Still wondering where to go for Restaurant Week this time around (thru February 6th, as of now)? This year there is a slight change: No more Saturdays, and Sundays are optional (I’m sure a lot of restaurants are happy about that). There are still plenty of reservations available on Open Table (though some places aren’t on there, so you have to call.)
Every year, one of the hardest Restaurant Week reservations to get is at The Modern. I was browsing who had some openings, and was shocked to see a spot for 2 at The Modern Bar Room (in MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art) on the first day of Restaurant Week for 6pm. I jumped on it, and invited That Lori (of Stuff I Ate) to join me. She was more than happy to oblige.
I was slightly obsessed with the floral design in the entry-way.
Beautiful purple lilies (I think) of some sort. It looked like a dark purple calla lily. Simply lovely.
Right behind that was a bar, that had thoroughly stocked glass shelves.
A view of “The Bar Room.” It was simple, tasteful, and (shocker) modern.
The menu was quite lengthy for Restaurant Week.
I had trouble choosing because so much sounded great!
It was as we were browsing this menu that we started running into the problem of the evening… our waitress was MIA. And continued to be MIA for at least 30 minutes before taking our order, which she rushed through. We noticed she gave everyone else a shpiel about restaurant week and how you could pick one thing from each category, however, the entrees were half portion and you could pick a full-sized portion of anything on the menu for $17 additional.
I was famished, so I scarfed through both pieces of bread quickly. The butter was obviously homemade and delicious, but lacking in salt. And there was none on the table… and no one to ask…
Lori decided to begin with a dish she had tried in the past, but was so enamored by it that she just had to get it again. It was roasted Long Island duck breast with peppercorn-crusted apples and toasted pistachio-truffle dipping sauce.
The peppercorn-crusted apples were very good, and Lori LOVED them, however, I’m not a huge pepper fan. The duck was perfectly ducky. But the sauce… HOLY CRAP. Now THAT was good sauce. What could possibly be bad about pistachios and truffles?
I decided to go with the artichoke soup, since I can’t get enough archies. The combination of the artichokes with pearl barley, toasted almonds, and ricotta was very nice, and didn’t overpower the artichoke flavor. The biscuits had rosemary in them and were deliciously buttery.
I’m glad I had a hearty portion of soup… we proceeded to watch someone sit down, give their order, and receive BOTH apps and entrees before our entrees even came out. The manager came over to apologize… our waitress did not. She didn’t seem to have any problems with her other tables, however, we were the forgotten children all night. Literally the red-headed step-children. And SHE was a red head! (Perhaps she’s a self-hater!)
Lori chose the squab for her entree. When it came out, it was VERY tiny, even for squab (as was mine… though I have to say, both of us left completely satisfied and perfectly full without being too full… I wish portion control was always that easy). The squab was spice-dusted and I LOVED the cinnamony tang it had. It also came with braised romaine, haricots verts and bacon salad. (Did somebody say bacon salad?) Delightful little squab.
I went with the pork belly that came with rutabaga choucroute and ginger jus. It was a decadent few bites of porky goodness.
For dessert, I chose the dark chocolate tart that came with chocolate ice cream. It had a delicious, crackly top like creme brulee (though made out of chocolate, not sugar). It was scrumptious! I even liked the chocolate ice cream, which is rare for me.
Lori chose the coffee caramel dome with vanilla ice cream and amaretto gelee. It hinted a bit towards Star Wars…
The layers were awfully tasty, however, I forgot to take a pic. D’oh! I’ll link to Lori’s pictures once she posts.
I wish the light was better, but the gelee made for a very artful decoration.
Overall, besides the AWFUL waitress, the food was sensational and this ranked very high on the Restaurant Week experiences list. The selection is fantastic and while the portions are small, they are packed with flavor, very satisfying, and in no way did I leave wanting. If you can secure yourself a RW reservation at The Modern, DO IT! (In fact… they have been extending Restaurant Week during the final week lately, so go ahead and snag a reservation for the week following while you can and see if they extend… you can always cancel!)
Total Nom Points: 8 out of 10
Tags: artichoke soup, best of restaurant week, best place to eat for new york city restaurant week, calla lilies, dessert, duck, MoMA restaurant, nyc restaurant week, nyc restaurant week 2011, nyc restaurant week winter 2011, peppercorn-crusted apples, pistachio truffle sauce, pork belly, restaurant week, squab, The Modern, The Modern Bar Room
