Lewis and I lunched and dined here often. Just off Fifth Avenue, The Modern is a two-Michelin-starred restaurant that is tucked inside the Museum of Modern Art (via a separate entrance). To earn two Michelin stars is astounding.
Its owner, Danny Meyer, is a restauranteur genius (as you've heard me say before), and The Modern was the restaurant industry's foray of fine dining into museums. He was recently asked to install a fine dining eatery (named Untitled) in the reinvented Whitney Museum, now relocated next to the High Line Park. It's always a pleasure to take friends and visitors to The Modern.
Here are the reasons.
Too many restaurant hostesses are cluelessly like this...
...because owners hire them for their affordability and looks; neither helps customers when things get disorganized.
When you enter (or contact) a great restaurant, you expect to encounter someone like this...
...a professional reservationist who is in confidant command of things: your reservations, seating, and arrangements. That's exactly what you get at Meyer establishments, and he's very careful about whom he hires. Even calling spontaneously one night prior to my reservation, I knew that it would all go well for my new friends. That's why I chose it.
Our party of 5 arrived, and my 3 new friends admired the view. Meanwhile, one of the hosts efficiently confirmed our table, while another offered to bring my friends' shopping bags to the Coat Check. A third host escorted us to our seats--past the elegant floral arrangements--with a soft-spoken decorum.
There are 3 dining areas. The long sleek bar is illuminated from within, and it offers the first place to mingle and nibble. Talented bartenders concoct scrumptious cocktails and are as knowledgable as the sommeliers about their armagnacs, sherries, dessert wines and ales. The carefully curated cocktail menu varies with the seasons and their latest discoveries.
Just beyond the bar is a long leather sofa, faced by red chairs. Grouped into small clusters, that is the next tier of "bar seating".
The first of 2 dining rooms is actually called The Bar Room, which we adore. It is adjacent to the bar area, and it is purely table seating. The chairs are supple black leather, and half of them are armchairs.
It is ideal for "people watching"; it overlooks the bar and has a vibrant "hum" of bustle and people greeting each other.
The last room--where we dined that night--is more formal and is called The Dining Room. At first glance, you might call it "sterile" like "a modern boardroom".
You just have it see it in the "right light", and realize that in THIS room, the cuisine and service are the focal points, and not the ceiling or walls. The room is the "frame" or "pedestal" for the culinary artwork, which is presented on your "blank canvas" tablecloth.
It also commands views of MoMA's Abby Aldrich Rockefeller garden, fountains, and always-changing statuary.
Considering that the restaurant is situated in Midtown Manhattan, the fact that it has a walled garden is remarkable.
The Bar Room offers a different menu, too, with things that are singularly served there. That strategy forces you to break the monotony in your seating choices.
Above, Long Island duck with beet purée. Below is the Alsatian tart flambé, which is amazing.
Below, slow-poached Farm Egg "In a Jar" with juicy Maine lobster, salsify, and sea urchin froth. *Did you know that Maine was named after the Counts/Dukes of Maine in France?
The Dining Room showcases a Prix Fixe menu, encouraging you to have one or two items from each column, as courses. Both dining rooms offer a wine pairing menu.
We were seated just behind the wooden "server station", seen below.
The "first order of business" was to place an order of cocktails. They know that I order a vodka martini, fiercely shaken to an icy greatness--with three plump olives--and drier than English humor. Lewis tried a gin drink with rhubarb and summer citrus.
Even the craftiness and "sleight of hand" of the bartenders should be appreciated (resembling below).
Waiters delivered our cocktails in chilled stemware and poured the shakers' contents into our glasses (like below). The bartender had given me extra, so my waiter waited until I took a healthy sip/gulp, then he precisely filled up my glass some more. How nice!
We discussed the menu with our captain. (There are a few who watch regions of the room). Not to be confused with our main server, the captain oversaw the waitstaff, food runners, bussers and made sure everything was presented, cleared and digested smoothly. He gracefully bowed out, when the sommelier was needed. (They employ six sommeliers, who coordinate with the Wine Director of Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group. USHG operates all his restaurants). Overall, our captain was a friendly and jovial gentleman, speaking more casually than the "politely correct" waiters, and instilling warm-hearted thanks that we visited the restaurant.
Here is what I selected from the menu:
-an amuse bouche of Pea Soup (below). The bread had a whisper of cheese, and the fresh peas had been picked at their peak.
-Foie Gras sautéed with Rhubarb, Basil and Lime (how summery!), which was succulent, gently crispy on the outside, and melt-in-your-mouth buttery on the inside.
