New York City Museums Offering More Than Just Fine Art The Best New York Museum Restaurants and Cafes.
In A Moveable Feast, Hemingway wrote about the discipline of
hunger. While touring the Luxembourg Museum in Paris, he preferred to
admire Cézanne’s work “belly empty.” The young author explained that
when hungry “all the paintings were sharpened and clearer and more
beautiful.”
Just like their sophisticated travelers, Travel with
Carnet also strives to get the most out of our museum visits. However,
while we are frequenting the impressive museums of New York City, we
recommend avoiding hunger for too long and definitely not viewing Wayne
Thiebaud’s “Boston Cremes” at MoMA on an empty stomach. To ensure our
readers delight, Carnet’s New York Guide has spotlighted some of the
best New York restaurants that just so happen to be in museums.
The Modern and The Bar Room
The Modern at MoMA
The Modern at MoMA
won the 2006 James Beard Awards for “Best New Restaurant and
“Outstanding Restaurant Design.” Inspired by the Bauhaus movement and
designed by architects Bentel & Bentel, The Modern's ambiance
replicates MoMA’s elegant architectural design and sleek décor. The
light-filled glass windows overlooking The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller
Sculpture Garden make an enchanting setting. The New York Times and
Esquire have all praised the restaurant; and, Michelin Red Guide New
York City has given it three stars.
This restaurant is must for
all gourmands! Chef Gabriel Kreuther creates a dynamic blend of French
and American contemporary cuisine—combining offal and seafood dishes.
Foodies must try the Loup de Mer Soufflé and The Long Island Duck Foie
Gras Ravioli. Seasonal tasting menus are available and reflect
Kreuther’s Alsatian roots. The Bar Room—perfect for a light
meal—especially lunch, has over 30 savory dishes served as small and
large plates. A hand-selected international wine list features more than
900 selections, including wines by-the-glass and savory cocktails. The
sumptuous desserts (try the Lemon Napoleon or Warm Fig Tart in a
Balsamic Reduction with Olive Oil Ice Cream), are created by pastry chef
Marc Aumont.
Travel with Carnet tip: The restaurant has a
private entrance from the museum, and operates independently from museum
hours. The Modern is open Monday through Saturday and serves lunch à la
carte and dinner at a prix-fixe menu. The Bar Room is open daily.
Café Sabarsky and Café Fledermaus at the Neue Gallery
"Adele Bloch-Bauer" at the Neue Gallerie
Café Sabarasky at The Neue Gallerie
(that houses a spectacular collection of early 20th century Austrian
and German masters; art lovers must see Gustave Klimt’s portrait of
“Adele Bloch-Bauer.” In 2006, Ronald Lauder purchased the Klimt for The
Neue at 135 million dollars!) Café Sabarasky resembles a classic
Viennese café. The café’s traditional décor of period objects, lighting
fixtures, and upholstered banquettes with 1912 Otto Wagner fabric, will
fool you into thinking you’re in Vienna! Austrian Chef Kurt
Gutenbrunner has taken some of the specialties of his Michelin starred
Wallse to the Neue Gallery restaurant. Café Sabarasky offers traditional
Viennese dishes, coffees, pastries, and wines, especially a recommended
Grüner Veltliner. Some evenings are dedicated to Cabaret, showcasing
German and Austrian music of the 1890’s to 1930’s with a prix-fixe
dinner. Entertainment reservations must be booked well in advance.
Café Fledermaus
For a quick lunch or snack, Café Fledermaus
is a must (located in the lower level of the Neue Galerie). Inspired by
the Cabaret Fledermaus and commissioned by Fritz Waerndorfer and
executed by artisans in 1907, this café has all the Viennese style and
charm. Fledermaus offers the same lunch and dinner menu as Café
Sabarsky.
Untitled, A New Restaurant at the Whitney
Untitled
is the last opening of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality group. It
lacks the Modern’s grandeur (the leading restaurant museum of the
group); however, Untitled at The Whitney
Museum makes up for it with its fanciful take on a Manhattan coffee
shop ambiance. Chef Chris Bradley, formerly the Executive Sous Chef of
Gramercy Tavern, emphasizes comfort food; dishes are basic and hearty
and have seasonal flair. This is a perfect stop for freshly baked
breakfast pastries, along with omelets, pancakes, soups, salads,
sandwiches and burgers. Open for breakfast and lunch daily (except
closed on Mondays). Untitled serves dinner on Friday, Saturday, and
Sunday nights. A three-course set menu is available and changes weekly
with market fresh ingredients.
