A super fitness-focused friend of mine recommended I join her at Modern Market for lunch some time to consider for review. I had seen it several times before, as it is across from a grocery store I frequent, but I admit at first glance I had thought based on the neighborhood that it was probably outside my everyday lunch price range.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that Modern Market is not only very fairly priced, it features unbelievably fresh and seasonal menu items that rotate with the availability of produce.
They also touched on my personal weakness, unique local beverage selections:
My friend and I decided to share a signature salad and a pizza, which were completely original recipes.
The champagne dressing was outstanding, and the portion was exceedingly generous. They considerately offered the dressing on the side, allowing the option to take half of the salad home without it wilting from the dressing- this is always a pleasant bonus for me.
I selected the pizza, and was seriously impressed with the freshness and quality of the ingredients, as well as the excellent crust. Modern Market has expertly struck a balance between a thin crust pizza and a soft outer crust. Too often a thin crust pizza is basically just a cracker with toppings- not so at Modern market.
The "pizza sauce" was actually a fresh garlic puree and I was amazed to find that it was somehow not overwhelming, but instead punched up and highlighted the flavors of the toppings.
About a week later, I suggested to my husband that we pick up something from Modern Market to-go for an easy dinner. I was surprised, and I admit not a little disappointed to find that I had discovered the restaurant at the very end of a menu season, and I couldn't order the Bianco I had so enjoyed the week before. The cashier was very patient if perhaps a little aggressive in selling me on the new menu, but I have to hand it to him, he sold the crap out of this menu- it was already about an hour and a half later than I usually ate dinner and my hanger was not making it an easy task.
He ultimately talked me into the new Sausage Pesto pizza, a Blueberry Pesto sandwich (yes, you read that right), and a side of Rosemary Sweet Potato Mash for my husband.
While I admit that most of my lack of enthusiasm for the Sausage Pesto pizza was a result of my disappointment that my new favorite pizza was already off the menu, and that fresh pureed garlic had left flavor promises to my palate that would be difficult to fulfill, I found the Sausage Pesto Pizza ok. I expected a stronger pesto flavor, and I found no pesto flavor at all. It was a fairly bland, creamy sauce with whole cloves of roasted garlic that surprised my husband because until he bit into one he actually thought they were chicken. Still, the idea behind the pizza was good, and I actually suspect they forgot to add the pesto, which would absolutely have made a huge difference in the deliciousness of this dish. Also, the sausage was excellent, and tasted as though it had been made in house, and that crust could redeem almost any topping mistakes.
I mostly ordered the Blueberry Pesto sandwich out of morbid curiosity, and because it came so enthusiastically recommended by the cashier. It really sounded like a novelty sandwich that was constructed for the sake of uniqueness, though I could see how blueberries could take the place of tomatoes as a sweet and tart element in the classic combination of tomatoes and basil.
...It actually wasn't bad! It wasn't a mind blowing new combination that changed the way I looked at the ingredients and created a completely new flavor sensation, the way combining say cinnamon and chocolate might do that, but it was a pretty good meatless sandwich. I was correct in my guess that the blueberry spread acted in the role of the sweet acidic balance that one typically looks to a tomato for, but it didn't really contribute something more than a tomato would. Still, as a novel twist on a classic it was successful in that Modern Market took a flavor combination I really did not expect to succeed and made a pretty darn good sandwich.
The rosemary sweet potato mash was, understandably, basically baby food, but dadgum it was good! Well balanced and delicious, this is an excellent side item for any of the healthy fare offered by Modern Market.
All in all, I highly recommend you go check out Modern Market. You're guaranteed to feel both virtuous and satiated, and you won't feel that conflict between healthy choices, flavor, quality, and wallet. Just enter with an open mind and wait to see what their seasonal menu has to offer you, because I think I sabotaged my own experience the second time by priming my taste buds for a specific menu item.
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