-Langoustines seared with smoked vegetable broth (below)
(The two ravioli were tenderly sumptuous, and the seafood emulsion added a nice sensation on the tongue.)
-Blanquette of Suckling Pig, with baby turnips and shallots, which had charred skin, moist interior and great color.
My fellow diners enjoyed Lobster marinated in Vadouvan spices; Foie Gras tart with sour cherries and fennel; Cauliflower cooked in Crab butter, with almond, lemon & tarragon; Slow-cooked Lamb Saddle with summer peppers and sheep's milk ricotta.
From their 86-page wine list, we selected a red of the Rhone Valley (from the southern sector of Crozes-Hermitage): a 2012 Domaine les Bruyéres (grown by George Reynaud). It was perfect for the roasted meats and hearty dishes that our table chose. The sommelier decanted it and let it rest on the server station, until our dinnertime. It was luscious on the lips: full-bodied, pomegranate/plum notes and soft tannins. A dark pigment, with ruby colors at the edge of the glass.
*The captain made a sideways suggestion of a glass of Sauterne to accompany my main course, in addition to our shared bottle of wine. He felt that it matched the meat well.
We kept Chef Abram Bissell's kitchen busy for four hours!
Yes, The Modern is sublimely happy when you enjoy a long languid meal. No rush. Just a matter of gracefully consuming your courses.
At some eateries, waiters pride themselves on how many plates they can carry at once. I know guys like that.
Notice how all the food touches the bottoms of the other plates. Yuck! Even if it can be managed more gracefully, it's much better done at The Modern. The servers carry each plate individually to your table, as if presenting a masterpiece (which each one is).
The servers line up in the kitchen and come around the corner, in a line (like a train).
Each one stands near each diner at the table, and they present from the left (and clear from the right). Someone else follows with sauces, so that the captain can help layer the sauce over your dish. Just like this...
As another "touch of class", servers offer salt mills and pepper mills for freshly-cracked spices. That's the best way. To learn something significant about S&P, please click this link:
Too many restaurant hostesses are cluelessly like this...
...because owners hire them for their affordability and looks; neither helps customers when things get disorganized.
When you enter (or contact) a great restaurant, you expect to encounter someone like this...
...a professional reservationist who is in confidant command of things: your reservations, seating, and arrangements. That's exactly what you get at Meyer establishments, and he's very careful about whom he hires. Even calling spontaneously one night prior to my reservation, I knew that it would all go well for my new friends. That's why I chose it.
Our party of 5 arrived, and my 3 new friends admired the view. Meanwhile, one of the hosts efficiently confirmed our table, while another offered to bring my friends' shopping bags to the Coat Check. A third host escorted us to our seats--past the elegant floral arrangements--with a soft-spoken decorum.
There are 3 dining areas. The long sleek bar is illuminated from within, and it offers the first place to mingle and nibble. Talented bartenders concoct scrumptious cocktails and are as knowledgable as the sommeliers about their armagnacs, sherries, dessert wines and ales. The carefully curated cocktail menu varies with the seasons and their latest discoveries.
Just beyond the bar is a long leather sofa, faced by red chairs. Grouped into small clusters, that is the next tier of "bar seating".
The first of 2 dining rooms is actually called The Bar Room, which we adore. It is adjacent to the bar area, and it is purely table seating. The chairs are supple black leather, and half of them are armchairs.
It is ideal for "people watching"; it overlooks the bar and has a vibrant "hum" of bustle and people greeting each other.
The last room--where we dined that night--is more formal and is called The Dining Room. At first glance, you might call it "sterile" like "a modern boardroom".
It also commands views of MoMA's Abby Aldrich Rockefeller garden, fountains, and always-changing statuary.
Casual seating (from The Bar Room) is offered outdoors, yet the service is just as proper.
Despite the Dining Room's modernity, service is conducted with ceremony, precision and presentation. All of it is cordial! Just like Meyer himself experiences from Bed & Breakfast owners and pinnacles of culinary talent like Chef Paul Bocuse.
I imagine that when you make a reservation for the Dining Room, the staff awaits the chance to impress you (sort of like this).
You can tell how much Danny Meyer appreciates fine European service, and cultures that respect professionalism. Servers, captains, bussers and sommeliers are trained to "look the part" at all times. They know how to present dishes to the diners, and how to illustrate the menu items.
The food presentation is always unique, arriving on dishes and trays symbolic of MoMA's creative modernity. Over the years, we noticed how their perfectly DELICIOUS bread arrived in varied containers.
