvety taste melted perfectly with the slight tartness of the cherry reduction. Each component of this dish would be boring by itself, but together it's wonderful. The skate that came next was too salty, and disappointing after the foie gras. Although it was a very pretty plate and the chicory on the side tasted fresh after the rich foie gras. I sailed into the lobster in cream sauce not knowlng what to expect, but it was a succulent piece of lobster and the cream sauce was so delicious that I was mopping it up with bread. The final course would have been duck, which I do not eat, so they gave me a beautiful loup de mer that was brightened by a tart earthy tomato confit and soft tender spring vegetables on the side. The loup de mer was by far one of the most successful dish in the tasting menu, and I was happy once again.

Dessert consist of a mini lemon basil sorbet that reminded me of the lemonades in the summer and cleansed my palate, and then I ordered a strawberry panna cotta with strawberry compote and strawbberry sorbet. My sorbet was a bit melted by the time it got to me but I forgave them being it's 11pm and who cares about efficiency at that point?

Modern is a place for design fanatics. I want to poach a number of the items in the restaurant, especially the bread basket. Some of the flatwear ans water pitcher work, others just seemed clumsy and pretentious. And a few even borders on the rediculous and seemed to create more form than function. And, this is coming from a girl who buys things around the house because they look good.

It seemed that much of the restaurant is still ironing out the kinks. The breead server is slow to replace the bread. My dining companion end up filling my water glass most of the evening. Although they seemed pretty quick wth the wine glasses.

I'd go back in about a month and keep my fingers crossed.

[BryanZ]

Went back to the Bar Room again last night for another very nice and not too expensive meal. We ordered the steak tartare for the second time but, other than that, tried a bunch of other new dishes.

Sorrel soup with foie gras and barley - The sorrel broth was cream based and served very foamed. Very pungent herbal flavor and an interesting mouth feel. To eat this part of the soup alone would've been too "herb-y" in large quantities. With the addition of the barley cake and the nice sized piece of foie gras on top, however, this soup achieved a very nice balance. The grainy nature and starchiness of the barley added a very nice textural element and the foie gras, when eaten with the soup, rounded out the whole dish very nicely. Overall, a very interesting dish that I would order again on a late spring day.

Sea scallops with poppy seed crust and parmigiano reggiano - the combination of the barely softened cheese and roasted poppy seed crust was very, very tasty. The cooking process mellows out the poppy flavor and imparts a very nice roasted essentce to the sweet scallop. An excellent dish.

Roasted lamb loin and vegetables - This dish was more traditional than the dishes preceeding but was still very good. The lamb was very tender, cooked very well, with just the right amount of lamb flavor. The vegetables included roasted yellow beets, carrots, pearl onions, and fennel. All this was served with a very nice pan sauce. Again, simpler, but a nice piece of lamb.

Citrus stuffed quail with pear and lentils - This dish combined pear and lentils, two things I would not think to serve together. As a whole, this was a sweet poultry dish, but worked well with the mild nature of the quail. Like all the other dishes, it was presented simply but with flair and was very enjoyable. If one wants a sweet poultry dish but doesn't want something so heavy as duck, I'd recommend this.

Buttermilk panna cotta with rhubarb ginger compote - the panna cotta is served almost like a parfait. The comote rests at the bottom of the glass with the panna cotta at the top. This is all topped by a sweet, caramelized syrup that I could not specifically identify. This dessert was a nice way to finish the meal. The panna cotta possessed a smooth mouth feel but the sourness of the buttermilk, rhubarb, ginger cleansed the palate.

As I've said before, I love the Bar Room. Although it does not have the polish of many other of my favorite NYC restaurants, I love how I can have a great meal there and try a bunch of different dishes for just over $50 per person.

Edited June 18, 2005 by BryanZ (log)

[Sethro]

This is all topped by a sweet, caramelized syrup that I could not specifically identify. 

