Museum Restaurants: January 2006 Archives

We went to MOMA one Saturday morning, right when they opened, thinking we'd miss the crowds. We didn't. We found ourselves at the end of a very long line that wasn't even going to start moving for another half an hour. So Todd proposed a membership; at $75 it would pay for itself after just two visits. He went off to investigate while I got all excited about being able to spend cold winter afternoons at the museum instead of in my tiny apartment, so when he came back with a higher figure we decided to go for it anyway. So we basically paid $120 so we wouldn't have to stand in line one Saturday morning (which makes us sound extravagant, but when you consider what we pay for Gymboree classes . . .). I've already been once more so I don't think it was a bad move. And the cafe turns out to be very baby-friendly, especially during off times.

The menu, as far as I remember, is mainly panini and soups, and all we've had so far are the sandwiches (and a really yummy, puffy pear tart). It's not too difficult to maneuver with a baby and they have those fancy high chairs that pull right up to the communal tables. They only let in people if there's seating available, then you go to the cashier and place your order. They give you a card with a number that you put up wherever you end up sitting. Then they bring you cutlery, napkins, drinks (except water, which is self-serve) and your food. If you decide you want dessert or more food, there's another cashier. When I went there alone during off-hours the hostess and some of the waitstaff got the chair for me and played with August while I finished his mozzarella panini and apple slices (which he did eat a bit of, but melted fresh mozzarella has kind of a weird, rubbery texture so he wasn't sure it was really food).

The first time we went I had the bruscetta trio: a white bean and fennel topping; fresh ricotta and roasted bell pepper; and proscuitto (if I remember right) with an apple mostarda (kind of an applesauce with spicy mustard seeds), which I really liked, although I thought it had a little too much of the mostarda (I just scraped some off). The also have some pastas, but next time I think I'll try the soup; I've seen other people enjoying it.