The seasonal menu highlights all the fresh ingredients that Meyer's chefs purchase from the Farmers Market (which he helped institute in NYC in the 1970s). Locally-sourced & organic farm-fresh! Meyer insists that his hen broth matures for 3 days! Even the fruit used at the bar is from the markets.
Despite the Dining Room's modernity, service is conducted with ceremony, precision and presentation. All of it is cordial! Just like Meyer himself experiences from Bed & Breakfast owners and pinnacles of culinary talent like Chef Paul Bocuse.
I imagine that when you make a reservation for the Dining Room, the staff awaits the chance to impress you (sort of like this).
You can tell how much Danny Meyer appreciates fine European service, and cultures that respect professionalism. Servers, captains, bussers and sommeliers are trained to "look the part" at all times. They know how to present dishes to the diners, and how to illustrate the menu items.
The food presentation is always unique, arriving on dishes and trays symbolic of MoMA's creative modernity. Over the years, we noticed how their perfectly DELICIOUS bread arrived in varied containers.
The seasonal menu highlights all the fresh ingredients that Meyer's chefs purchase from the Farmers Market (which he helped institute in NYC in the 1970s). Locally-sourced & organic farm-fresh! Meyer insists that his hen broth matures for 3 days! Even the fruit used at the bar is from the markets.
The Bar Room offers a different menu, too, with things that are singularly served there. That strategy forces you to break the monotony in your seating choices.
Above, Long Island duck with beet purée. Below is the Alsatian tart flambé, which is amazing.
Below, slow-poached Farm Egg "In a Jar" with juicy Maine lobster, salsify, and sea urchin froth. *Did you know that Maine was named after the Counts/Dukes of Maine in France?
The Dining Room showcases a Prix Fixe menu, encouraging you to have one or two items from each column, as courses. Both dining rooms offer a wine pairing menu.
We were seated just behind the wooden "server station", seen below.
It keeps you near the fragrant flowers, close enough to engage a captain's attention, and in the middle of the room. Both server stations allow wines that are either decanting or chilling to be "close at hand", too.
The "first order of business" was to place an order of cocktails. They know that I order a vodka martini, fiercely shaken to an icy greatness--with three plump olives--and drier than English humor. Lewis tried a gin drink with rhubarb and summer citrus.
Even the craftiness and "sleight of hand" of the bartenders should be appreciated (resembling below).
Waiters delivered our cocktails in chilled stemware and poured the shakers' contents into our glasses (like below). The bartender had given me extra, so my waiter waited until I took a healthy sip/gulp, then he precisely filled up my glass some more. How nice!
We discussed the menu with our captain. (There are a few who watch regions of the room). Not to be confused with our main server, the captain oversaw the waitstaff, food runners, bussers and made sure everything was presented, cleared and digested smoothly. He gracefully bowed out, when the sommelier was needed. (They employ six sommeliers, who coordinate with the Wine Director of Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group. USHG operates all his restaurants). Overall, our captain was a friendly and jovial gentleman, speaking more casually than the "politely correct" waiters, and instilling warm-hearted thanks that we visited the restaurant.
Here is what I selected from the menu:
-an amuse bouche of Pea Soup (below). The bread had a whisper of cheese, and the fresh peas had been picked at their peak.
-Foie Gras sautéed with Rhubarb, Basil and Lime (how summery!), which was succulent, gently crispy on the outside, and melt-in-your-mouth buttery on the inside.
-Langoustines seared with smoked vegetable broth (below)
(The two ravioli were tenderly sumptuous, and the seafood emulsion added a nice sensation on the tongue.)
-Blanquette of Suckling Pig, with baby turnips and shallots, which had charred skin, moist interior and great color.
My fellow diners enjoyed Lobster marinated in Vadouvan spices; Foie Gras tart with sour cherries and fennel; Cauliflower cooked in Crab butter, with almond, lemon & tarragon; Slow-cooked Lamb Saddle with summer peppers and sheep's milk ricotta.
From their 86-page wine list, we selected a red of the Rhone Valley (from the southern sector of Crozes-Hermitage): a 2012 Domaine les Bruyéres (grown by George Reynaud). It was perfect for the roasted meats and hearty dishes that our table chose. The sommelier decanted it and let it rest on the server station, until our dinnertime. It was luscious on the lips: full-bodied, pomegranate/plum notes and soft tannins. A dark pigment, with ruby colors at the edge of the glass.
