The Modern
“This fine ding restaurant at the Museum Of Modern Art (MoMA) hallmarks French-American cuisine that is to die for.”
“The service is impeccable and so is the space itself which overlooks the museum's sculpture garden.”
“then the tasting menu:
Foie Gras Terrine Marbled with Roasted Artichokes, Green Peppercorns and Baby Turnip Salad
a good starter.”
The Modern
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$$ Price range Above $61
8 reviews
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I've been to this place a few times (always a really nice experience), but recently went back to the lounge area after Danny Meyer implemented "no tip" policy. I am a total believer (you should listen to Freakonomics Radio podcast with him talking about this). The staff was still very hospitable and professional with smiles (and you know they're not doing it to get more tip).
The food was excellent. The cocktails were good. And no fuss on adding tip (or tipping the coatcheck personnel.) This policy is helping their employees' (especially the kitchen staff) lives improve without the waiting staff lose any earnings. I always enjoy this place, but knowing this makes me really want to support all the restaurants that do the same.
I received a call earlier that day to confirm my reservation and to see if there were any food allergies the chef needed to be aware of. I let it be known that I was celebrating my best friend's birthday.
When we arrived, the hostess greeted us and wished her happy birthday. We were seated in the dining room and our waiter, Jason, gave us menus. We selected the three course option.
We were brought complimentary pretzel croissants, salmon roe, poached egg in salmon broth and some more bread. All were amazing. Now to the breakdown of our dinner.
Marinated King Crab (5.0/5.0) : There portion of crab was generous. The cream was light and subtle.
Hamachi (4.5/5.0) : This dish had more than the crab appetizer. Also very good.
Sea Bass (3.0/5.0) : It wasn't as memorable. We were getting full so we only ate half of the dish.
Herb Crusted Veal (5.0/5.0) : This was the better entrée of the two. It was very tender and well seasoned.
Mango Lychee Cremeux (5.0/5.0) : Maybe I'm biased because I'm Asian? Beautifully played and perfectly balanced between tart and sweet.
Opera Torte (3.5/5.0) : Also a beautiful dessert. The cake isn't too dense nor was it too sweet.
Birthday cupcake and candle came with chocolate writing of happy birthday on the plate.
We loved the food. Kudos to the kitchen staff. We also really liked Jason. He made us feel right at home. On the way out, the hostesses wished my BFF happy birthday again. Nice
I am nothing short of impressed with what is going on in this kitchen. Service here is right on par with it's Michelin rating, and this being the first time where tip was not expected, I must say it made my life 1000x easier and less awkward when dining with my friends and only added a sense of comfort to an often times awkward and painful portion of the meal. The meal was nothing short of impressive and probably wont be the same by the time you get there, but the 3 course tasting menu to me was worth every penny I had saved for this meal. I will be back as soon as my wallet will allow!
I decided to turn a business trip into a one- and two-Michelin star tour of Manhattan, featuring The Modern's Bar Room this past Sunday evening. This entailed comparing menus and reviews of restaurants across the island to curate a list of top picks to share with friends and colleagues. I'm looking forward to following Abram Bissell and other chefs on my list in future visits to New York and other cities.
To begin, The Modern is part of the Museum of Modern Art, with a separate entrance just to the right of the museum proper. Even upon just entering the long entrance hallway, you notice that everything is–well, modern! Without trying too hard or looking like a misplaced art exhibit, the restaurant itself is an expression of the works that reside in its neighboring building.
I had made a reservation about a week in advance, and our party was seated right away upon arrival. I understand that reservations aren't required, but if you're thinking about coming here, do yourself a favor and snag a seating on OpenTable.
As one would expect, the coat check was seamless. We found ourselves toward the back-center of a well-appointed dining space that sported warm wood floors and tables against a backdrop of a rich, dark bar. The first thing to note about the menu itself is that it does not use headers; rather, the name of each dish is on the left side of the menu, and its constituent parts are listed on the right. This change, while small, speaks to how Chef Bissell takes design and experience seriously. The menu is then divided into light starters, appetizers, sea dishes, and land dishes. I particularly liked the division of the seafood items, as it made the challenging decision of which dishes to order a bit easier since I have a seafood allergy.
