Sweet, salty, savory; Modern Pantry’s menu has a little of everything
Published 11:08 am Thursday, April 14, 2016
Modern Pantry, L’Auberge Casino Resort’s newest restaurant, is a wonderful riddle of a place. And I love riddles. But they have a tendency to make me lose my sanity, especially if I can’t quickly figure them out.
When I was in the third grade, an English teacher said to my class: “I push my car around a corner and find I am bankrupt. How?”
Remember, I was a kid when I was told this riddle and for the longest, I just couldn’t make heads or tails of it. I spent a long time mulling that question, trying to figure exactly what the teacher was trying to get across.
The only thing that mattered to me was solving the riddle. I stopped playing kickball with friends. My video game consoles gathered dust. My bedroom was covered in the scrawls of a lunatic as I made note after note trying to piece the answer together.
The thing is, I’m an adult now. And I don’t have time to spend days figuring out riddles. So, let’s you and I figure out this riddle that is Modern Pantry and why it’s so wonderful.
The place has the makings of a cozy coffee shop where early-morning treats like breakfast pastries and PJ’s Coffee are available, but that really isn’t the Modern Pantry’s culinary backbone. At least I don’t think it is.
It also serves classic lunch and dinner comfort foods like panini sandwiches, burgers, and salads made by the chefs from the popular Asia restaurant located across the casino. So, I guess it can be considered a diner-type place, too? Maybe?
Modern Pantry also sells some of the best sweets around. From the baked-in-house brownies and dinner-plate-size cookies, to the gelato and various other forms of sugary bliss, the location can feel like a mom-and-pop bakery with a more modern appeal. But then again, that’s not what it truly is.
I went Tuesday to try the food, hoping it would inspire me to really solve the riddle that is the restaurant’s existence. The menu at Modern Pantry caters to every craving. Whether someone wanders in with an insatiable sweet tooth or a stomach growling for something more traditional and hearty, the menu is eclectic and perfect in every way.
Luckily for me, I had both of these cravings. I picked up one of Modern Pantry’s Cuban sandwiches. This sandwich is a variation of a traditional ham-and-cheese sandwich that has roots running from Cuban immigrant communities of Florida to some of the country’s most celebrated ethnic restaurants.
While most people may not agree on what exactly should go on a classic Cuban, I think Modern Pantry’s version sticks pretty close to the original staples — ham, pulled pork, Swiss cheese and pickles.
The meats were naturally flavorful with a hint of smokiness and saltiness. The Swiss cheese gave it a great mild contrast to the dish when adding in the mustard and pickles.
While normal Cuban bread is basically just simple white bread similar to the French or Italian kind, Modern Pantry did a good job of making sure theirs was thick and substantial for the dish.
To quiet my sweet tooth, I also picked up a chocolate chip cookie. The cookie was soft and sweet, with a great balance of crunch around the edges. Also, this thing was the size of my face, so that’s also a bonus.
The Cuban sandwich was about $10 and the cookie was around $3. Together, the cost is pretty low for the quality of the food.
So, I think we have Modern Pantry figured out. It’s just a grab bag of everything delicious at L’Auberge. It’s almost as if the best parts of the casino’s dining scene were put into a small, efficient package and placed in one location.
Now that’s one riddle down. And do you remember the one I told you my third-grade teacher posed to my class? The one about the bankruptcy? Well, the answer is: “You were playing Monopoly.”
Lame, right? What’s even worse is that I actually just Googled the answer. I couldn’t just let this riddle steal another 20 long years of my life as I tried desperately to figure it out. Mainly because I have a job now and bills to pay. Still, I do love some riddles.
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Follow Justin Phillips on Twitter at twitter.com/JustinAmPress
While most people may not agree on what exactly should go on a classic Cuban