*The captain made a sideways suggestion of a glass of Sauterne to accompany my main course, in addition to our shared bottle of wine. He felt that it matched the meat well.
We kept Chef Abram Bissell's kitchen busy for four hours!
Yes, The Modern is sublimely happy when you enjoy a long languid meal. No rush. Just a matter of gracefully consuming your courses.
At some eateries, waiters pride themselves on how many plates they can carry at once. I know guys like that.
Notice how all the food touches the bottoms of the other plates. Yuck! Even if it can be managed more gracefully, it's much better done at The Modern. The servers carry each plate individually to your table, as if presenting a masterpiece (which each one is).
The servers line up in the kitchen and come around the corner, in a line (like a train).
Each one stands near each diner at the table, and they present from the left (and clear from the right). Someone else follows with sauces, so that the captain can help layer the sauce over your dish. Just like this...
As another "touch of class", servers offer salt mills and pepper mills for freshly-cracked spices. That's the best way. To learn something significant about S&P, please click this link:
https://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2014/03/s-not-500.html
After each course, the table was crumbed, with our captain pitching in.
Before dessert, the captain stepped in to offer us a cheese course, with his compliments (which means free). He had seen me trying to entice two of my new friends to partake of the cheese trolley, which rolled back and forth past us.
After each course, the table was crumbed, with our captain pitching in.
Before dessert, the captain stepped in to offer us a cheese course, with his compliments (which means free). He had seen me trying to entice two of my new friends to partake of the cheese trolley, which rolled back and forth past us.
He heard me expound on the flavors and origins of their cheeses. It was extremely thoughtful of him, perhaps also because he knew that our companions were first-timers to NYC, from Chicago. Below is what the cheese course looked like, with olives in a sleek stainless steel dish. Their selections vary, as seasons and offerings peak in freshness.
For dessert, we selected Vanilla Bavarois (macerated REAL strawberries with Root Beer ice cream); Warm Pina Colada Cake (with Jasmine custard and Pandan ice cream); Black Forest (Kirsch Chantilly cream with Cherry Blossom ice cream); and two of us had Gianduja Cremeux (my fav kind of chocolate/Nutella flavor) over wafer streusel.
All the flavors were punctuated with great freshness and artistry of Pastry Chef Jiho Kim. Espresso for me, coffee around the table. A glass of dessert wine for one guy: 1993 Clos Chatart, Roussillon (Banyuls grape) by winemaker Jacque Laverriere.
To my new friends, it was abundantly clear how The Modern holds three stars from The New York Times as well as a Michelin star. It received the James Beard Award for "Best New Restaurant" in 2006, "Best Chef NYC" in 2009, and "Outstanding Wine Service" in 2011.
For dessert, we selected Vanilla Bavarois (macerated REAL strawberries with Root Beer ice cream); Warm Pina Colada Cake (with Jasmine custard and Pandan ice cream); Black Forest (Kirsch Chantilly cream with Cherry Blossom ice cream); and two of us had Gianduja Cremeux (my fav kind of chocolate/Nutella flavor) over wafer streusel.
To my new friends, it was abundantly clear how The Modern holds three stars from The New York Times as well as a Michelin star. It received the James Beard Award for "Best New Restaurant" in 2006, "Best Chef NYC" in 2009, and "Outstanding Wine Service" in 2011.
My friends were wowed by their meal's flavors and plating. They couldn't believe that four hours had flown by! As we departed, we shook hands and properly thanked our "team". Several midnight guests lingered after us.
When you get up to leave the restaurant--full of satisfaction and great experiences/memories, the staff seems to celebrate a job well-done... just as a conductor and orchestra celebrate a finale!
Any time you'd like a dinner companion for The Modern, let me know!
When you get up to leave the restaurant--full of satisfaction and great experiences/memories, the staff seems to celebrate a job well-done... just as a conductor and orchestra celebrate a finale!
Any time you'd like a dinner companion for The Modern, let me know!
I love your detailed blog and when im next in New York ill contact you just to check out the slow-poached Farm Egg "In a Jar" with juicy Maine lobster, salsify, and sea urchin froth, yum ! Well its only a plane trip across the Atlantic from Tasmania Australia. Im told we have the best Lobster in the world being so southern, so Im a bit of a lobster fan x
ReplyDeleteDear Julie,
DeleteI'm so glad that you enjoyed it. If it made your mouth water from afar, then I'm sure you'll love the experience in person! The same owner has another restaurant called Maialino, and I hope you like that review, too. Thanks to you, I've put lobster on my "To Do" list when I visit Australia! -Ken