The Menu: Food Meets Art

Recently my boyfriend, Mike, and I have gotten really into cooking. This is mainly due to Staci. I'm not sure if she knows this, but the day she sent us free Blue Apron meals, our lives changed. Instead of our usual sad-sack tuna sandwich dinners, we started cooking actual dishes like shrimp & shiitake dumplings and masala-spiced chicken. Stick with me -- this is not a sponsored post (though we'd love to partner with you, BA!). Cooking actual food takes about 55 minutes longer than making a sandwich, so we use the time to catch up on our favorite podcasts.

We heard an interesting one on restauranteur Danny Meyer and immediately decided that we had to check out one of his restaurants. No, not Shake Shack (although their cheese-injected deep-fried portobello burger is "last meal" quality). We opted for his revolutionary tip-banning venture, The Modern, one of the top-rated restaurants in New York City. The fact that it overlooks the MoMA sculpture garden really sealed the deal. 

The year sort of got away from us (thanks to, oh, about 500 weddings), and we forgot about booking a table. So imagine my surprise when the night before my birthday Mike told me that we were heading to The Modern! 

To prepare for such a food event, we both basically fasted all day and got our stomachs ready for one of the best meals of our lives. It did not disappoint. We opted for the eight-course chef's tasting menu (as opposed to the four-course tasting menu where you can choose your own dishes). I highly recommend going with the chef's menu. Besides not having to make important food-related decisions, you're guaranteed a great food journey, if you will. Ours started with brioche, quail egg yolk, and rationed Russian caviar. It continued with hamachi, potato chip bread, foie gras with cocoa powder and candied quince, roasted cauliflower in crab butter with king crab, halibut and potato foam, and lamb with fennel and jus. For dessert, we concluded with green apple sorbet with pickled plum and marquise and Earl Grey ice cream topped with brioche spaghetti. The cocktails and wine were top-notch and the service was impeccable, as expected. 

My descriptions and pictures cannot do this meal justice, but enjoy them anyway. My mouth is still watering.

-Jen

p.s. I know the price tag might be high for this one, but trust me, it's worth it! Plus, tip is already included!