The Metropolitan Museum of Art Introduces a New Dining Experience with Michelin-Starred Chef John Fraser

 

This marks the first museum culinary venture for Fraser, who is currently executive chef and partner at The Loyal and one-Michelin-starred Nix and is leading all food and beverage for the forthcoming restaurant The Times Square Edition. Fraser's offerings at The Dining Room will supplement signature favorites on the current menu by The Dining Room's executive chef, Fred Sabo.

 

"As a long-time visitor and devoted fan of The Met, I am honored to share my culinary vision with the guests of The Dining Room," said Fraser. "Pairing my style of cooking with the artistic experience at The Met is a unique and refreshing new challenge. I hope these dishes will provide a deeper, all-encompassing experience for all visitors."

 

Known for his vegetable-forward cooking, Fraser will bring this distinctive style to his creations for the menu at The Dining Room. Each season he will highlight a different ingredient, with the current winter menu selections featuring mushroom-focused dishes such as:

 

 

New cocktails from Fraser's bar director, Salvatore Tafuri, are inspired by the Museum and its neighborhood. Selections include the Central Park, with green vodka, chartreuse, and white vermouth; the bright and fruity Passion About It, with bergamot, passionfruit, ginger, and bubbles; and the refreshing Met Me, with tequila, aloe vera, Ancho Reyes, and cucumber, garnished with cucumber salt. Fraser's wine director, Amy Racine will also curate bespoke wine pairings for every dish.

 

"The Museum's mission statement is aboutcollecting,studying, conserving, and presenting significant works of art across all times and cultures to connect people to creativity, knowledge, and ideas," said Ed Brown, President of Restaurant Services for Restaurant Associates, which manages dining at The Met. "Our culinary partnership with John expands upon this declaration through the presentation of his cuisine, while his menu at The Dining Room expands upon the current dining culture in New York City."

 

Considered one of the Museum's "hidden" secrets, The Dining Room—once only available to Members of The Met—has recently garnered renewed attention since opening up reservations to all Museum visitors last summer. Guests of The Dining Room enjoy some of the best views of the city through the restaurant's angled glass façade, which overlooks Central Park.

 

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in three iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum's galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.

 

Chef and restaurateur John Fraser is currently the executive chef and partner of The Loyal and Michelin-starred Nix.Fraser formally began his culinary career in Los Angeles and refined his fine dining expertise under the mentorship of Thomas Keller at The French Laundry in Napa Valley. He then broadened his perspective on global haute cuisine with a move to Paris to cook at the revered Taillevent and Maison Blanche. Back in New York, Fraser became the executive chef at Compass where he was awarded two stars byThe New York Times.In 2006, he was named one of only four young chefs to watch in America byEsquiremagazine. Fraser has also earned a myriad of accolades for his former restaurants Dovetail and Narcissa, including three stars fromThe New York Timesand a coveted Michelin star as well as positive reviews from critics inNew York Magazine,The New York Observer,The New York Daily News,Time OutandCrain's New York Business.He was the winner of Star Chef's New York Rising Star Award in 2008.For his next endeavor, Fraser is partnering with hotelier Ian Schrager at The Times Square Edition, where he will oversee all food and beverage for theproperty.