Samantha Calimbahin
Left to right: Strawberry watermelon agua fresca, chorizo-stuffed Medjool dates, and pan-roasted salmon
It caused quite the hoopla when it was first announced — Wolfgang Puck Catering was taking over food service at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
No, that did not mean Puck himself was coming to lead the kitchen at Café Modern. But perhaps Fort Worth got the next best thing — now serving as executive chef is Jett Mora, a member of Puck's team who built a career in Los Angeles before moving to Cowtown.
When Café Modern reopened in May after being closed for over a year, we of course were eager to get back to the museum and snag a window seat overlooking the reflecting pond. The atmosphere, as expected, hasn't changed; it's still as picturesque and serene as it had always been.
The real question was, with a name like Puck now associated with The Modern, is the new menu worth the hype?
We started off with complimentary cornbread served with a side of butter. Diners who slice the small rolls in half will immediately notice something not often seen within the Southern staple — small kernels of corn. The bread was soft, moist, flaky, and elicited no complaints. Needless to say, we were off to a good start.
Samantha Calimbahin
Buttered mini po'boy sandwiches
An avid crawfish lover (Cajun is my all-time favorite cuisine), I could not pass up the buttered mini po'boy sandwiches off the shared plates portion of the menu. Stuffed with a crawfish salad, Cajun remoulade, celery, and pickled vegetables, the little sandwiches (which come three to an order) were reminiscent of the lobster rolls you'd find in Maine. When it comes to mudbugs — or almost any food out of the water, really — it's not uncommon for a dish to come across as a little too "fishy"-tasting for some. Not so with these crawfish po'boys, however — they even impressed my companion, who had never tried crawfish until today. The light, buttery bread put a nice bow on the whole meal. Definitely worth ordering as a meal in and of itself.
Another sharable is the chorizo-stuffed Medjool dates. Now, before you dismiss what initially sounds like an odd combination, hear us out — the Nueske bacon-wrapped, meatball-esque dish was actually quite surprising. The chorizo, mixed with provolone and sitting atop a pimento pepper-tomato sauce, was tender and smoky. It was difficult to taste the dates, but nonetheless, the dish was delectable. This, too, is worth ordering again.
Next up came what we were told was one of Puck's signature specialties: the Chinois chicken salad, made with Napa cabbage, radicchio slaw, julienned chicken breast, candied cashews, crispy wontons, and a sesame-ginger dressing. So here's the thing — the Asian-inspired dish was certainly tasty but admittedly not the standout on the menu. Not when you read what's coming next.
Our main entrées were the Spring Bounty "Farrotto" and pan-roasted salmon. As the name suggests, the "farrotto" is similar to risotto, except made with farro. Creamy and savory, it's a subtly flavored dish that's also filling. And vegan.
Samantha Calimbahin
Spring berry shortcake
The salmon, however — oh man. It's something else. The filet comes served atop a Bengali curry, with sugar snap peas, zucchini, avocado butter, and black cumin seed. The salmon: Perfectly flaky and mildly crispy. The curry: Mellow but flavorful, not spicy, and wonderfully creamy. Dare we say it, this is the "thing to get" at Café Modern right now.
We only thought we didn't have room for more, but we were wrong. For dessert, we tried the spring berry shortcake, a pastry-like white chocolate cake with seasonal berries and whipped créme fraiche. It was light enough to still enjoy after a hefty sampling of multiple menu items.
And, lastly, accompanying our meal was a strawberry watermelon agua fresca that was just as refreshing as it sounds. The drink is hardly sweet, which means you not only get the true fruit flavors, but they also don't compete with your meal.
A recurring narrative we found among all the dishes we tried is that there's nothing with particularly strong or overpowering flavors. That's not to say the menu isn't flavorful — rather, it's balanced, with each ingredient making itself known and blending appropriately with its accompaniments.
So, back to our first question: Is Café Modern's new menu worth the hype?
The answer, to us, is yes.