We chose among the list of 8 craft cocktails, and I opted for the Rapscallion, a blanco tequila (Casa Dragones) libation with almond, citrus, and orange bitters. I was immediately intrigued by its simplicity. Some establishments with two bright ones have profoundly complex combinations of ingredients and while I often enjoy processing the different waves and layers of flavor, it was honestly refreshing to have a drink whose four ingredients worked as well together as long-time colleagues.
The Butter Lettuce Salad was a nice palate prep dish that offered a surprising combination of somewhat melted Parmesan with kale. I can't say the salad was unforgettable, but the use of butter lettuce added a gentle reminder that, "Oh yes, it IS wintertime." The highlight of my meal was the duck confit ravioli, which was simply divine. You know when you have duck that is dry and sinewy? None of that in the Bar Room. Not only was the use of duck in ravioli a refreshing preparation (though I saw it at another restaurant this week), but it was cooked perfectly. I don't often give thought to Swiss chard, but it was a perfect complement to the ravioli–again, a prime example of uncomplicated but thoughtful creations. The duck broth was smooth and much less fatty than what you'd find at a typical establishment.
My friends ordered a combination of the black truffle cavatelli, Brioche fried chicken, and slow-baked sea bass, all of which they found to be utterly delightful.
Having worked hard to carve out space for dessert, I was pleased to order the apple tarte tatin, an upsided-down pastry topped with ice cream and a warm apple compote (with just enough apple crumbles to be decorative and tasty without being messy). The ice cream itself was somewhat standard, but it sang when combined with the cake.
I think another Yelper described the service well. Our waiter was very friendly and attentive without being overbearing. The hostess was even visible and helpful, although I did not expect to see her walking around the dining room itself. In a move that is becoming increasingly popular among fine resteauranteurs, Danny Meyer eliminated tipping last year, so you'll see that "hospitality is included" on the menu. Regardless of your feelings toward the entire practice of tipping, its elimination indeed rings true to the name of the restaurant and simplifies the dining experience. I was thoroughly pleased with The Modern and look forward to returning and dining in the larger dining room.
I can't believe I been to The Modern and didn't do a review, Oh well, so here it is, but the menu has changed since I have been there so I will consecrate more on the place vs the dishes we ate.
The Modern is located inside Museum of Modern Art, MoMa and has separate side entrance. It is a Michelin + star restaurant with a long Bar section that's lighted below, and the tall ceiling Dining area with a wide and tall window view of the MoMa's simi-private interior sculpture garden court yard. The restaurant has another side door to court yard and a few table if you want to take your drinks outside or just take a stroll to look at sculpture that are periodically changed, including one where a live bee hive covers the head.
You can make reservation same day if you book a few hours in advance according to a special someone who happens to be an Assistant to the Senior Curator at MoMa.
The Modern has many contemporary glass design elements with very modern interior architecture that elevates the experience, at least that is what I felt has we were seated by the court yard window, not luxurious but a special ambiance. It has a mix of tables with chairs and leather couches. Waitress provided detailed descriptions of the highlights from the 3 and 4 course menu options and we went with the 4 for a fixed price but you can always just get what you want from the menu that has a good number of options
I after a variety of small hard shell breads arrived with a butter in the shape of a small yam then came the amuse-bouche, it was pea soup that is poured at the table side by the waiter on top of a crouton-like ring dotted with crab and pea tendrils that I didn't even remember as part of the menu. It was crunchy topping with a smooth pea soup that was real delicious. I sat there looking at the smudges of pea left on the bowl and all I wanted to do was pick up the bowl and just lick up anywhere I saw green, good thing I skip wine at lunchtime otherwise I would have lost it right there.
Then came the next dish, beautiful seared scallops with single peels of new onion that were the onion petals in a smoked vegetable Broth. It hard to for me to describe flavors, my inexperience and lack of a good discerning palette limits me. But I know these were the best scallops I ever had.
By know I notice that my table was getting a lot of service, re-filling my sparkling water. Removing of finish plates and replacing of utensils all by different staff more than 6, one guy's only job was the brush the crumbs off the table Oops that was me and the breads, bad, bad.
The third course of suckling pig arrived with a table side sauce the waiter spooned out of a hot pot which fill the air with the aroma. The peaches, and a small slice of pork belly combined into a savory experience sweet enough to tingle the taste buds on your tongue. My lunch buddy had Salmon with had a frosty broth with greens and black truffles.
