Dinner & a Movie

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

While the predicted high temperatures in New York will hover between 38 and 46 degrees this weekend, down in Miami, where the art world gathers for the American installment of the Art Basel fair, temperatures are expected to reach a balmy 80 degrees. Members of the art community and those simply in search of a good party will converge on Miami Beach as well for the Red Dot and SCOPE Miami fairs. If your weekend plans don’t include a flight into Miami, museum-hopping among New York’s art institutions could be the remedy for a bout of Basel-envy. Dinner and a Movie suggests a trip to the Museum of Modern Art, where dining, holiday shopping, and catching a film can all be done in the span of one city block.

DINNER

Chef Gabriel Kreuther’s double-trouble duo of restaurants, the Modern and the Bar Room at the Modern, offer sleek menus filled with Austrian and French dishes. If you’re traveling with a family — or without reservations to the Modern — the Bar Room is your best bet for on-the-go eating. The menu is divided into three categories, each featuring a progressively larger plate size. The Alsatian tarte flambée makes for a hearty meal, while the upside-down tuna tarte with fennel and a swipe of aioli is a lightweight snack for museumgoers cooling their heels between exhibits. Pumpkin, couscous, and chestnut soup, and beer-braised pork belly are other winter favorites. On the liquid side, the actual bar at the Bar Room serves up specialty cocktails including Coming Up Roses, a sweet choice for a holiday tipple that features raspberry vodka, Champagne, and rose petals. (9 W. 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-333-1220)

SHOPPING

In the December 5 New York Sun, resident “Urban Vintage” columnist Peter Hellman wrote about his favorite wine gifts this season (the article, “An Oenophile’s Holiday Wish List,” can be found on our Web site at nysun.com). Among his picks was a set of wineglasses by Czech designer Maxim Velcovsky, which look like glass versions of plastic Dixie Cups (complete with ridges in the middle of the cup) sitting atop stems ($100 for two). These are available only at the MoMA Design Store, as are Rikke Hagen’s wobble cognac glasses ($50), which feature large, stout bowls supported only by a rounded glass nub at the base. For those who want to bring a little green into their homes, Jun Inui’s Eggling Herb Garden ($18) begins with a ceramic egg that, when “cracked,” becomes a mini-garden complete with a peat-mixture soil in which home gardeners can grow basil, mint, thyme, or Italian parsley. (MoMA Design Store, 11 W. 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-708-9700)

FILM

MoMA hosts a screening of Malaysian filmmaker James Lee’s “Before We Fall In Love Again” (2006), as part of the Asian Cine visions 2007 series, which supports emerging Asian filmmakers in America and internationally. The film (in Mandarin with English subtitles) follows the plight of two Malay-Chinese men in search of a missing woman. Strangely, though, one of the men is the woman’s husband, and the other, her lover. Mr. Lee shot the movie in black-andwhite, using a minimalist style that fully captures the emotional states of the two men. (Friday, 8 p.m., Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-708-9400, $20 general, $16 seniors, $12 students, free for children and members)


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use