On Thanksgiving weekend, we often have a free night in NYC and have always headed to Ai Fiori for what was a fabulous Italian meal. Last year we had major disappointments there and have moved up to midtown where THE MODERN has been ensconced next to the Museum of Modern Art for some time now and now has earned two Michelin stars.
The setting is magnificent overlooking reflecting pools and sculptures in the courtyard along with lots of plants and trees. The dining room is elegant and cozy with tables well-spaced so that you have lots of room (although a loud couple--Russian man & Greek woman--were extremely noisy two tables away, especially when he was on his cellphone!).
The dining room is separated from the a la carte Bar Room Restaurant and its bar which has more of a hum with tables more crowded, but we wanted the full tasting menu experience, which is the only option here. The tasting menu runs $250 per person (without tax and tap) and you can add on another $180 per person or such for wine pairings. We asked the sommelier, Jonathan how large the pours were, and he was honest saying that for this price you get about 3 total glasses of wine with 5 or 6 selections. We chose to order a bottle of white (most of the courses are fish) and followed that with some reds by the glass to try and get a better deal. Well, our meal came to $389 each in the end, so we did much better, but after tax and tip the damage was $1002!! It was worth it for sure, but I have to say I will think twice before taking a $250 tasting menu again in NYC as that tax and then a tip add up heavily and quickly.
We chose a Vieux Telegraph 2014 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc which was as earthy as a white can get and really demanded food to be paired with it. We liked this as we had to sip at first and hold off with drinking the wine til the food arrived. Zallo crystal is used here, and it has a very "modern" look of course, while there are crisp white linens on the tables and a very attentive staff as well that work as a team, although Riccardo seemed to be the one who served us most.
The first amuse was a Shiso leaf lightly battered and fried with tuna tartare, Burgundy black truffle and lovage mayo. We were in love. The next dish is a signature of the chef and is presented in a large ceramic Ostrich egg-like container with a grand reveal. Poached egg sits in fried egg sauce with dill oil and Shrinking caviar (yes, that's what it's called) and served with toasted brioche with pickled shallots. Will hit the nail right on the head when he said it look like Egg & Soldiers, that oh so English treat where you dip the rectangular bread in a soft egg! I was reminded of Jean-Louis Palladin's famous egg custard with caviar-a real blast from the past. Don't forget all the fotos on FB!!
Citrus-cured Hiramasa was perfection with Pistachio Puree, shredded Badger flame beets, shaved horseradish & lemon zest. The next dish was probably my favorite as it had two of my fave foods: Herb roasted Lobster tail with Foie Gras (Will chose the substitute celeriac), Pineapple juice puree, truffle butter glazed cabbage and purple basil. It was an extremely delicate preparation bursting with flavors and the light pineapple was simply amazing with the foie gras.
Crispy skin Sea Bass indeed had the best skin ever with a wild herb sauce, chanterelles, turbido(what was that?), pearl onion and vignon(??) sabayon sauce. I asked the server to repeat this several times, but it just never came across right!! there were actually two delicious sauces, but it was the fish skin that shined. At this point we had finished our white and the sea bass needed more white. Jonathan asked if he could bring us a taste of a wine not on the menu. The 2018 Wieniger Reid Rosengartl had super fruit flavors with a lot of smoke on the palate that we both loved. and I also liked the La Antigua Clasico Roja Blanco 2018 made from Tempranillo Blanco and Viura.
The "main' course was Dry aged Long Island Pheasant Farm Duck breast with Baby Artichokes in a Coriander-Citrus Duck jus that was cooked just past rare and a perfect size so that we were not overwhelmed. There were lemon-preserved dates in the dish that burst with flavor, and I yearned to know if I could make these at home. Indeed, the portion size was perfection for this entire feast. Of course, a red wine was needed, so Jonathan appeared with some options, and we first tasted the Brezeme 2109 Syrah from the Rhone that I felt was a tad wimpy, but we both loved the Gevrey Chambertin 2018 Vielles Vignes Tortochot as it was an amazing Pinot Noir to pair with the duck's richness.
A refreshing Grape-Kombucha Granita with frozen yogurt was the palate cleanser and had great acidity as well. Then we got the first of two desserts:
White & Dark Chocolate Tarte with Rum Sorbet was nice and different, but not my ideal dessert as I tend to yearn for fruit or such, but it was enjoyable.
An adorable presentation of mignardises arrived with Black Sesame & Yuzu Tartelettes and a Chartreuse Hot Chocolate Bonbon. The tartelette was easily the winner of all the dessert options and sent us home happy and full ready for a Thanksgiving feast the next day!