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Sounds like Kuromitsu. Its basically a sugar "consome" that is served with geled or creamy desserts in Japan.

Its kinda trendy in NY now too.

Edited June 19, 2005 by Sethro (log)

[Nathan]

I'm finally making it to the Bar Room this Thursday -- I have a tentative idea on what to try on a first visit with 2 people but I'm open to any additional suggestions:

octopus

mushroom soup

pork cheeks

duck confit

horseradish-crusted salmon

a panna cotta of one form or another

[BryanZ]

Generally speaking, it's all awesome. Thought I might substitute out the salmon for the scallops. In my opinion, the scallops are a much more creative dish.

[Fat Guy]

octopus

mushroom soup

pork cheeks

duck confit

horseradish-crusted salmon

a panna cotta of one form or another

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Sorry I missed your post, but for others it's worth noting that the menu is an evolving document. The last few times I've been I've tried a number of the raw and cold items, and I've got to say I think they're the strongest part of the menu -- not that the other dishes aren't great too, but for summer the cold stuff is brilliant. The arctic char tartare is one of the most vibrant raw fish appetizers you're going to find anywhere, plated in a dramatic brick and quite a generous portion. It eclipses the also wonderful tuna tartare. There are also several terrine and pate items worth looking at, especially the terrine of beef cheeks and goat cheese. On the pastry side, the blood orange "carpaccio" is one of the most successful minimalist desserts I've experienced anywhere. I'm tempted, next time I go, to do a raw-and-cold menu straight through.

[Nathan]

Well....for about $60-65 apiece we had cocktails (cilantro-infused Tanqueray is a great idea), glasses of

wine, expresso, tax,

tip and:

Smoked eel rillettes....terrific.

Liverwurst: sublime...well, if Longinus had been exposed to this liverwurst he may have used the term.

Octopus with potato salad. Great rendition of a

classic. The octopus was

cooked properly....nothing chewy about it.

Wild mushroom soup with chorizo ravioli. The pure

and utter essence

of mushroom. Perfection. My favorite dish.

Pork cheeks with sauerkraut. A classic Alsatian

dish and perhaps boring compared to the others but the pork was

tender and the sauerkraut

must have been

braised in pork stock as well.

Chocolate Tarte with Ice Cream....very very

chocolate....if you like that sort of thing.

Buttermilk panna cotta with rhubarb. Impeccable,

rivals the panna

cottas at Babbo.

[lambretta76]

Does anyone know what the prix fixe option for lunch at The Modern Dining Room is? And, would it be worth it to sample the menu from the prix fixe lunch menu or dinner in The Bar Room?

Last I saw the lunch menu was $38 for three courses, but what options do you get? (Is it close to the dinner menu, or is it just two or three options per course?)

[adamru]

okay, my first posting. after reading this forum for a while, I moved up my plan to eat at the bar room. I booked on opentable the night before and I had dinner for the first time there on monday night and I'd be inclined to go back, but more likely when I'm visiting the museum than going out of my way for it. with all the talk, I thought it'd be more of a destination restaurant. it was a better start to the evening than the star of it. but once inside the food easily trumped the environment and service which after my experience there says a lot.

my date and I ordered a number of small plates to share and which could have arrived in any order but were paired by the waitress quite well. we started with the liverwurst which looked intimidating, the size of the cut and the amount of it, and it could have come with more than two squares of bread to spread it upon, but it took away all my bad memories of eating it in elementary school, quite flavorful with or without the spicy mustard. the best pairing was the scallops and the tagliatelle, creamy and the best pasta I can recall from a non-italian restaurant. the next pairing, the potato cassolette and pork cheeks, were again a tasty and a filling coupling, only disappointing in how easily the cassolette crumbled to pieces out of its dish. the tuna carpaccio reminded me of the small plates at bar tonno and in a good way.

the cocktails were my girlfriend's domain, and we tried a few. I remember one made with pomegranate being rather heavy and unsatisfying; we had the most success with the myoga, light and fizzy with a skewer of candied ginger, which we ordered more than once. much greater success later in the night at the flatiron lounge.

