Doomscrolling this morning I came across Galloni’s most recent IG post on a lunch at the Modern. Glowing review for the food and service, but he mentioned the wine program not matching. His quote " Fabulous lunch at The Modern. We ordered the tasting menu, which was exquisite. Every dish was spot on. Service was tops. Wine program needs work if the goal is to be at the same levels as the food. I hate to be critical, as I love restaurants and the central role they play in society, but there is room for improvement…"
I don’t quite know what to make of this, for to judge a wine program like the Modern’s is complicated and involves examining the whole restaurant group and how the other programs have evolved and fared. The Modern has provided a refuge for those seeking good wine in the wasteland of midtown in New York for many years. There is also the fact the Galloni is not a restaurant critic, but is quite influential in the wine world, how much weight does his critique hold? I do agree, there is always room for improvement, but wonder what other people make of this snub?
“Not about the quality of the list but about the total experience, which was not good. But you can read all the details when I write this lunch up on our site.”
My understanding is the USHG across the board is reducing its investment in wine programs, at least at the high end. Glassware at most of the restaurants is clunky Riedels, with the Modern having some Zaltos but unless its changed recently, not enough. I think the quality of the program today vs. 2 years ago has changed. The list at the Modern of wines that are exciting has shrunk. BYO remains a great option at these restaurants, however. I’m also not sure how Manhatta fares - I would assume better.
IMO, the food at the Modern is also not particularly exciting. I’ve only been once at the main restaurant about 1.5 years ago, which was solid but uninspiring IMO. Perhaps it’s improved. I’ve been to the Bar Room a bunch and never felt like it got back to the pre-covid level in terms of consistency, unless it’s improved recently. Especially for lunch, I had some really bad food at the two lunches I did at the Bar Room last year. Usually the best thing on the menu is the tarte flambee - in one of the lunch visits it came out ice cold, I can only assume it was taken out of the freezer or something and not properly heated up.
My recent experiences have much more mirrored yours, however this place used to be a gem. Amazing food with some what big portions for fine dining, and the list used to be deep and well priced across the board.
I couldn’t tell you anything I ate the last time I was there. The wine list was much harder to surf and find deals, and the portions have shrunk for the food.
Having said that, I’m happy to go back! Covid times were not a way to judge the restaurant. If Galloni said the food is ripping, I’m going to make it next on my list to go to.
I think this says more about Galloni than it does about the list at the Modern. Years of working in Midtown made it the one obvious wine refuge, the wine program is pretty good. I was at the Modern about a month ago, and there we easily found a bottle to buy off the list in addition to the three we brought, the service was excellent (as always), though I agree with @Rob_M1 the stems could have been a bit better.
I am occasionally in New York, typically near major law firm offices for mediations or whatever for various cases. I love eating at the Bar Room at The Modern with other attorneys or BD or whatever. I was last there in April, had a half bottle of Diebolt Valois and a good bottle of Fourier prem cru that I thought was very reasonably priced (by Dallas standards). I was a happy dude and my meal was absolutely wonderful. I’ve had nothing but great experiences in what is a fun and satisfying restaurant in a cool spot.
Our post-COVID experiences in the main room have been excellent, particularly on food and service, and the wine program has been fine. inKind is a bonus. In other USHG spots, we continue to enjoy Ci Siamo, but Union Square Cafe has been mediocre at best our last few visits. Not looking to return.
He called out the service. And honestly it is the same problem that many restaurants are going through. I love The Modern as it is a godsend for business meals in midtown. The wine list is geek friendly and fairly priced. The Bar room is perfect for a quick business lunch or dinner. I go there 2-3 per month. Having said that the wine team has been a revolving door and most do not have much experience. I could say the same about so many other top Manhattan restaurants.
I can’t provide the source but I think if you look at the Modern wine list and if you can recall what it was like a few years ago, that’s fairly clear evidence.
You can find the old lists on Wayback machine. Doing some quick analytics on a few areas of the list, # of selections is down a lot.
Fall 2021 → Now
Barolo selections: 38 (fall 2021) → 28 now, -26%
Vosne Premier Cru: 12 (fall 2021) → 10 now, -17%
NSG Premier Cru: 24 (fall 2021) → 16 now, -33%
Chambolle Premier Cru: 12 (fall 2021) → 5 now, -60%
MSD Grand Crus: 17 (fall 2021) → 8 now, -53%
Add in a few other regions for the heck of it:
Riesling (Rheinhessen): 10 (fall 2021) → 6 now
Riesling (Rheingau): 7 (fall 2021) → 2 now
I assume something must be growing because the # of pages on the list isn’t that different, but just checked a few areas I would care about.
I have nothing against the Modern btw - loved the Bar Room pre-covid, probably went there as much as anywhere else. Also been some great staff that have worked there, pre-covid and post-covid. Seems like the consistency suffered a lot post-covid though in the wait staff and the kitchen, at least on the Bar Room side. Would be great if it has improved since last year (my last time there) or does improve at some point, because even if the list isn’t quite as exciting, the corkage policy is very generous.
Too bad if true. Haven’t been there post -Covid (nothing doctrinal in that, we just don’t go to fancy restaurants any more) but pre-Covid they had a very personable and helpful somm and GC Krug in 375s at 1.1x. Fricken heaven.
I agree with all of this, but that just goes to the nature of wine programs in NYC and why this comment says more about Galloni than it does about the Modern. I can’t think of a single restaurant that has a better list post-pandemic than it had pre-pandemic. It’s just the nature of the beast.
A friend said to me recently that the best wine lists in NYC are now in collectors’ cellars, especially for anything with age. That wasn’t necessarily true pre-pandemic, but very hard to argue with this statement now.
Exactly - it’s a general post-COVID issue. It’s the case everywhere. But then, compared to the average somm experience I’ve had at Michelin restaurants in France over the last few years, my experiences at the Modern have been pretty great.
Knowing a bit of the internal dialogue regarding wine programs at USHG, I wondered if and when people might notice. I guess why I wanted to point out the group as a whole instead of just one restaurant. Arthur is one of the few buyers who stayed with the group after last year, just saying…
I have been to the Modern a couple of times in the last year, once in the kitchen and once the dining room. Both times were enjoyable, in fact, the kitchen experience was pretty fantastic. We bought a bottle of Champagne from the list, and also a couple of bottles from home. Wine service and table service were superb, the food was innovative and of high quality.
I concur with other posters who talk about the fact that post COVID cellars are smaller than before, but this particular wine list still runs to 176 pages, and there is still plenty to choose from, which is good, as I am planning to go back in a month or so.