Steph C.
Yelp
We went to Moderne Barn for an early Saturday dinner with six adults and four children, three of them under four years old. My husband and I were the lucky couple visiting from the other coast without our kids, and we realized that our friends were having a different dinner from us, with a big helping of stress to go with their food.
Moderne Bar was in a large complex that seemed like a central commercial hub for Armonk, with a huge parking lot and several other businesses. The restaurant was spacious and attractive. We had a nice table on the upper level, which was less bustling than the main dining area, especially at 5:00. A couple of the kids were able to toddle a bit without disrupting other diners, and the staff was super nice to all of us.
We drank tempranillo and stuck to entrées, not pushing our luck with a drawn-out dinner after a day of playtime. The food was good, starting with complimentary bread and butter. I got the wasabi pea crusted tuna and this was quite tasty, the tuna rare and silky with a seared, crispy crust, served with sushi rice, baby bok choy, spicy Korean sauce, and micro greens. My husband got the Long Island Crescent Farm duck breast, which was okay. We love duck and he's gotten good at making it at home. His version is better than most restaurants', including this one's. I guess it takes too much time to render out the fat without overcooking the meat. The sides were lovely, though: farro, carrot puree, roasted fennel, blackberry gastrique, and pomegranate seeds. We certainly don't do all that.
This was a fun dinner with solid food and a comfortable, pleasant atmosphere. By the time we left, the place was totally happening, with diners enjoying themselves at every table. I think we'd go often if we lived in Armonk, with and without the kids.