The Modern

9 W. 53rd Street
New York, NY
10019

Lucky lucky me. I am visiting K, friend and fellow food blogger, and boy does she know where to eat. We treated ourselves to lunch at the bar room of The Modern, a Danny Meyer joint (owner of other favorites such as Shake Shack and Gramercy Tavern). I started with a steak tartare that was done perfectly - the quivering quail egg perched on top released a creamy yolk when pierced that coated the well-seasoned tartare. My main was a beer-braised pork belly with ginger jus - there were also julienned granny smith apples and tiny cress leaves on top, and it rested on a bed of rice and sauerkraut. Since everything this far was so wonderful, we splurged on desserts as well - I chose a chestnut sundae that our waitress recommended which contained gianduja and irish cream ice creams, along with a vanilla chantilly cream, caramel sauce, chestnut cookie, nuggets of chestnut puree, shards of brittle and a chocolate tuile. This was great for the first few bites but quickly got too sweet for me - I think K chose better with her beignets for dessert. Service was an absolute dream - it's good to be back in the US!