Back from the Big Apple

I've just returned from a trip to New York, a fabulous city full of great eats and great art. Needless to say, I had a wonderful time. I love New York, but I don't love the totally unsecured internet connection in the hotel, so as you can see, I did not end up doing any blogging while there.

Out of all the museums in all the countries I've visited thus far, I have to say that MoMA is probably my favorite. The collection is fabulous, the floor plan clear and well thought out to anticipate the needs of visitors (free audio guides, bathrooms on every floor--hurrah!), the special exhibitions are outstanding (I highly recommend the current de Kooning retrospective). In short, it's a great institution, but the bonus for me was finding out that MoMA is also a great place to get something to eat.

MoMA offers three dining options. There's Terrace 5, a cafe that had a humongous line that I opted to skip, as well as the James Beard Award-winning French-American restaurant The Modern on the ground floor, which looked like the kind of place that was going to sucker-punch my wallet, so I skipped that, too, but found utter bliss at Cafe 2. Make no mistake--this is not your average museum cafeteria. Cafe 2 offers delectable upscale fare for reasonable prices. You're probably going to pay $14-20 per person for lunch, but oh what a lunch you'll get. There are no soggy sandwiches here--just inspired fare like the Wild Mushroom Tart with a huge dollop of creme fraiche on top and a crisp, lightly dressed salad on the side. I was so impressed with lunch that after a few more hours of wandering the galleries, I returned for a cappuccino and a piece of pumpkin cheesecake. The cappuccino had the perfect amount of foam, with a little heart design that gave me exactly the boost I needed to get back on my tired feet and do some more walking. The cheesecake was outstanding--rich and velvety but not too dense, and with a deep pumpkin flavor. The vanilla creme fraiche on top was a perfect accompaniment, and there might not be anything more delicious than sugared pepitas.

I'm sorry that I can only offer this blurry photo. Maybe I was too embarrassed to be another tourist taking a picture of my food at one of the communal tables and didn't bother getting a picture that was in focus, or maybe, and more likely, I was in a hurry to take the damn photo and eat that cheesecake!

If MoMA hadn't already won my heart for so many other reasons, it's very possible that the pumpkin cheesecake would have done it. It wasn't just that it was a pleasurable late-afternoon snack, but rather, it seemed to enhance the entire experience of visiting the museum. The pleasure of looking at the art, of watching other people, of doing things at my own pace--it all sort of culminated in this moment when I stopped to eat something delicious and reflect on everything I had already seen and done, as well as providing a little sugar burst so that I could go on and experience more. It was the kind of moment that makes you feel grateful for all of the things you have, and grateful for the small pleasures of life. It was poetry--the kind of moment that comes to you when all of the conditions are right, and that I frankly think is much less likely to happen in the dingy cafeterias with hard plastic chairs that serve greasy grilled cheese sandwiches.  I love the idea of an art museum as a showcase for the culinary as well as visual and performing arts.