Museum cafés: Stepping boldly out of the shadows

Long treated as afterthoughts, museum cafés have become attractions in themselves, says Judy Kirkwood in Travel + Leisure. Various museums now house cutting-edge restaurants, while even the simpler operations seem newly committed to farm-to-table freshness. Three of our favorites take cues from the nearby art.

Provenance, Cleveland Museum of Art At his new restaurant-café, longtime chef Doug Katz works with museum curators to design menus inspired by major exhibits. The French-inspired Mary Cassatt menu, for example, included salade de chèvre, beef bourguignon, and crème caramel. 11150 East Blvd., (216) 421-7350

M. Wells Dinette, MoMA PS1 Queens, N.Y. “One of the most anticipated openings at MoMA PS1 last year didn’t involve a painter” but chefs Hugue Dufour and Sarah Obraitis—a husband-and-wife team. Using bold ingredients like fresh goat liver and veal brains, they’re making dishes “as experimental as the contemporary artwork” that sits outside their spartan, whitewashed dining room. 22-25 Jackson Ave., (718) 784-2084

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Collections Café, Chihuly Garden and Glass Seattle “A museum in its own right,” this new café feels like a trip into the mind of glass artist and local hero Dale Chihuly. Accordions hang from the ceiling, toy soldiers fill the glass-topped tables, and “the food is Northwest hearty,” from a pressed pork sandwich to grilled wild salmon with green onion spaetzle, cauliflower, and porcini butter. 305 Harrison St., (206) 753-4940