Aquavit

Delicious Scandinavian Cuisine

by Athena Chang , Citysearch Contributor

My father used to work at a Swedish company and he used to travel there all the time for business. I was not so lucky in the aspect and I am curious what Scandinavian food consists of besides meatballs.

Finally, restaurant week granted me the chance to sample it for a reasonable price!

For appetizers, we tried the herring sampler and boar salad. I was a bit scared to trry the herring at first because it is basically cold fish. It tastes surprisingly good and there is very little fish smell. The wild boar salad was also great. My boyfriend, who doesn't like salad so much, was totally impressed.

I got the Asparagus Barlotto for entree and my boyfriend got the roast beef. The asparagus dish tastes like creamy asparagus risotto but it uses barley so it is actually healthier. I got to say the dark green color make the dish slightly undesirable but again it surprised me. The roast beef is also good but I guess it is not very special.

I really like their dessert, Budapest Cake, which is chocolate and hazelnut moose cake paired with ice cream. The dish I got, Cardamon pound cake, is good but nothing to rave about.

The service is definitely 5 star and I really like their simplistic design. I am glad I got another great NYC restaurant under my belt.

• Pros: Great Food and Excellent Service

Swedish Delight

by Evanismo , Citysearch Contributor

Sometimes the food gods smile upon us, and we feel lucky. I was fortunate enough to feast with great company during Restaurant Week at Aquavit, whose dining room would otherwise be priced out of. This day, however, I was granted one of the more sublime lunch experiences I have had, in a warm, wood-paneled space that took me in out of the January New York cold. The quite affordable three-course menu had us tasting a melt-in-your mouth artichoke bisque spiked with truffle crème fraiche and bits of venison, a smooth and perfectly pink seared salmon topped with bright orange roe, and a chocolate lover’s dream of a chocolate mousse to end the meal. The service was also impressive: on our way out, no less than five people wished us a good afternoon, and one even walked me to the bathroom. I’ve never been to Stockholm, but if this is what its like, I’m on the next flight.

Bland and Expensive

by Wing Ding

This is a pleasant room with high ceilings. Unfortunately, that's where the compliments end. The smoked salmon was utterly tasteless (odd for smoked salmon but true) and the poached cod was also very bland. Plain boiled potatoes tasted like plain boiled potatoes. Even the horseradish is weak. You can't definitively say the food is "bad", but this is only because it is all so bland. Is the Cafe expensive for New York? No. Is it expensive for small, plain and unseasoned fish dishes that would be outshone by fish at your local Greek diner? Absolutely. FYI the bartender also is terrible - the mixed drinks there stink.

• Pros: Pleasant Atmosphere
• Cons: Tasteless food, slow service, high pricing

Agree with good for business dinner

by diningmae

I've eaten here twice. Once for a business dinner and we ordered the chef tasting that was paired with the different vodka's for each course. And the dessert was great. Second time, the food was average, so there was some inconsistency, but the service was good. Although I couldn't understand what the wait staff was saying when describing the dish.. englsish was not a first language.

• Pros: good dessert
• Cons: chef can do much better

Valentine's Day Dissapointment

by NYCInfatuated

We went to Aquavit for Valentine's Day. Granted, I understand they must serve more people than usual on a night like this, but I expected for $95 per person that the food would be decent. The prix fix menu (which they have every night) looked fabulous on arrival. Our drink order was taken immediately and the aquavit flights were delicious. However, the meal went downhill from there. They took our orders and specifically asked if we were allergic to anything - and we responded shellfish and squash. The appetizers were good, but the next course was supposed to be a tuna tartare and THEY RAN OUT OF TUNA! They instead offered us a beef dish that was bland and almost inedible. We told the staff that it was not good, and they tried to make it up to us by bringing us a soup course of squash soup. So, after telling them about our squash allergy, they brought us a squash soup! When I reminded the staff, they grumbled behind me, "well, i tried." My entree of beef was equally uninspired, but the trio of desserts were good. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. The entire meal lacked passion and you can eat much better food for that price.

• Pros: Aquavit flights are delicious
• Cons: Food is bland and uninspired; service is snotty