I've heard "Lunch at The Modern" so many times in this sub, one thing I was absolutely going to do during this trip to NYC was lunch at The Modern, and I'm so glad I did cause I loved it start to finish.
There is an abridged tasting menu of 3 courses, but we opted for the full chef's menu cause we didn't want to miss their signature "eggs on eggs on eggs", and after the supplemental charge, the price was close enough.
– Hiramasa and sugar snap peas/crispy ham and cheese–simple and delicious, with the hiramasa being light and fresh and the ham and cheese providing a deeply savory contrast
– Chilled lobster, shiso, and green radish–the lobster was cold and sweet but as a personal preference, I don't really enjoy bitter flavors and the slice of lemon under the radish threw it off a bit
– Eggs on eggs on eggs–words cannot adequately describe the unctuousness of this dish, it's like eating rich, buttery velvet on a crispy, fluffy log of brioche. As a bonus, they bring you an extra toast to mop up all the tasty bits
– Pumpkin seed sourdough and cultured butter–okay I totally didn't know this was meant to be eaten with the next dish so given total lack of self control in the face of pillowy fresh bread and perhaps the smoothest butter on the planet, I may or may not have eaten it all before the trout showed up… they were nice enough to give us more ðŸ˜
– Sea trout with clams and saffron shellfish broth–the fish was cooked to literal perfection and the clams and saffron sauce enhanced everything even more. I don’t think I’ve eaten clams WITH fish before. This fights with the chicken dish for spot #2 for my favorite courses
– Heritage chicken, provençal asparagus, vin jaune–this reminds me of the stuffed chicken from Per Se and was cooked just as well. The vin jaune sauce was slightly nutty with an incredibly rich flavor and also went well with the bread
– Lamb saddle, romanesco, and lemon poached dates–for some reason I thought the chicken was the final savory course and did not pace myself at all and was so full by this point. The lamb was tender and the date was a wonderful bite though
– Wild strawberries and cacao–I can't remember what was all in this but I loved the little wild strawberries as they were like delicious strawberry gummies
– Dark chocolate cremeux, meyer lemon, and espresso–delicious with interesting flavors, I haven't had many lemon, chocolate, and coffee combinations
– Mignardises of raspberry, lemon coconut, cherry cheesecake–only one I tried was the cherry cheesecake bonbon but my husband ate 'em all so they must've been good lol
The (my) MVP of this meal was the melon lemonade mocktail, made with honeydew, jasmine, and pandan. Might be the most perfect drink for me ever made because it was melony with a subtle floral note from the pandan and jasmine, and only lightly sweet and tart, everything I love. Sooooo good, can drink this forever. I forgot the name of my husband’s cocktail but he liked it enough to order another.
Service was pretty good up until we wanted to pay, and for some reason it became really difficult to find someone to close us out. We waited almost 20 minutes between the mignardises and finally being able to pay, even actively looking around trying to flag someone down.
Despite The Modern not being the most innovative of meals, it's easily one of my all time favorites. I definitely prefer food that's executed well and is delicious above all else 😀
by chashaoballs