The Modern at MoMA is a magnificently conceived restaurant, bringing together the elan and pedigree of a Danny Meyer restaurant (his Union Square Hospitality Group, whose properties include Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Cafe, invested $10 million) and the dynamism and creativity of chef Gabriel Kreuther, who made a name for himself in these pages when he opened Atelier at the Ritz-Carlton back in July 2002. As you’d expect in a restaurant within a museum, the details in the Bauhaus-inspired bar and adjoining dining rooms have been meticulously executed right down to the funky chrome door latches on the gender-specific portals within the communal washroom. The architectural firm of Bentel & Bentel used glass in a variety of forms to draw dramatic boundaries, from the enormous tinted wall behind the 46-foot marble-topped bar keeping more than 2,000 bottles of wine temperature-controlled, to the curved luminescent glass curtain along the rear of the Bar Room that embraces diners entering the formal dining room, to the dining room’s dramatic two-story glass wall overlooking the restored sculpture garden. (The Bar Room’s separate cafe menu features small and large plates priced from $8 to $17, while the dining room offers a $74 three-course prix-fixe dinner.)

The main dining room seats 85 comfortably on chocolate-brown leather chairs and banquettes, with generous space between very large tables – all by notable Danish designers. Modern white china plates by Bernardaud are flanked by sleek Robbe & Berking silverware. Despite all of the sleekness and modernity, the room has an inexplicable softness and warmth that makes it romantic, too.

An assortment of amuse bouches one night recently included a gorgeous beggar’s purse of caviar sitting on a slice of bright green lime, while another purse, made of paper-thin pasta, was stuffed with creamy salmon roe topped with an edible gold paper cap. Alongside them were two savories: a 50-cent size coin of mushroom terrine, and a tiny apple-spice popover.

Chef Kreuther’s cuisine subtly reflects the ingredients of his Alsatian upbringing coupled with classic French technique and contemporary American flair. Briny-sweet langoustines wrapped in smoked bacon were perched in a puddle of spicy-pungent organic yogurt; they were drizzled with an earthy cardamom oil that both grounded and unified the fabulous-but-unlikely pairing of dairy and sea. A tartare of yellowfin tuna and diver scallops, each cut into precise squares, made for a delicious composition in pink and white accented with tiny bursts of salt by way of American caviar tossed in for good measure. A chilled Maine lobster salad juxtaposed the sweet, tender crustacean against crunchy black radishes and diced celery.

Two foie gras starters stood out for their superiority of technique and formidable flavors, despite their relatively diminutive sizes. One dish saw the silky fattened liver sauteed and served with spicy-currant chutney, crunchy sea salt, and a sweet reduction of Trappist Ale. The other was a creamy terrine marbled with roasted artichokes and green peppercorns. Both of them were extraordinary.

Main courses followed suit, hitting high notes across the board. The Chatham cod, dressed in thinly-sliced chorizo “scales,” was spectacular; the moist, meaty fish and spicy sausage, sitting atop a white bean puree, put a new spin on surf-n-turf. An exquisitely tender loin of lamb, cooked to a perfect medium-rare, was dusted with orange powder (made from dehydrated oranges) that gave the meat an amazing, mellow flavor – the antithesis of gamey. Mr. Kreuther placed the lamb atop a dazzling layer of paper-thin cucumber and melon discs that refreshed the palate with each bite.

A Long Island duck breast, also cooked a perfect medium-rare, was slathered with a black truffle “marmalade” and bathed in syrupy jus made from reduced Banyuls, a sweet, red Grenache-based wine from France’s southwest Pyrenees region. A roasted wild boar chop was also tender and delicious (though no more porky than mere pork), paired with an imaginative and tasty rutabaga choucroute (cooked in wild boar fat), and an excellent terrine of potatoes and tart red currants.

Wine director Stephane Colling’s wine list is excellent, featuring American and French selections – with many from Alsace, of course. Though there are a good number of bottles priced under $60, the list is definitely skewed toward the $100-a-bottle diner. Perhaps the only gaffe of my meal at the Modern involved a wine transaction in which my friend asked for a glass of dessert wine similar to Vin Santo, a sweet, oxidized Italian elixir. He was presented with a glass of amber nectar from South Africa without a word about its price: $30 for a 3-ounce pour. While the wine was absolutely delicious, my companion felt taken advantage of. To be certain, this is not in the Danny Meyer hospitality handbook.

Pastry chef Marc Aumont knows a thing or two about desserts that dazzle. A blood orange and grapefruit carpaccio with apple-basil sorbet was a memorable rollercoaster of sweet-and-sour sensations. A lemon napoleon with fromage blanc sorbet was ethereally light and the essence of lemon. A chocolate souffle with vanilla and pistachio ice cream and chocolate sorbet was well worth the extra 10 minutes it takes to prepare it.

On the way out the host handed us a beautiful golden minipound cake wrapped in a cellophane pouch, with instructions to enjoy it with breakfast the next morning. We followed her instructions and recalled what a fabulous meal we had had the night before, and made a resolution to return to MoMA, and the Modern, very soon.

The Modern, 9 W. 53rd St., 212-333-1220