desserts, we tried a few: the procope and hazelnut dacquoise, I can't remember which was which, but both were satisfying. the citrus macaroon with ten-flavor sorbet - I was only upset by the cost, I don't think a scoop of gelato and a macaroon from la maison du chocolat is that overpriced, and there both would be bigger. the beignets were a treat, warm and fresh, not at all greasy and there were enough of the accompaniments - the maple ice cream was outstanding - to get through all four of them.

the only tragedy of the evening was the service. we had alternating waitresses, the drinks we ordered between the second and third courses didn't arrive until dessert came as she asked if we'd like coffee with dessert, and we finally had an opportunity to remind her our drinks hadn't been brought yet. we thought that they changed our plates and silverware between courses was nice and normal but after the second courses a server cleared our unused silverware and bread too, then someone else came to wipe down the placemats, and the server who brought our third courses didn't bring new silverware, our waitress did it afterward. when we ordered our sampling of desserts, knowing the tables were small (and really very close together) we agreed she'd bring the first three out at once and then the beignets out last. the server however then brought all four at once. by the end of our meal much of the staff was catering to a table two behind me and our waitress passed several times before we could hail her for the check. I know it's a bar room, but our check with tip was $220 and I'd expect better service for something so many people talk about being worth three stars.

[jimk]

We've been to the Bar Room twice - and we're going for a late dinner tonight - and while we're absolutely entralled with the food and the room (are hard-core Meyer loyalists), we can't help but wonder why the service isn't better at the Modern.

At its best it's brisk and efficient but I've never felt an ounce of the Danny Meyer hospitality. At its worst it's frosty and inattentive.

The host seems absolutely determined to not seat a party under any circumstances until the time of their reservation (last time we arrived maybe 5 minutes early to a half-empty restaurant but she rather briskly told us that our table would be ready "on time" and sent us to wait at the bar and left us there for 15 minutes). Wine service seems to be spotty too - on both our visits we ordered a mid-range bottle from the full wine list and were filling our own glasses all evening. Part of me thinks that it is the casual room and what's the big deal with filling our glasses ... and when you don't entirely trust the service sometimes it's preferable to an inexperienced waiter overfilling the glass ... but as my wife pointed out, if we're dropping $75 on a bottle of wine and there are people buzzing around with grapes on their lapels we tend to expect a little better ... they should have their wine service kinks worked out by now.

Both visits we've pretty much ended up having to stand on our table and fire a flare gun to get our waiters' attention to get coffee and the check. The last time I was there, the second I picked up the last piece of tarte flambee a runner came over and pulled the plate out from under it - I hadn't even bit into the piece of tarte yet ... he was about to dash off with the plate when I said that actually I wasn't quite done eating yet ... he sighed and said "fine I'll bring you a new plate." Of course I'd finished the slice by the time the new plate appeared - didn't really have much choice other than to sit there holding it. Maybe its my own fault for eating tarte flambee with my fingers .... Just doesn't seem like fork food to me ...l

Again though, the biggest problem we have is just that it doesn't feel like Danny Meyer service - nobody seems happy to see us or interested in ensuring that we have a nice evening ... I read somewhere that the GM is from the Jean-Georges empire ... maybe there's a connection there ... While I've had some great meals at JG restaurants I've never encountered really good service at one ... at best decent, never great ...

This place really has the potential to be an outstanding restaurant - and I don't throw that word around lightly - and it certainly has the potential to be Meyer's most influential restaurant ... They just need to get a handle on the service ...

JK

[Fat Guy]

At the end of last nights dinner in the Modern’s formal dining room, after cocktails, canapes, amuses, the summer tasting menu, a dessert amuse, dessert and coffee came three sets of petits fours. First, the waiter presented a tray of mini ice-cream cones to each person at our table. Second, a ceramic box of handmade chocolates, including a bite-size nugget that seemed somehow to incorporate a double shot of espresso. Finally, a tray of assorted cookies and candies, with the highlight being the best macaroons I’ve ever eaten.

