The Modern Restaurant New York

The Modern (American & French / Midtown West / $$$$)
9 W. 53rd Street (between 5th Ave & Avenue of the Americas)
(212) 333-1220
www.themodernnyc.com

Located inside the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa), The Modern is a Danny Meyer-created culinary masterpiece. Chef Gabriel Kreuther’s French-American cuisine is such a work of art, it could have been curated at the museum. Dining at the The Modern is as much a feast of the eyes as one of the tongue. The Modern, succinct with its name, exhibits avant garde décor, effuse with luxe metallic tones and minimalist lighting. True to its location, the design was actually inspired by the Bauhaus movement and created by architects Bentel & Bentel. Open, elegant and filled with light, the dining room offers views of the 31 sculptures in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden. A single, majestic photograph entitled “Clearing” by German artist Thomas Demand hangs in the bar room. Both the dining room and bar room are adorned with furniture and tableware from modernist greats, with a focus on Danish design.

The Michelin-star rated restaurant features a menu that varies from the dining room to the bar room. The more formal dining room, which requires a jacket to be worn, features a three-course menu with a wide array of options for $88 and a seven-course tasting menu for $125. The food changes seasonally but recommended examples include modern American/French dishes: the young rabbit torchon scented with fennel pollen, with fruit mostarda and fine herbes; licorice-caramelized hamachi filet with baby leeks, roasted japanese cucumber and blood orange-mustard sauce; and potato “gateau” with hickory smoked benton ham, pearl onions, comté cheese and pumpkin seed oil. The bar room, which is divided from the dining room and does not feature of view of the sculpture garden, is every-bit as stylish as the dining room, but less formal and easier on the wallet. Dishes are labeled one through three; one and two are appetizer portions, and three is entrée-sized. Plates range from $14 to $30. Recommended dishes include: tarte flambé Alsatian served on a thin crust tart with crème fraîche, onion and applewood smoked bacon ($14); roasted long island duck breast with peppercorn-crusted apples and toasted pistachio-truffle dipping sauce ($17); and crispy Atlantic cod with celery and granny smith apple salad, sauce gribiche and American caviar ($28).

Service is always top-notch and reservations always should be made for the dining room; the bar room, however, often has availability for those just finishing a tour of the museum.

If perusing by the MoMa, which features both classic and modern art, as well as features such as the Tim Burton exhibit, then end your trip with a meal at The Modern, a dining experience worthy of the Van Gogh’s hanging only a few rooms over.

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