A Farewell to MOD
A year and a half ago, I discovered one of the best restaurants. This restaurant wasn't in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, but quaint, unassuming Bentonville, AR. But the cuisine here rivaled what had been the best meal I'd ever eaten at Tom Colicchio's Craft Bar in NYC. Modern Ozark Dining (MOD) brought an urban and eclectic perspective in food to my hometown, and I couldn't have been happier.
To create food this delicious, this creative, requires a chef with passion. Someone who is unafraid to experiment with new flavor combinations and dining experiences. I am the kind of person that will go to a restaurant and choose not what I "feel" like eating, but the most outlandish, and honestly, weird dish I can find--I will try anything once (tip to non-adventurous eaters: a restaurant isn't going to put something on a menu that isn't delicious. That would be stupid...). The menu at MOD has always been a foodie playground for me, making my decision on what to order far more complex than at other restaurants, including those I've been to in big cities.
Thanks to MOD, I've had four unbelievable, delicious, unique, unforgettable meals. Here are the culinary highlights from my last two meals: dinner and brunch
Pictured: top elotes hushpuppies, left fried bleu cheese paired with housemade raspberry jam and watercress, right onion ravioli with charred bread crumbs.
I loved everything. MOD managed to take ingredients that I typically don't like and made them, well, stunning. Most accentuate the boldness of ingredients, which brings out the offputting, pungent flavors of bleu cheese or sour cream, but here, the flavors are balanced with candy like jams and light tempura, or zesty cilantro and lime with sweet corn. Onions were made into a light pink paste, mellow and unique, juxtaposed by burnt bread--who knew? But I'll never taste these dishes again...and not just because of an ever evolving menu.
My main course was baba ganoush with sweet potato chips. Smokey, fatty, and sweet (sorry, I can't find a synonym that fits and this place understands how to combine all flavors) in all the best ways possible. Though it couldn't compare to my last eggplant dish, also from MOD, which has now become the best meal I have ever eaten. I can still taste it: creamy sauce, jammy cherry tomatoes, earthy basil oil, and charred eggplant that was neither mushy nor hard and bitter *sighs and stares off wistfully.*
Dinner also featured juicy pork topped with jalapeño raspberry jam, smoked polenta, and those same heavenly tomatoes. There's no such thing as a one note meal here.
The end of my dinner, the end of my last dinner at MOD, was drawn to a close by marshmallow cheesecake. I had expected a marshmallow flavored cheesecake. What I got was a cheesecake with the texture of marshmallows. Pillowy, satin covered cheesecake. It was luscious.
So why am I telling you about a restaurant that you now know is closed forever? Well, I think there is something to be learned from this. Why my favorite dinner spot closed is still a bit of a mystery, but I think it has to do with a combination of two things: not enough customers and a chef with big dreams that is always looking for a new endeavor. In response to the latter, I encourage you all to explore the world around you, to go out and try the eclectic new restaurant with strange sounding menu items. Take advantage of whatever exciting places are right in your own neighborhood. To address the chef in search of something new, not too sound too poetic, but we should all be trying to make our lives a little more exciting. Never be afraid to go out and serve duck eggs with spinach espuma, or try your hand at writing a blog. We should all be in search of that thing, whether it be new, that we love.
To create food this delicious, this creative, requires a chef with passion. Someone who is unafraid to experiment with new flavor combinations and dining experiences. I am the kind of person that will go to a restaurant and choose not what I "feel" like eating, but the most outlandish, and honestly, weird dish I can find--I will try anything once (tip to non-adventurous eaters: a restaurant isn't going to put something on a menu that isn't delicious. That would be stupid...). The menu at MOD has always been a foodie playground for me, making my decision on what to order far more complex than at other restaurants, including those I've been to in big cities.
Thanks to MOD, I've had four unbelievable, delicious, unique, unforgettable meals. Here are the culinary highlights from my last two meals: dinner and brunch
Pictured: top elotes hushpuppies, left fried bleu cheese paired with housemade raspberry jam and watercress, right onion ravioli with charred bread crumbs.I loved everything. MOD managed to take ingredients that I typically don't like and made them, well, stunning. Most accentuate the boldness of ingredients, which brings out the offputting, pungent flavors of bleu cheese or sour cream, but here, the flavors are balanced with candy like jams and light tempura, or zesty cilantro and lime with sweet corn. Onions were made into a light pink paste, mellow and unique, juxtaposed by burnt bread--who knew? But I'll never taste these dishes again...and not just because of an ever evolving menu.
My main course was baba ganoush with sweet potato chips. Smokey, fatty, and sweet (sorry, I can't find a synonym that fits and this place understands how to combine all flavors) in all the best ways possible. Though it couldn't compare to my last eggplant dish, also from MOD, which has now become the best meal I have ever eaten. I can still taste it: creamy sauce, jammy cherry tomatoes, earthy basil oil, and charred eggplant that was neither mushy nor hard and bitter *sighs and stares off wistfully.*
Dinner also featured juicy pork topped with jalapeño raspberry jam, smoked polenta, and those same heavenly tomatoes. There's no such thing as a one note meal here.
The end of my dinner, the end of my last dinner at MOD, was drawn to a close by marshmallow cheesecake. I had expected a marshmallow flavored cheesecake. What I got was a cheesecake with the texture of marshmallows. Pillowy, satin covered cheesecake. It was luscious.So why am I telling you about a restaurant that you now know is closed forever? Well, I think there is something to be learned from this. Why my favorite dinner spot closed is still a bit of a mystery, but I think it has to do with a combination of two things: not enough customers and a chef with big dreams that is always looking for a new endeavor. In response to the latter, I encourage you all to explore the world around you, to go out and try the eclectic new restaurant with strange sounding menu items. Take advantage of whatever exciting places are right in your own neighborhood. To address the chef in search of something new, not too sound too poetic, but we should all be trying to make our lives a little more exciting. Never be afraid to go out and serve duck eggs with spinach espuma, or try your hand at writing a blog. We should all be in search of that thing, whether it be new, that we love.
Goodbye MOD,
Christina
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