The Modern Uncorks Its First Collaborative Dinner With Magical Results

Fort Worth’s World Class Museum Hosted One Epic Night On July 14

The Modern's first ever collaborative dinner on July 14
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The Modern's first ever collaborative dinner on July 14
1The Modern's first ever collaborative dinner on July 14
2Ossetra caviar with quail egg atop toasted brioche
3Pianist Fei-Fei Dong
4doppio pasta dish
5Le Rose champagne
6fried chicken dish
7main course of duck with cherries
8Chef Jett Mora Cafe Modern
9Triple creme brie atop peaches and a savory biscuit
10baked Alaska - The Modern's first collaborative meal.
The Modern Uncorks Its First Collaborative Dinner With Magical Results
The Modern hosted its first ever collaborative dinner on July 14, here's hoping its just the beginning. (Photo by Courtney Dabney)

The Modern hosted its first ever collaborative dinner on July 14, here's hoping its just the beginning. (Photo by Courtney Dabney)

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Fort Worth Digital Diary gives you a locally sourced lay of the land
Ossetra caviar with quail egg atop toasted brioche
The Modern Uncorks Its First Collaborative Dinner With Magical Results
Ossetra caviar with quail egg atop toasted brioche. How amusing. (Photo by Courtney Dabney)

Ossetra caviar with quail egg atop toasted brioche. How amusing. (Photo by Courtney Dabney)

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Fort Worth Digital Diary gives you a locally sourced lay of the land
Pianist Fei-Fei Dong
The Modern Uncorks Its First Collaborative Dinner With Magical Results
Pianist Fei-Fei Dong's musical interludes took the magical meal over-the-top.

Pianist Fei-Fei Dong's musical interludes took the magical meal over-the-top.

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Fort Worth Digital Diary gives you a locally sourced lay of the land
doppio pasta dish
The Modern Uncorks Its First Collaborative Dinner With Magical Results
Each course including this doppio pasta dish was paired with champagne by Billecart-Salmon. (Photo by Courtney Dabney)

Each course including this doppio pasta dish was paired with champagne by Billecart-Salmon. (Photo by Courtney Dabney)

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Fort Worth Digital Diary gives you a locally sourced lay of the land
Le Rose champagne
The Modern Uncorks Its First Collaborative Dinner With Magical Results
Le Rose remains one of Billecart-Salmon's calling cards.

Le Rose remains one of Billecart-Salmon's calling cards.

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Fort Worth Digital Diary gives you a locally sourced lay of the land
fried chicken dish
The Modern Uncorks Its First Collaborative Dinner With Magical Results
The fried chicken dish was a flight of fancy by Chef Jett Mora. (Photo by Courtney Dabney)

The fried chicken dish was a flight of fancy by Chef Jett Mora. (Photo by Courtney Dabney)

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Fort Worth Digital Diary gives you a locally sourced lay of the land
main course of duck with cherries
The Modern Uncorks Its First Collaborative Dinner With Magical Results
The main course of duck with cherries and crispy rice granola was paired with Le Rose. (Photo by Courtney Dabney)

The main course of duck with cherries and crispy rice granola was paired with Le Rose. (Photo by Courtney Dabney)

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Fort Worth Digital Diary gives you a locally sourced lay of the land
Chef Jett Mora Cafe Modern
The Modern Uncorks Its First Collaborative Dinner With Magical Results
Chef Jett Mora leads Cafe Modern for Wolfgang Puck Catering.

Chef Jett Mora leads Cafe Modern for Wolfgang Puck Catering.

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Fort Worth Digital Diary gives you a locally sourced lay of the land
Triple creme brie atop peaches and a savory biscuit
The Modern Uncorks Its First Collaborative Dinner With Magical Results
Triple creme brie atop peaches and a savory biscuit for the cheese course. (Photo by Courtney Dabney)

Triple creme brie atop peaches and a savory biscuit for the cheese course. (Photo by Courtney Dabney)

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Fort Worth Digital Diary gives you a locally sourced lay of the land
baked Alaska - The Modern's first collaborative meal.
The Modern Uncorks Its First Collaborative Dinner With Magical Results
A brilliant riff on a baked Alaska ended the Modern's first collaborative meal. (Photo by Courtney Dabney)

A brilliant riff on a baked Alaska ended the Modern's first collaborative meal. (Photo by Courtney Dabney)

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What do you get when you combine one Cliburn caliber pianist, with a menu worthy of Wolfgang Puck’s precision, plus some stunning pours by renown champagne house Billecart-Salmon? You get The Modern Art Museum’s inaugural collaborative dinner.

