Eating lunch in The Bar Room at The Modern
Usually by mid-December, I'm already knee deep in fantasy basketball. Usually it consumes my life the way that some people are consumed by things like work, family, or relationships. Seriously, can anyone think of a better way to spend time? I sure couldn't. But since the NBA decided to have a lockout, the fantasy basketball season is just getting underway. With fantasy basketball or any fantasy sports in general, the best way to win is the have no one on your team get injured. This is often difficult to control. The next thing is to hope that you get someone on your team that's underrated by everyone else. If you find good value, you'll do well. Essentially you want to pleasantly surprised by a gem, that way you come out on top. This idea works well in dining as well. Finding an underrated gem really makes you feel good. It's hard to call The Bar Room at The Modern as underrated because its main dining room has been ranked by the Michelin Guide and by The New York Times. But I feel like this place doesn't come up that often when people talk about nicer sit-down places in Midtown.
I'm not sure if the menu in the Bar Room is as dynamic as the one in the main dining room, although it's still good enough if you're not someone who visits regularly. We tried the Red Snapper 'en Matelote' ($17). It's a nicely cooked piece of fish that's very lightly seasoned that becomes tastier with the cream sauce with which it comes, and the pieces of shallots and mushrooms that swim in the sauce. I don't think you could fill up on this one dish for lunch unless it's a light lunch, but if you shared it as an appetizer, it's not too bad.
For our mains, we got the boudin blanc ($18), which came with beans, apple, and benton's bacon. Steph was really happy with the dish. I thought the beans and the boudin blanc went pretty well together but I only had a bite so I don't remember much about it.
I got the pork belly ($18) which came on top of a bed of turnip and some green stuff. What kind of green stuff? Hell if I know. I think that's just for the guilt of eating a chunk of pork that's essentially bacon. What's nice about this dish is that the meat portion of the pork was super soft. I think this is one of those dishes at a fine dining place where they cook the meat and the skin separately and then use meat glue to put them back together. That's just my guess though, since the skin was super crispy and no part of the meat was cooked too tough. The skin of the pork made this a dish that was worth $18.
Lunch comes with a few pieces of bread so you could turn it into a meal that's semi-filling. But whether $18 for a dish + some free bread can cut for you is a personal decision. I think it's worth it to try at least once if you're looking for a nice-ish sit-down lunch in the Midtown area. The service at the actual bar was really nice. The bartender gave us some wine because he said he forgot to put our order in on-time. I think this is one of those things that you see at a well-managed place, and a benefit of sitting at the bar. I'm sure if they forget to put your order in and you're sitting at a table in the Bar Room, you might just be outta luck. So pro-tip, sit at the bar for the slim chance that if they mess up, they might make it up to you (no guarantees though).
Bar Room at The Modern
9 W. 53rd Street.
New York, NY 10019
212-333-1220
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I've only dined in the main room but have had drinks at the bar. I thought the Modern is one of the weaker Danny Meyer restaurants under his belt. I'm not saying it's bad, but that it's just underwhelming.
Oh yeah, and pork belly. Braise the crap out of it and broil the skin for 10-15 minutes. Soft fatty belly and super crispy skin.
hungry
December 20, 2011 12:49 pm
@hungry,
oh wow, we just have really different views on this one then. I've only been in the bar room, and I've been there three times. It's not exciting because they don't seem to change up often, but I feel like it's solid, especially for the area. Now that EMP is not part of the Danny Meyer empire, The Modern might be the only fine dining resto he has left?
Danny
December 20, 2011 10:54 pm
No, USHG still has a bunch of other fine dining restaurants, i.e. Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Cafe. Gramercy Tavern also has a bar area that was pretty good from the last time KC and I went.
Anne
December 22, 2011 12:01 pm
@Anne,
ah... thanks for the clarification. For some reason I never link Gramercy Tavern with Danny Meyer. I just think of shake shack whenever his name comes up.
Danny
December 23, 2011 11:22 am
I did the tasting menu in main dining room at the Modern once... great service and ambiance, but the dishes were hit or miss.
stphn
January 11, 2012 8:07 am