The Modern

But first, Happy Happy New Year to all!! I've been recovering from post-Holiday syndrome, but I am alive and kicking:)

Swimster and I wanted a good dinner before he left for the long Christmas break (he gets back today-yippee!). He also wanted to celebrate his exams being over (and believe me, I wanted to celebrate too). We tossed around a few names and looked up some restaurant picks on the internet: Esca, Babbo, Del Friscos, and finally decided on MoMa's The Modern (if you can figure out if there's anything more to this website besides the beautiful pictures and a direct link to Opentable.com please let me know).

The Modern is conveniently a five minute walk from my offices so we headed there straight after work. We were a little bit confused where the entrance was. There seemed to be a different MoMa doorway every twenty yards along the 53rd Street block between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.

When we walked in to what promised to be the restaurant entrance, I was immediately sucked in to the all-white serpentine hallway with its elegant slender green plants. I felt like I was walking onto the set of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", and half expected an Oompa Loompa to walk us to our table. But was jolted from my reverie when a pretty hostess stopped us at her podium and I glimpsed the bar room. A long sleek bar with shelves, shelves, and more shelves of liquor, probably the size of a 25-yard swimming pool. The shining ceiling was spotless and reflecting all the light in the room.

We were brought to our table on a sort of wooden platform that made up the bar room eating area. At some point into the dinner, I heard music I knew but couldn't put a finger on the artist. Naturally, I spoke up and asked the waitress what CD was playing. When I heard her say, "Oh, I think it's Moby," it was confirmed. I knew I felt we were eating on a dance floor. No wonder. The floor, the music, it all started to make sense. I'd never eaten dinner to the tune of a trance-like Moby song before, and I quite enjoyed it.

The Modern is a creation of Danny Meyer (of 11 Madison Park, Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Cafe, and Tabla fame). I have really enjoyed two of his other restaurants and was hoping to enjoy this one equally. The Menu boasts French-American cuisine of Chef Gabriel Kreuther and is split up into three sections. You're recommended to choose one dish from each section, as a kind of build-your-own meal. But unlike what you would assume, it's not simply appetizer, entree, and dessert. It's actually appetizer, a sort of mid-appetizer (for lack of a better term), and entree.

I chose the arctic char tartare with pesto from dishes under "One". It came on a square glass plate with air bubbles. The plate was curved so only the left and right edges touched the table. The char tartare was sitting in the center, in a neatly flattened cube. It was chilled to Arctic temperatures, thank goodness, and the little chunks of char tasted sweet with the pesto trimming. Swimster chose the grilled shrimp with gruyere served on an equally eye-catching dish. The only problem with Swimster's shrimp was they forgot to add the gruyere. There was no inkling of the flavorful cheese anywhere. We tried playing a small game of hide and seek, hoping we'd find a small shred of it hidden somewhere, but no luck. For dish "Two" as noted on the menu, we shared a cassolette of fingerling potato, smoked tongue, and raclette cheese. I went out on a limb here for Swimster, because I know he likes the more exotic meat dishes. And I surprised myself. The tongue bites were chewy and had a real salty kick to them. I recommend this to the carnivores out there. For dish "Three" I chose the steak au poivre with spinach and spaetzle. (By now you could have guessed that, right?) The steak was a little on the miniature side and not oozing with warmth and softness like I hoped. It was slightly tough. The highlight of this dish was the spaetzle. It was cooked perfect with crispy, lightly-charred edges. I would go back for this in a second. Swimster went with the roast quail with chestnut-sage stuffing on spaghetti squash. The quail reminded me of Disney's animated Christmas Carol. You know why? Because it looked like it shrank, like the bird the Cratchit family eats for Christmas Eve dinner. I remember the bird being a pitiful miniature turkey, like the quail Swimster ate. Swimster liked the flavor but was not so impressed by the quantity he was paying for.

We weren't sure what to choose for dessert, and after small portions, we certainly had room. Thanks to a recommendation by our friendly server we chose the beignets (ben-YAYS and French for a French market donut) as they sounded warm and luxurious. And boy were they ever! The beignets were one of the best desserts I have ever had, and one of the more fun to eat too. They were warm doughy pieces... the Ferrari of donuts...and served with maple ice cream, caramel, and citrus mango marmelade. The beignets matched the shape of dough used to make the baguette seen here, that resembles wheat grain. I would go back to the Modern just for drinks and this dessert, and maybe a side of spaetzle.

Overall, I'd say we were slightly disappointed by The Modern. Swimster was really disappointed. I wouldn't go that far. It's always tough to decide on apples once we leave. I always ask for his advice, and while I certainly appreciate and want his suggestions, sometimes I may not agree. And since I am the reviewer. In the case of the Modern, we both agreed.

Two apples to the Modern, or the Upset.

*Click here for reservations to try it out for yourself *
9 West 53rd Street, b/t 5th and 6th Avenues
(212) 333-1220