My dessert was Vanilla Mascarpone Strawberries and root beer Ice cream. The plating looked so cute and tasteful, these are not big dessert, they intent is to amaze your palette. My friend had the PB&J with Araquani Chocolate Ganache and sorbet. My moto is sharing is caring and that what we did with these desserts. Just like a baby I love being handfed. We topped off our desserts with cappuccinos. Did I say I was not going to cover the food, well I lied.
This is the most expensive lunch I had so far since I joined Yelp it was about $250 with tip for two, today The Modern has a no tip policy. We took a nice stroll in the court yard which you can do without paying the MoMa admittance fee if you dine at the restaurant. I think we went past two and half hours before we got back to our day jobs. I would like to go back but I have fewer lunch buddies these days and I wouldn't want to go solo, this is an experience meant to share and remember with someone special.
My New Yorker friend brought me here, after lunch. The Modern is few doors downt to MOMA.
When I was walking in, right away I noticed a long a bit Shining like bar with mirrored wall. The bar was quite impressive even for none drinkers. Quite nicely done interior also noticed. On top of that the wait person to our table was super friendly. My cappuccino was excellent! Like a capp in Europe. We shared a beignet which was cute and tasty. Cool place to have late afternoon drinks or coffee just between ladies. Even in their coed(?) bathroom, we didn't feel weird or unsafe…
I do not trust myself eating here. The food is too good and the service is impeccable. Caution: dangerous wait Scratch that. LETHAL.
So I was on the block and decided to try this spot because how often are you able to try a NYC two star restaurant right? It is separated into two sections: the bar room and the dining room. The dining room features a prix fixed menu and the bar room has an alacarte menu. I opted for the bar room because it opened before the dining room and I was hungry.
Ambiance: Although the dining room was the one with the view, the bar room was very, very nice. It was spacious, stylish, and sophisticated. I must say, the bar design was quite sexy.
Service: PERFECTION. They help seat you, open the door for you, check up on you. Also, they do not accept tips; however, you'll wish they did!
Food: The menu is divided into three parts: snacks,appetizers,and entrees.
Here's what we got:
Snacks-Salmon sliders (macaron sized but solid flavor), Tarte Flambé (huge and delish but the bacon can be overpowering)
Appetizers-Lettuce Salad(good but nothing special)
Main-Seared Scallops(has mussels and MOUTHWATERING flavor, highly recommended) and Pork Loin(the flavors balance out perfectly)
Dessert-Apple Tarte(Belgian waffle+poached tart Apple+ice cream, really good. Especially the Belgian waffle. Perfect balance of salty, tart, and sweet) and the chocolate bengniets(I spelled it wrong. They're like French donut holes. Eh I liked the apply tart better)
I would definitely come back. I hope this review was helpful.
Regards,
Valerie
My girlfriend and I dined here for my birthday and I'm glad we did. There were definitely some awesome things about this place but definitely some needing improvement. We really loved the space. Minimalistic and modern – fitting considering the name of the place and where it's located.
We opted for the three course menu each which at $138 per person is a good deal for a two star Michelin restaurant. We also opted for a half bottle of wine – their wine list is extensive with over 2800 wines from all around the world. One of the bigger selections I've ever seen. It literally comes in a 150 page book. They have everything from $15 glasses of wine to a $17,500 bottle of DRC.
The part of the meal that might have been my favorite was the intro course that didn't really count as one. It was something of a soup with Salmon and absolutely delicious. We also had the hamachi and juniper, king crab, sauteed foie gras, the porcelet, sweet corn fricasse, and seabass. Everything was at least good – some very good. We actually really liked the foie gras and would recommend getting the sauternes pairing with it. I think out of those the vegetable dish may have been my favorite. We both found the other dishes good, but a tad bit salty which threw off the balance a little bit. Not too oversalted though.
For dessert we had the mango lychee cremeaux and white asparagus ice cream. Yeah, white asparagus ice cream sounds odd, and it is, but it's good. The mango lychee cremeaux was also delicious and they brought out a small cake for me (also really good) after finding out it was my birthday.
Service was about what you would expect from a Michelin starred restaurant. Multiple wait staff on top of everything and very knowledgeable about the entire menu. I found the head waiter to be a little awkward at first, but after awhile he got better.
Overall, this is a good experience if you're looking for a Michelin starred meal that won't be $500 per person. The food is very good, though sometimes may suffer from being over salted, and the service was good. I'm not sure I'll be returning anytime soon though as nothing here really blew my mind to warrant that. The Modern is a solid Michelin starred restaurant pick in the end.