The lost meals entries consist of meals that occurred at various times throughout 2012 which, for any number of reasons, escaped my documentation – some due to a cross country move and a new job, some due to the Los Angeles Kings run to the Stanley Cup, and some simply as a result of too much travel. Having enjoyed many of these meals with friends or family and with some of them amongst the year’s very best the reality is that with time my memory has deteriorated and as life moves forward I’ve realized there is little hope to ever “catch up” or document these experiences as well as I’d hope, yet in order to preserve them I present these pictures, notes, and thoughts on the experience.
The Modern Dining Room
Duche de Longueville Sparkling Cider
Canapes – Sunchoke with Crystalized Ginger and Goat Cheese and Striped Bass Tartare with Green Apple Rhubarb Compote and Crispy Lentils
Amuse – Spanish mackerel, Basil Mint Coulis, Pickled Ramp
Raisin Pecan Roll, Olive Roll, Baguette, Goat Butter, Cow Butter
Pralines of Foie Gras Terrine with Mango-Passion Fruit Puree, Balsamic Vinegar Tears, Toasted 7-Grain Bread
Poached Farm Egg with Pimento Nage and Iberco Ham
Squab and Foie Gras Croustillant with Caramelized Ginger Jus and Farm Vegetables
Coffee and Vanilla Sundae with Pralines and Caramel Sauce
Mignardises – Hazelnut, Three Others…one coffee and one, I believe, Passionfruit
La Colombe Coffee
It seems hard for me to believe that three years passed between my first and second visit to The Modern Dining Room, but with my first visit quite impressive and a return visit to the Bar Room equally divine I had no reason to doubt a return visit to Danny Meyer’s Michelin Starred MoMA restaurant would be just as remarkable…but then again, you know what they say can happen when you assume, and much to my surprise it was in the most unlikely of places as Kreuther’s food remained immaculate but Meyer’s fabled service crashed and burned. Literally starting from the moment I arrived to The Modern – five minutes before my noon reservation – things seemed ‘off’ that day; the greeting a muffled hello as hostess/host chatted, me sat at the bar until “the dining room opened” almost fifteen minutes later, empty water glasses at my table as server after server fawned over a table of men in suits ordering much wine (myself suited as well, but only drinking Sparkling Cider,) and my primary server named Tanja seemingly uninterested in presenting plates with any words other than the what was listed in bold on the menu, “Pralines of Foie Gras,” for instance…but none as infuriating as when the mignardise tray was touted before the table next to me as I received a few items selected by Tanja that went undescribed entirely. Never one to make a fuss when I was exiting the restaurant someone asked how I’d enjoyed the meal and mentioning the service issues all I received was essentially “oh, I’m sorry to hear that – have a nice afternoon” – something I’d have never before anticipated from a Danny Meyer team – not even Shake Shack – which led to me writing a brief e-mail the restaurant days later; a letter which Mr. Meyer reportedly addressed himself (not to my surprise considering my first interaction with USHG years back) and promised to further investigate.
Having mentioned that the food remained nearly perfect I will note that the one “nicety” I received during my meal was when Tanja offered the full Squab and Foie Gras Croustillant (a dish designated for two on the menu) at no additional charge on the afternoon’s four-course prix fixe, something I’d have gladly paid for otherwise, and given my love for both ingredients I will say that the dish is every bit as wonderful as it sounds; the flaky pastry still perfect and crisp around the tender squab and silky liver while the lightly sugared jus, almost like soy but far more nuanced, added a note of acidity that worked delicately with the tender vegetables to keep the dish from being ‘too much,’ though I will admit that after the lovely terrine, coated in what seemed to be poppy seeds and something deeply vegetal like celeriac or sunchoke, this was not a ‘light’ meal by any means.
Obviously abusing the bread service – particularly the raisin roll topped with goat butter – and adding in the briny egg, a truly interesting dish largely because of the heat from the nage and the intense salinity of the olives, plus a dessert both complex and quite light there really was not a dull moment in the afternoon gastronomically speaking and adding in the dramatic setting with the windows overlooking the sculpture garden I still contest that the food at The Modern is critically underrated at one star and although I really do wish the service aspect of my afternoon would have been better I still would not hesitate to recommend either half of The Modern to anyone and thanks to Mr. Meyer as well as the afternoon manager who did indeed investigate the situation I know I’ll be back, this time on the house, sooner rather than later.