The immaculate meal which took place on Monday, July 14 was one heck of a dry-run. Here’s hoping they are already working on a follow-up, because a perfectly orchestrated dining experience like this could become one of the hottest tickets in town.

Fort Worth dining is typically a casual affair. But, we do have some stand-out fine dining restaurants (including The Blue Room, 61 Osteria, Bonnell’s, Paris 7th among them), that up the dress code and the service requirements, affording a well-rounded dining experience. Still local foodies are not accustomed to tables set properly with just the right utensils for each course and an array of wine glasses to suit each paired pour.

Let’s face it, when waitstaff march out in choreographed lines to deliver one artistic plate after another (always serving to the left and clearing to the right), it gets your attention and elevates the meal. The Billecart-Salmon Wine Pairing dinner was one such occasion.

The Cliburn Agency Served Up The Talents of Fei-Fei Dong

Pianist Fei-Fei Dong
Pianist Fei-Fei Dong’s musical interludes took the magical meal over-the-top.

Fort Worth music lovers know her well. The Julliard School graduate was a finalist in the 2013 Van Cliburn International Competition. Her professional career still crosses paths with Fort Worth and The Cliburn on a regular basis. And, she is now represented by the newly formed The Cliburn Agency.

The collaborative dinner was a feast for the senses thanks to a private performance by this world-class artist. Fei-Fei set the stage for each course with a piano piece she had chosen to pair with it. Her personality is endearing, and her artistry at the piano enrapturing.

Prior to the main course of Rohan duck breast with cherries, Fei-Fei selected a piece by Rachmaninoff that she said was, “So sweet, “ just like the cherries on the plate. The addition of her virtuoso piano interludes filling the main hall of The Modern was inspiring and surprising. One of Fort Worth’s architectural wonders designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, The Modern was built to showcase art, but its acoustic quality is equally stunning.

The Modern Meal Was A Champagne Soaked Affair

Le Rose champagne
Le Rose remains one of Billecart-Salmon’s calling cards.

The stage was set for the evening with passed flutes of champagne, and a decadent butter and salt tasting table strewn with bite-sized bread slices and colorful radishes for dipping.

Billecart-Salmon is one of the most respected and enduring producers in the Champagne region of France ― from whence all true champagnes hail. The champagne house was founded in 1818 by newlyweds Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon. Still to this day it boasts one of the world’s 50 best vineyards.

Guests were treated to a tasting paired perfectly with each course, by Café Modern’s Chef Jett Mora and his team.

The first course of Ossetra caviar was served alongside a quail egg atop brioche toast served as an amuse buche. Billecart-Salmon paired it with their 100-percent chardonnay Blanc de Blancs champagne, aged in stainless steel tanks.

Wolfgang Puck’s Chef Jett Mora Elevated The Evening With Ample Surprises

doppio pasta dish
Each course including this doppio pasta dish was paired with champagne by Billecart-Salmon. (Photo by Courtney Dabney)

The first course was a delicate doppio pasta dish dressed in uni butter and sweet summer corn. It was paired with the Sous Bois, which is a blend of three varietals (chardonnay, pinot noir, and meunier) aged in oak casks. The second course presented one of Chef Mora’s flights of fancy. Fried chicken was served in a crispy chicken skin, atop a white power made of dehydrated chicken fat that simply melted in your mouth. It was paired with Billecart’s Vintage 2013 ― also aged for almost eight years to achieve its smoothness.

The main dish was a Rohan duck breast topped with soaked cherries and crispy rice granola with a side of fennel salad. This called for the most famous champagne the house has to offer. Its Le Rose which was made famous in the 1970s and is predominantly chardonnay with a touch of pinot providing its rosy blush. No surprise it was a crowd favorite.

The fourth course was a triple crème brie layered with Jezebel peaches atop a savory thin biscuit. It was paired with Le Reserve champagne. It’s lightless paired well with the dessert course as well ― a miniature raspberry and yogurt filled pouf of baked Alaska.

Here’s hoping you get a seat at the table the next time The Modern plans a collaborative meal like this. Keep an eye out for upcoming events.