The Morgan Dining Room
Entering
this establishment, you may recollect an elegant dining scene out of
Martin Scorsese’s (1993) costume drama The Age of Innocence. The Morgan Dining Room,
located in J.P. Morgan’s original brownstone mansion, is fine dining
with pristine table settings and ornate china. But, to contradict The
New York Times, the experience lacks “a power lunch for a Robber Baron.”
Chef Jord King serves a limited lunch menu of classic American dishes. The Wright at the Guggenheim
The Wright Restaurant
The Wright
(named after Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s Frank Lloyd Wright—designed
building), is a must see for all travels! Opened since December 11,
2009, The Wright garnered a 2010 James Beard Award for Best Restaurant
Design. The 1,600- square-foot space, designed all in white by architect
Andre Kilkosi—is a homage to the museum’s remarkable modern
architecture. An impressive wall art installation, commissioned by Liam
Gillick, accentuates the state-of-the-art setting. To wet one’s
appetite, Chef Rodolfo Contreras offers a modern American menu that
reflects seasonal influences and local farmers’ market fresh produce.
Signature dishes: The Wright Salad (Roasted Root Vegetable, Celery Root
Puree), Butternut Squash Soup with Truffle Honey and Pumpkin Mousse,
Gently Cooked Egg and Truffle Pâté. The Wright serves lunch only and
Sunday brunch. It is closed on Thursdays. Dinner is reserved for private
events.
Museum Cafés
All
the museum restaurants mentioned above deserve a visit if you are in
the neighborhood. As to museum cafeterias, we are in favor as well!
Cafeterias and cafés give the art buff a moment to fill that petit
creux. (Plus, they are great settings for people watching and
eavesdropping on interesting conversations.)
The Café at Rubin’s offers excellent Indian finger food. El Café at el Museo del Barrio has authentically prepared dishes from the diverse Latin American countries. The Garden Court Café
at the Asia Society is a delightful place for lunch. It serves light
Asian fare with an elaborate assortment of exotic teas. Our favorites:
Jasmine Apple Green Tea and Vanilla Orchid Black Tea. The glass-enclosed
sky-lit room has natural light and beautiful art installations. The
Garden Court also serves as a venue for informal performances, readings,
discussions with artists, and other special events.
The MET
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is
the Grande Dame of American museums. After greatly improving its gift
shops, the Met restaurants and cafés are now trying to be at par with
the other Manhattan big hitters.
The American Wing Café
offers soups and sandwiches from 11am to 4:30pm on Sunday, Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday and Saturday the Café is open till
8:30pm.
The Great Hall Balcony Bar
serves cocktails and finger food on Friday and Saturday from 4pm to
8:30pm. There is live classical music, which gives the ambiance a
certain cachet; however, it is far from being exceptional.
The Petrie Court Café and
Wine Bar set in the European Sculpture Court is a restaurant serving
lunch during the week and dinner until 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday.
The main attraction for dinner is more live jazz than the fare. The Members Dining Room
is a Carnet favorite. The restaurant serves lunch all week (except
Monday) and dinner on Friday and Saturday. Each month, Chef Fred Sabo
prepares a four-course tasting menu highlighting a different domestic or
international cuisine. Sabo chooses unique artisanal products to
enhance dishes, and emphasizes organic and local ingredients. Sabo’s
cuisine combines flavors from around the world, including the spices of
Asia, India, and the Mediterranean. The service is impeccable. In
addition to an extensive wine list, the Members Dining Room offers a
reserve wine list. The pièce de la résistance, and not to be missed, are
the romantic views overlooking Central Park. The only drawback is that
The Members Dining Room is reserved exclusively for The Met museum
members: a Carnet recommendation, of course! Membership prices begin at
$60.00 with complete access to the Members Dining Room and many other
perks.
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