Cafe Modern, a staple in Fort Worth cuisine since the museum's opening in 2002. I was heartbroken to hear of its closing during the pandemic and parting ways with Bon Appétit, but now I'm shaking my fist at myself for not returning sooner!
Jett Mora's culinary skills are on display for all to see here, accented by the beautiful dining area with the gorgeous reflecting pool backdrop outside the massive windows. Looking beyond the gorgeous setting, the food is really what we all will come again and again for, this time without such a lapse in visits on my end!
Starting with the skillet cornbread, it was immediately obvious that we were in for a treat this day for lunch. The cornbread was moist with just the right amount of crunchy bits drizzled in warm maple butter for us to pull off an astonishing trick of making the entire dish disappear before the waitress could even turn around.
Following the delectable first course, we all ventured in opposite directions for our entrées. Me, being the food mooch that I am, managed to sneak a bite of everyone's food. Perhaps this was by coercion, or perhaps it was because I flipped the bill. I ordered outside the norm for myself and opted for one of the specials for the day, which was an insanely good summer squash in Bengali curry with fresh radishes and summer greens. I must say, for this being outside of my standard carnivorous norm, this was in my opinion the shining star of the table this day! All the flavors melded together in a wonderful symphony that could have brought a tear to my eye if I wasn't so busy stuffing my face full of bite after bite.
My dining partners opted for the other special (Salmon Cakes), the sinful cheeseburger, and a soft omelette scramble.
Starting with the salmon cakes, these were my second favorite for the day. The cakes were fried up with just the right amount of sear and all the flavors of the dish melded wonderfully to bring out the essence of a truly good plate for these hot Texas summers. What did I learn from this? It sounds like you should order the special for the day, whatever that might be!
Moving on to the burger. The meaty grind of chuck, brisket, and short rib is still making me drool as I think about them while writing this review! It's a serious burger; one of the better burgers I've had in town for sure! Not only that, but the fries are perfectly crispy and seasoned.
Now that I've sufficiently wiped enough drool from my phone to continue typing, that brings us to the omelette. As someone who eats a lot of eggs, more than any person probably ever needs to, I can say that this soft and well-balanced Garlic Herb Boursin Cheese to delicately cooked egg was spot on. Everything was as it should be, simple, elegant, and perfectly cooked.
Oh! I'm skipping over the cocktails, which were also perfect and totally fine to drink at 11 AM; I don't care who judges me. Annnyyways, they were perfect and you should order them to your hearts content!
To sum up, I regret taking so long to return. I will be back as soon as possible!
