Arts Travel: Artful Dining

Expect squashes, pumpkins and traditional roasts on the menu at Granite Hill at the Philadelphia Museum of Art this winter.

If you’re looking for a better-than-average dining experience this holiday season, try your local museum. We’ve previewed two:

Taste Restaurant at the Seattle Art Museum promises to wow your senses. Expect locally sourced comfort food paired with a wine list that touts Northwest producers. The bar menu has everything from mini organic beef burgers to woodstone pizza, and the dinner menu is flexible—choose from large plates or small. Prices range from $2.50 for an appetizer to $28 for a full entrée. Even better, Taste’s quarterly art series means that you’ll never be bored with what’s hanging on the walls. Recent features include encaustic paintings by Leslie Stoner and mixed media by Eva Isaksen. Visit www.tastesam.com to learn more about its special events, communal dinners and wine program.

On the East Coast, Granite Hill restaurant at the Philadelphia Museum of Art serves “upscale twists on contemporary French fare.” Expect an extraordinary experience from its menu, which includes classics like “Le Hot Dog on Brioche” and “Potato-Fried Chicken Schnitzel.” Prices range from $6 to $26, and the restaurant is open for Sunday brunch and regularly for lunch and dinner. The winter menu will complement the exhibition “Michelangelo Pistoletto: From One to Many, 1956-74,” a major survey of the Italian artist’s work that runs through Jan. 16, 2011. Expect squashes, pumpkins and roasts along with a roasted beet and apple salad. Visit www.philamuseum.org for details.