Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | T | Texas Monthly

The art of the meal: after a hard morning of relishing Rothkos and viewing Van Goghs, take time out to appreciate a culinary masterpiece or two. Five of the state's best museums have cafes worthy of their collections, with menus ranging from the classic to the postmodern.

Article Excerpt
BACK IN THE OLDEN DAYS, ART MUSEUMS did not have restaurants. Why would anyone eat at a museum? That made about as much sense as taking a picture with a telephone. But modern life is all about changing paradigms, and museums now give as much thought to designing their dining rooms as to planning their galleries. When New York's Museum of Modern Art reopened in 2004 after an extensive makeover, its dining options got almost more press than its redo.

In Texas, the unwritten rule that forbade eating in the vicinity of great art was breached by the Kimbell Art Museum, in Fort Worth, in 1981. Soon, tourists and townies alike were crowding into its popular buffet. The tide had turned, and when it came time to add a new wing or building, museums began to allot serious space to feeding the hordes. "Refreshments will be served" became the mantra of any museum worth its Alexander Calder mobile.

What awaits the famished Texas art lover today? Happily, you can dine without leaving the air-conditioned comfort of the building at five art institutions in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. Three other cities--Austin, El Paso, and San Antonio--lagbehind, although the Blanton Museum of Art, in Austin, plans to catch up next spring. To size up the offerings, I traveled the state, eating Moroccan chicken salad in Fort Worth, veggie burgers in Houston, and tempura shrimp in Dallas. For those museums without cafes, I did a little off-site foraging, picking a favorite restaurant that was within walking distance or a short drive. Here's what's on the menu for your next cultural and gastronomical tour of Texas.

[DALLAS]

* SEVENTEEN SEVENTEEN AND ATRIUM CAFE DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART

If you have the money, honey, not to mention the time, the place to eat at the Dallas Museum of Art is Seventeen Seventeen. You might even need reservations, because it's popular with downtown power brokers in suits and ties and curator types in black clothes and arty eyewear. While a friend and I waited for our food, we conversed over blessedly subdued music and enjoyed the setting, a minimalist white room looking out onto a terrace and the city beyond. Chef Mike Dimas's daily specials run to the likes of mahimahi with red pepper--dill butter sauce, while his regular menu (which changes about four times a year) lists main courses such as a pecan-crusted chicken breast with a maple glaze and a pan-roasted tenderloin in a shallot demi-glace.

Our entree salads were the perfect anti-dote to ablistering hot day. Mine was a mound of varied fresh lettuces served in...

View this article FREE - Now for a Limited Time, try Goliath Business News
Free for 3 Days!