After nearly five years of construction and curiosity, the new Princeton University Art Museum is finally complete. Officially opened on Halloween, the new museum’s gallery space is almost fivefold the size of the previous at a staggering 80,000 square feet. The galleries feature an impressive and eclectic array of masterpieces, from Monet’s wistful impressionism to Basquiat’s urgent, sharp style. While the museum’s daring design and vast collection will draw most people’s attention, the museum also boasts its very own fine dining restaurant and bakery, Mosaic.
On an early Saturday afternoon, I made my way past the museum’s buzzing crowds of families, couples, and professors alike to the restaurant located on the third floor.
Inspired by the museum’s pursuit of artistic evolution and “encounters with cultures past and present from around the world,” Mosaic, as its name suggests, seeks to be “an homage to creativity in all its forms.”
The restaurant, open from Thursday to Monday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends. It is meant to effectively replace the Garden Room at Prospect House.
When I entered the stylishly adorned room, which presented a thoughtful blend of the museum’s exterior brutalist architecture, comforting mid-century modern shades of amber yellow and piercing navy blue, and a thoughtfully hand-painted mosaic inspired by French symbolist painter Odilon Redon, the restaurant was already filled with older couples and families.
Greeted warmly by a pair of hostesses, my friend and I, after confirming our reservation, were quickly ushered to our table.
While the bustling room hummed with the faint murmur of conversation, I was taken aback by a striking lack of students, with my friend and I appearing to be the only ones. After receiving the menu, it didn’t take long to understand why.
While the restaurant’s prices are not outrageous for a restaurant of its style, Mosaic’s menu is clearly not geared toward the average college student.
Although Mosaic Bakery’s prices are generally standard, the restaurant’s cheapest “true entree” costs $19, with protein add-ons adding up to an additional $12 for chicken.
That being said, I was immediately struck by Mosaic’s diverse and bold menu choices. The offerings span from the Maghrebi dish of Shakshuka (eggs poached in a sauce made from tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion, and garlic) to a “Citrus & Avocado” salad, which contained a surprising medley of fennel, a creamy avocado sauce, grapefruit, and yuzu. Mosaic’s menu, while incredibly eclectic and experimental, exhibited a purposeful restraint, clearly pursuing a quality over quantity approach.
This deliberate direction is seen in the restaurant’s executive chef, Eric Dantis. Expanding on his multicultural background and professional culinary education in French cuisine, Dantis’ creative vision is eclectic, daring, and thoughtful. Ordering a mix of dishes, including the honeynut squash soup, soft scrambled eggs, and the avocado salad I was soon convinced by Dantis’ vision.
The restaurant’s honeynut squash soup ($12), seemingly basic on the surface, delivered an excellent, nuanced, and robust flavor. With every spoonful, the soup introduced a brief incision of sweetness before quickly inundating your palate with a savory coat of tomato. The dish was anchored by a hint of spice provided by the Aleppo pepper, a staple of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine.
“Honeynut Squash Soup” from Mosaic restaurant.
Gavin McLoughlin / The Daily Princetonian
While not as revolutionary as the soup, Mosaic’s soft scrambled eggs ($24), grounded with a layer of spicy chorizo and decorated with strings of pickled onions and an almost ashy layer of salsa macha (a rich blend of dried chilies), captured a hybrid of contrasting textures and flavors. The soft, creamy, nearly French-style scrambled eggs combined with the rich flavor and coarse texture of the chorizo, the slight tang of the pickled onions, and salsa macha made for a strong and mouthwatering punch. The only drawback of the dish was its bread — half-drenched from the chorizo and still half crunchy — seemed unsure of what it wanted to add to the dish.
“Soft Scrambled Eggs” from Mosaic restaurant
Gavin McLoughlin / The Daily Princetonian
Finally, surprisingly, the most significant and transformative moment of the meal by far was the citrus and avocado salad. Truly the best salad I’ve ever had, the daring assortment of umami flavors, complimented by a creamy avocado and an acutely sweet yuzu sauce, elevated this entrée to immense heights. The salad’s sauces neutralized the usual tartness of the grapefruit, bringing the texture of the fruit slices and baked fennel to the forefront of the dish. While each ingredient is far too intense or bare by itself, together, the distinct parts create something truly exceptional, proving the entree’s strength to be rooted in the sum of its parts.
Impressed by the entrees, we then ordered the crepe cake ($12) and the waffle ice cream sandwich ($12) for dessert.
While externally stunning, adorned with layered chocolate and edible gold, the ice cream sandwich sadly failed to make a strong impression. The expected crunch from the waffle and the chocolate lacked structure. Unfortunately, the ice cream’s consistency was frozen hard, making it nearly impossible to eat without ruining the entire presentation.
"Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich" from Mosaic restaurant
Gavin McLoughlin / The Daily Princetonian
Finally, the crepe cake, with bright pink layers alternating with mascarpone, was topped with a cake crumble and sugar-coated cranberries, forming a stunningly intricate final product. At first taste, the dessert felt like a rich cheesecake. However, a few bites in, the texture of the crepe served as a thoughtful constraint to what would have been an otherwise overwhelming flavor. The cake’s toppings of pie crumble and “cranberry curd” also elevated the dish, once again demonstrating thoughtfully integrated intense flavors that, in full context, advance the dish as a whole.
“Crepe Cake” served at Mosaic restaurant
Gavin McLoughlin / The Daily Princetonian
While Mosaic’s collection of dishes may seem arbitrary or unexpected at first, in context, just like the art museum itself, its interwoven perspectives, unified together, generate a powerful and exciting experience.
Gavin McLoughlin, a member of the Class of 2028, is a head editor for The Prospect. He can be reached at gm9041@princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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