The food at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth’s restaurant is a work of art, too
I’d never been to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth until I went for this article. But I didn’t go for the art; I went for the food.
The museum’s restaurant, Café Modern, is owned by Wolfgang Puck Catering and operated by head chef Jett Mora.
The elevated dining experience looks out at the Modern’s sparkling reflection pond and sterling trees.
The menu rotates depending on the season. Its sophisticated palate reflects the modern, high-end art that the museum showcases. In my opinion, Mora’s food creations could be considered interactive, limited-time installations.
Currently, Café Modern offers all the cozy flavors. We’re talking sage, butternut squash, pomegranate and maple. All vegetation is sponsored by Freshpoint produce distributors who collect from local North Texas farms.
But enough about the nitty gritty. Here’s the scoop on Café Modern’s current exhibition.
Café Modern’s fall menu
Everything good starts with dessert, which is why Chef Mora started the lunch off with his fall desserts.
Apple Jack Pie a la Mode: It tastes better than it looks, which says a lot, because the dessert is thinly sliced apples arranged into a rose with apple Jack Daniels caramel, Apple Jacks cereal crème anglaise, pecan granola and cinnamon ice cream.
Chocolate Peanut Shortbread: This is an elevated Snickers ice cream bar, Mora said. There’s peanut mousse, dark chocolate, caramel and malt ice cream.
Coffee Crumb Cake: This one is actually on the brunch entrée menu, but it seriously tastes like dessert. Think matured coffee cake. This treat has bananas foster with espresso whipped cream. Wow.
Mora then introduced the next array of dishes, one of which had influence from a Texas favorite: Bacon maple jam from Bucces’ was the muse for the Autumn Grilled Cheese. Other lunch items served included:
Autumn Grilled Cheese: Melty fontina and brie on Empire Whole Wheat bread from Dallas with, of course, that apple maple bacon jam.
Pear Salad: (Served for lunch and dinner) This red wine-soaked pear was tart but sweet. The indulgent pear was served with blue cheese, candied walnuts, crunchy radicchio and frisée.
Chicken Pot Pie: (The dinner version comes with black truffle) Need I say anything? You cannot go wrong with a heirloom tomato, root vegetable, pearl onion and chicken stew sealed with buttery puff pastry, occasionally drizzled with fragrant black truffle oil.
Butternut Squash Risotto: Creamy mascarpone, sharp Parmesan and all the fall flavors of brown butter, sage, squash and bright pomegranate seeds. So cozy.
Eggplant Parmigiana: (Lunch and dinner) A classic dish that never gets old. Spaghetti with tomato, basil, mozzarella and crispy crumbed eggplant.
Now for the dinner menu. Mora ensured that all different cuisines are featured and he does it well.
10-Spice Spring Roll: Mora was inspired by Vietnamese culture in this crispy pork and crab spring roll filled with local veggies and wrapped in lettuce leaves.
Chicken Roulade: “This dish essentially uses the whole chicken,” Mora said. A chicken rolled with both light and dark meat, rosemary jus, honey, dijon and broccoli rabe and potatoes.
Osso Bucco: This lamb was cooked by a vegetarian. The meat just fell off the bone into the butternut squash risotto and red wine jus with pomegranate seeds.
Pan Seared Scallops: These pan seared scallops were topped with lardo (essentially just the back fat from a pig), blue oyster mushrooms and a yuzu kosho.
About the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is located on 3200 Darnell St.
The museum offers half-off admission on Sundays and free gallery admission on Fridays. Any other day, the normal ticket price varies:
Anyone under 18 years old: Free
Adults: $16
Seniors/military/first responders: $12
Student with ID: $10
The museum is closed on Mondays, but is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for Fridays, when it closes at 8 p.m.
Café Modern is also closed on Mondays. It is open for brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. The café is open Tuesday-Saturday for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Happy hour — featuring $1 off beers and well drinks; red, white, and sparkling wine for $6; and bar snacks for $5 — is from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. every day, and 8 p.m. on Fridays.
Finally, dinner hours are on only Fridays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
