MAXIM'S AT THE NORM Debuts at Brooklyn Museum for the Pierre Cardin Exhibition

As a culinary complement to the Brooklyn Museum's Pierre Cardin: Future Fashion exhibition the museum's full-service restaurant The Norm will visually and gastronomically morph into Maxim's at The Norm, as a salute to Cardin's legendary Maxim's de Paris, the art nouveau masterpiece that has laid claim to both the world's most famous restaurant and the most expensive - and is a designated historical monument - that he has owned since 1981. Opening Wednesday, July 24 for a five-and-a half-month run through Jan. 5, the 80-seat with an another 30 on a terrace overlooking the museum's sculpture garden, Maxim's at The Norm will offer a French-forward a la carte menu, as well as a prix fixe option of dishes inspired by Maxim's de Paris's cookbook, Chez Maxim. At $45, it is one the city's most accessible French prix fixe menu. Summer food and drinks menus will change for the fall and winter.

Here are a few more details about Maxim's at The Norm.

The Look

The Norm's ceiling has been painted Maxim's de Paris's signature deep burgundy, while the bar now boasts the gold that is such a distinctive part of Maxim's globally recognized logo. One wall provides glimpses of the art nouveau masterpiece that is the interior of the restaurant which opened in 1893, while another has been re-fashioned as Maxim's famed exterior on Paris's Rue Royale.

The Food

Saul Bolton, The Norm's executive chef and Andy Mejias, the restaurant's chef de cuisine, have designed a menu for Maxim's at The Norm as an ode to French cuisine in general and a homage to Maxim's in particular. Offering à la carte and prix fixe options, the menu features French classics such as Gougères, Steak Frites and Marquise de Chocolat. The $45 three-course prix fixe highlights contemporary versions of dishes from the Maxim's de Paris cookbook, Chez Maxim including Salade Lyonnaise - seasonal greens, bacon lardons, croutons, poached egg; Poulet Rôti aux Pêches - roast chicken, grilled peaches, baby arugula, chimichurri sauce; Coquilles Saint-Jacques - pan seared scallops, oyster mushrooms, artichokes, escarole, white wine sauce; and Profiteroles - vanilla ice cream, praline, warm chocolate sauce.

Because classic French cuisine is so rooted in farm-fresh local ingredients purchased almost daily at regional markets,

Chef Bolton is taking Great Performances' hallmark brand promise of sourcing locally one step further: he's charged

Chef Mejias and other members of his culinary team to purchase ingredients to coincide with the Maxim's at The Norm's Wednesday through Sunday hours. On Wednesdays and Fridays, they'll be shopping at the Union Square Greenmarket in Manhattan. On Saturday, they will be at Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza market.

The Drink

Cocktails inspired by the life of Pierre Cardin (who at 97 is still active with his fashion, licensing and restaurant empire) were created by Loriana Sanabria for Maxim's at The Norm. They include the Le Costumier, or The Costume Maker (champagne, St. Germain, gin, lemon juice, hibiscus lime syrup), which is a reference to Cardin's penchant for designing costumes and masks for the theater. Additional cocktails include The Cylindre (cognac, absinthe, pomegranate jelly, lime juice, hibiscus lime syrup), named after Cardin's men's collection, and The Tailor's White Sangria (white grape juice, pomegranate vodka, Triple Sec, simple syrup, honey, pinot grigio), among others. The sangria is a nod to the 1950 hiring of Cardin by Christian Dior as a tailor for the House of Dior.

Maxim's at The Norm will pop-up at the Brooklyn Museum through January 5. It will be open Wednesday thru Sunday at 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn. NY 11238. For more information, visit www.thenormbkm.com or call 718-230-0897. Maxim's at The Norm can be accessed through the main lobby or via doors overlooking the museum's sculpture garden, next to the parking lot. There is no museum admission fee to visit the restaurant.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Norm at Brooklyn Museum

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