When news broke that vegan blogger, cookbook author, and restaurateur Isa Chandra Moskowitz was returning to Brooklyn from Omaha to open a second location of her restaurant Modern Love, we were thrilled. On September 8, 2016, when we saw the opening date was set and Modern Love Brooklyn was accepting reservations, we immediately jumped online and got a reservation for opening night. In the intervening 2 weeks, our social media was filled with people posting photos of pre-opening meals they were eating at Modern Love Brooklyn and we were getting even more excited to go. Seriously, look at this menu!

Modern Love Brooklyn bills itself as “swanky vegan comfort food” and lives up to it in every possible way. The space has a brightly lit entry, while the dining room has subdued lighting giving it an elegant, swanky feel like a supper club. The high ceilings make the space feel very open and the exposed duct work gives Modern Love a city vibe. Plush red banquets contrast with light walls covered in white flower drawings. The contrasts between dark and light, industrial and chic work perfectly together and illustrate the attention paid to every detail in the physical space. However, the most impressive part of the restaurant is that, unlike in most other restaurants in New York City, the tables in Modern Love are spaced apart so that you don’t feel like you are dining with the people next to you. Rather than fitting in as many tables as possible, Isa chose to create a comfortable setting where diners can enjoy a meal in peace. With this alone, Isa has raised the bar for all restaurants in the City.

We began our meal with the Mushroom Blintz, Truffled Poutine, and Brussels & Bacon. The blintz is mushroom filled buckwheat crepe served atop diced beets and topped with a kasha arugula salad. The pepperiness of the arugula balances the earthiness of the beets and mushrooms. The seasoning of the mushroom filling gives the entire dish an autumnal flavor. The poutine is Isa’s take on the famous Canadian comfort food. However, rather then using thin cut french fries and melted cheese, this dish features fried potato wedges and dollops of almond ricotta. The ricotta was very gritty and not as smooth as we would have liked, but is very flavorful and is a nice compliment to the dish. The porcini gravy is the star of this dish: thick enough to coat the potatoes without being heavy. While it was not our favorite of the starters we had, this dish is perfectly executed. The Brussels sprouts, served over a parsnip puree in the Brussels & Bacon are perfectly cooked so that they become almost creamy. The shiitake bacon is delicious and provides a toothsome counter to the sprouts and the parsnip puree.

Mushroom Blintz

Truffled Poutine

Brussels & Bacon

Following our starters we had the Grilled Cesar, a grilled head of romaine with a garlic caper dressing, polenta croutons and a pepita parmesan. Grilling the romaine brings out its sweetness and makes the leaves very soft. The dressing is light and flavorful with a lemony brightness. Unlike a traditional cold Cesar salad that can be over dressed, this salad has just the right amount of dressing. With grilled lettuce a little dressing goes a long way and Isa knows just how much to use.

Grilled Cesar

For our entrees we had Mac & Shews and Horseradish Tempeh. The tempeh features lemon grilled tempeh, whipped potatoes, pickled cabbage, roasted pearl onions, red chard, shallot white wine sauce, and fresh horseradish. With the potatoes, cabbage and dill, this dish tastes like a deconstructed pierogi. The tempeh is nicely grilled and the chard is cooked wonderfully so that it melts in your mouth. If we had to pick one, “you absolutely cannot miss this” dish, it is the Mac & Shews. This is possibly the best mac & cheese we’ve had. The creamy cashew cheese is rich and delicious. Isa expertly avoids the common problem of many mac & cheese dishes that have too much nutritional yeast. This dish is more than just mac & cheese though. The mac is topped with pecan-cornmeal crusted tofu, BBQ cauliflower, and sautéed kale in a tomato vinaigrette. Until now, we had never thought of cauliflower as being rich, but Isa’s preparation has changed that. The tang from the vinaigrette, the creaminess of the mac & cheese, the crunch from the tofu and the sweet from the cauliflower unite in a explosion of flavor and textures. Do not eat this dish in separate bites. Get a little of each part in every bite for a truly gastronomic delight.

Mac & Shews

Horseradish Tempeh

Although we were quite stuffed, we had to try some dessert. We had the apple-berry pie and the Death by Chocolate cheesecake. The pie is a great mix of apples and fresh berries in a flaky crust served with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream and coconut whipped cream. This pie is amazing, but we are not surprised as she co-authored Vegan Pie in the Sky. The ice cream is the best vanilla ice cream we’ve have ever had. It is smooth, creamy and has a strong vanilla flavor. As for the cheesecake, if you like chocolate, you will love this. It is so rich, that two people can easily share the generous serving and come away completely satisfied.

Apple Berry Pie

Death by Chocolate Cheesecake

Modern Love has set the new standard for vegan restaurants in New York City. The service is quick and efficient, food arrives with no long wait, and everything is executed wonderfully. Unlike many other vegan restaurants in the City who blame slow service and long waits on being at capacity – which is their business model and goal – Modern Love gets food out promptly. Everyone on the staff was constantly moving around the dining room working. We did not see any servers standing around chatting, ignoring customers. They truly work as a team which adds to the level of professionalism at Modern Love. We want to give a special shout-out to our server, Mariana, who was so friendly and courteous. If we didn’t know otherwise, we would have sworn Modern Love had been open for a while: it had no of the opening night issues where you get told, “we’re still working the kinks out.” Modern Love’s opening night was stronger at the outset than most of the established vegan fine dining restaurants in the City. Everything here is seamless. With the addition of Modern Love, Brooklyn is now a true destination for fine vegan cuisine, and there is real competition in the New York City vegan restaurant scene. We left the restaurant full, stated, and knowing it was worth every penny.

To paraphrase Freddie “Boom Boom” Washington, “welcome back, Isa. Welcome back!”

Modern Love Brooklyn
317 Union Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211
929-298-0626