Seriously, the best macaroons I’ve ever eaten, and I’ve eaten plenty. These were better than the macaroons at Laduree under Pierre Herme (Marc Aumont, the Modern’s executive pastry chef, is a disciple of Herme), better than La Maison du Chocolate, and better than Alain Ducasse in Paris or New York. The cookie pushed the edge of the envelope of lightness into territory where it seems impossible for it not to collapse when touched, and the filling was abundant with a lusciousness I’ve never before quite experienced in a macaroon.

I was full. I ate four of them. Big ones.

Overall it was a terrific meal. Two of us had the summer tasting menu and two ordered a la carte, so we got to try a lot of dishes. Probably the best dish on the table all night was loup de mer with lovage, spring vegetables and sea bean sauce. Like many of the dishes on the menu, it’s a minimalist, modernist composition. As Ed Behr once said to me in an interview, there are different varieties of culinary risk-taking. You can take a risk by preparing adventurous, radical food. But minimalism is also a kind of risk-taking, because there’s nowhere to hide. Gabriel Kreuther is taking that kind of risk over and over: subtle, restrained flavors expressed without any superfluous ingredients. The cumulative quantity of food throughout the meal is substantial, but the individual dishes feel light and refreshing.

Also superb, roasted lobster with artichokes, rhubarb and caramelized baby fennel. Artichokes, rhubarb and fennel are three ingredients that have sui generis flavors, and it was fascinating to see how they worked in combination. I’m not going to go so far as saying you could sell this stuff in a jar, but there’s definitely a synergy that produces an unprecedented flavor.

It would be hard to choose from among three other first-rate dishes: squab and foie gras “croustillant” (two pieces of squab sandwiching a piece of foie gras, all wrapped in cabbage and pastry crust) with caramelized ginger jus and mixed vegetables; bison tenderloin poached in cabernet with green asparagus and shallot-pepper jus; and duck breast with black truffle marmalade crust, “fleischneke” (a sausage-like circle of duck confit wrapped in a pasta skin) and Banyuls jus.

Not every dish was a revelation. The foie gras with cherries was like something you could have been served at any good restaurant, the tuna carpaccio was overwhelmed by its pepper crust and the herb salad with shaved trumpet royal mushrooms was a testament to why slices of big, white, flavorless, raw mushrooms are not worth eating. I also felt the three amuses (a trout roe profiterole, a little fennel salad and a watermelon “bellini”) were not a good ambassador of the delicious things to come. Not only would I rather have one really good amuse than three just-okay ones, but also I got the sense that having three amuses was prioritized over making them great. In general, the menu started off slowly and became superb in the later courses. It was the final rounds of savory courses and the desserts that propelled the meal into the stratosphere.

In honor of our Long Island duck, we had a merlot from Long Island and of course I forgot to write down which one (it’s the one for $55). It was tasty enough, and a good match for most everything we ate. We also had a dessert wine, made from yuzu, that was really unusual and light.

I agree with those above who have mentioned that the Bar Room service team has a ways to go. I’ve been to the Bar Room a bunch of times and, with the exception of the attentions of managers who know me, service has ranged from competent to mediocre. It’s a big new venture and there’s a lot of training still to be done. But the formal dining room’s service is in a whole different league. I found it to be on par with the service at the best restaurants anywhere. Most of the servers in the dining room seemed to be seasoned veterans. I recognized faces from Ducasse and other four-star-level places. The room itself has similar aesthetics to the Bar Room but it’s much nicer (superior table settings, a view of the sculpture garden), more luxurious (the chairs even swivel), more spacious (as in space between tables) and quieter.

I’m very much looking forward to returning to one of the most promising new haute cuisine restaurants of this century.

[DaleJ]

F.G: Four stars?