weekend lunch: the modern

Dine in a modern setting at The Modern

Staycation schmaycation. Maybe you simply LIKE the urban setting, and thus seek out urban things to do. Well, I have a civilized and very air-conditioned suggestion. Spend the entire day at the MoMA. There is a Salvador Dalí retrospective on view through September 15 which includes over 130 of his works and full-length films in each gallery. Believe me, you cannot digest this show in one day. All the better. You have to come back multiple times for more enrichment and enjoyment.

If you arrive hungry, fear not. You can opt for a savory crepe at the cart across the street from the museum (mushroom & cheese or spinach & cheese are each just $5). Or if you want to have an elegant meal and experience to remember, try The Modern, which is The Museum of Modern Art's fine dining restaurant, just off the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden on the first floor. The Bar Room at The Modern offers a excellent menu with entrees sized suitably for lunch, priced around $18. Here is the menu. My husband and I each had the Wild Salmon with horseradish crust, pickled cabbage, exotic mushrooms, and Riesling foam. For an appetizer we shared the Upsidedown Tuna Tare Tarte with fennel, Japanese cucumber and aioli. Yes, this was a meal to remember.

If you are a planner, then by all means make a reservation to be seated in the main dining area of The Bar Room. If you are a spontaneous type, you will be seated along the comfortable black leather sofa at one of the small cafe tables on the perimeter. Not the best seat in the house, but still most definitely in the middle of the excitement, and quite enjoyable.


The Modern
The Museum of Modern Art
Reservations for the Bar Room
accepted 28 days in advance
212.333.1220
9 West 53rd Street (5th & 6th Avenues)
New York, NY 10019