This hot summer we experienced Yayoi Kusama’s connection with nature and immersive installations at the Bronx Botanical Gardens on an overcast day. Kusama: Cosmic Nature will be open through October 31, 2021.

We lucked out being seated at Hudson Garden Grill, the only sit-down restaurant a the gardens, as the clouds opened up. We started by sharing the local Lioni burrata and prosciutto with roasted peaches and heirloom tomatoes drizzled with basil oil ($17).

One friend had the Cobb salad ($22), fried chicken layered along with tomatoes, greens, avocado, bacon, gorgonzola and hearts of palm all in a ranch dressing. Another ate the salmon ($27), cooked medium as requested with grilled scallions, romanesco and thick slices of wild mushrooms in a beurre blanc. My crabcake ($29) arrived in a puddle of red pepper coulis with zucchini and carrot coins, topped with shaved fennel, pickled onion and seaweed salad ($29).

I recommend both the Kusama exhibit and the grill.

Hudson Garden Grill
Botanical Gardens
2900 Southern Blvd,
Bronx, NY 10458
(646) 627-7711
nybg.org/event/kusama/