The Modern

The other evening I went to the Modern, Danny Meyer’s restaurant in the Museum of Modern Art. I was really looking forward to this, as I’ve enjoyed several others of Meyer’s restaurants. I must say the service was good (as it should be when there’s a 5 (diners) to 1 (wait staff) ratio) and the silver and glassware were nice to look at. However, there isn’t one course (of the 5 course autumn tasting menu) that stood out in my mind. I never once said, after sampling a dish, “wow, this is really good.” Actually, I felt that the squab was much too rich and similar in flavor to follow the seared foie gras, which was just as rich. And quite frankly, and this is unusual for me, I can hardly remember any of the other dishes I sampled—there was a salmon and some other fish thrown in there to start. However, the wine was excellent, as was the sommelier’s helpfulness. There was one moment that made my dining companion feel self conscious—when they brought out the amuse bouche, one of the items was slippery and difficult to pick up therefore causing her to reach for a fork and stab into the item, at which point one of the wait staff came over to indicate that all the amuse bouche are meant to be eaten with the fingers—quite frankly, neither of us wished to handle the slimy thing with our fingers…

Unfortunately, the highlight of the evening was not the food, but was the fact that there were toilet seat covers in the bathrooms (a rarity in nyc) and the presence of a certain perky, blond morning show host, as well as a prominent police commissioner (not together, just at the same time). And, we each received a lemon tea cake to take with us, although why we were given such large bags to carry such a small loaf seemed absurd to me (they probably just ran out of smaller bags, I suppose).

If I return to the Modern for a meal, it will probably be in the lounge, which I’m willing to give a chance before dismissing the venture altogether.