Aureole

06/12/2008 Posted by cangrejo

I dined alone and the waiter was very eager to help me to figure out what to order and was flexible in changing items in the prix-fixe tasting menu, making changes and adding and subtracting. I did enjoy the food quite a bit and would return. The portions are small but there are so many courses that you get full quickly. I liked speaking with the wait staff and everyone seemed eager to please. My only gripe to the maitre 'd was that no one was keeping my glass filled with sparkling water so I had to reach across the table to pour it myself. I am a bit sensitive having gotten ignored in other restaurants since I don't drink alcohol and I find that wine drinkers get far more attention that I do. They corrected this immediately and even made a very generous gesture which I didn't expect from them. I did have a good laugh though at overhearing a lengthy conversation between the maitre 'd and some oenophiles about one specific wine whereas no one discussed my meal with me! I also like that there is no dress code and the room is very attractive. I loved the foie gras, beef, rabbit tortellini among other dishes. Plus they give you a check to pick up your unused breadsticks! Recommend.

Pros: Food, service, ambience, location

12/23/2007 Posted by elskin21

The only thing I would change about this place would be to make it a little bit darker: turn the lights down a little bit, it is almost too bright in the restaurant, making it more "business" than "dinner". Other than that, I LOVED this place. The decor was nice and simple with big fresh flower arrangements. I am vegetarian so for me they made THREE CHEESE RAVIOLI for appetizer and MUSHROOM RISOTTO for main course, they were both AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!! I would recommend both these dishes to everyone I know, including meateaters!! My man loved his foie gras appetizer. He was not too crazy about the amish chicken and he didn't like his apple tart dessert: I didnt like it either, it had a weird bitter taste to it so dont get it. The staff was very attentive except the weirdest thing: they forgot to refill my mans water until the end of night., which is like the most basic thing. But it was forgiven, because they were all so nice and down to earth. It was my birthday and my dessert was incredible nicely decorated and had a candle on it. The dessert itself wasn't all that, and the dessert selection could have been a little bit better, enough choices but none of it too tempting, but all in all THIS PLACE WAS VERY, VERY NICE! I RECOMMEND IT HIGHLY!

Pros: The Service, My dishes.

Cons: Too bright inside the restaurant.

12/18/2007 Posted by kimcon

Went here for our after-city-hall-wedding-lunch with our three witnesses. Pricey, but that was no suprise. The food was great, the service was great, and we were VERY happy. Presentation of food was immaculate. We were running behind sched. for our honeymoon flight, and they accommodated us, despite being busy. We were able to get reservations the day before. Thanks Aureole!

04/11/2007 Posted by krrny

My friend and I had the most amazing experience at Aureole this past Saturday night. It was my second visit to the restaurant, but my first since Tony Aiazzi took over as head chef--he did not disappoint. We ordered the chef's tasting menu. Each course was beautifully prepared and the flavors were creative and clean. We thoroughly enjoyed the crusted salmon with bok choy, the lobster served over basil mashed potatoes, the sirloin and short rib, the scallop with apple butter...well, I could name every dish because they were all delicious. We also chose to do the wine pairings which is an absolute must. Each wine added the perfect compliment to the dish with which is was served. And as if the food and wine weren't enough, the service was stellar. The captain and waitstaff were extremely attentive, but not overbearing. The entire evening could not have been better. I'd love to be able to go more often.

Pros: delicious food, amazing wines, attentive staff

Cons: none

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

03/18/2007 Posted by theresax

wow, just had lunch here yesterday (3/9) and the Lobster Tortellini in Fragrant Broth infusion of fresh thyme and lemongrass was amazing, i wanted to lick the bowl it was that good. The tuna tartare was fabulous and the lobster salad was a big portion. The service was good but I was not feeling the captain's tip on the bill, this must be a new thing for upscale restaurants. also I really didnt think was necessary to have 6 people waiting on a party of 3, guess it just came w/ the dining experience

Cons: CAPTAIN'S TIP

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

03/01/2007 Posted by puck_the_diet

I know this place is a classic fav that everybody loves to gush about but...beware of the emporer's clothes...while the food is indeed really delicious, the overnumbered staff are grumpy and inefficient...i had the tasting menu last night and found the wine pairings to be at best average...the crowd was older and the mood in the restaurant matched the demographic...In short, i would go back with conservative older folks that want a quiet dinner and then want to go to bed...provided they were paying.

Pros: Great food

Cons: Lousy Service

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

01/29/2007 Posted by 11222

I was very excited about having dinner here. However, I was not happy by the end of the evening. The place is very nice looking, and while the staff was not unfriendly, they were very cold and the waiter literally would not let me order what I wanted, instead, strongly insisted I orderded the tuna. He seriously stayed there for several minutes pressuring me, telling me the fish I wanted to order was not as good and I'd be sorry. I gave into the pressure! Of course the tuna turned out to be $13 more. ANd it was not good at all, very bland. Drinks at $15 a piece. Total for 2 was over $300, and it was not worth a third of that.

Pros: Nice looking

Cons: Staff VERY pushy and cold, UNBELIEVABLY overpriced

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

01/23/2007 Posted by sleporeny

My husband and I recently celebrated our anniversary here and it was definitely the best dining experience I’ve had NYC. We did the five course tasting menu and each item was beautifully presented and perfectly prepared. The fluke sashimi was bright and full of citrus which was a refreshing start. My favorites were the potato striped bass and sirloin and short rib duo. We also very impressed with the service which says a lot since we eat out 4+ times a week. The skill and knowledge of the staff was excellent. If you appreciated creatively, delicious pairing of flavors and beautiful presentation, make it a point to visit. One word of caution – if you have time constraints you are better off going somewhere else. We were there almost three hours. This is not a complaint – we enjoyed not being rushed.

Pros: presentation, staff, wine tablet - great idea!

Cons: none

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

12/31/2006 Posted by joeku

This was suppose to be one of the top restaurants in NYC, but I can't imagine why. Ok, we got a table, but they failed to tell us that jackets were required for men, so they asked us to wear their jackets. No problem except they didn't have one in the size of one of our friends, so after a big fuss over the jackets, they decided to let him in without a jacket. This was completely unnecessary because most people were still dressed pretty casual, and some took off their jackets when they were seated. We sit down and ordered from their Prix-Fix menu. $85 per person was pretty expensive, but what the heck, if it's good, I wouldn't mind. Tthe dishes came out in timely manner and the presentation of each was quite nice. The appetizer was quite tasty so at first I thought it wasn't so bad. It kept going downhill after that. The chef chose ingredients from all different cuisines, and combined them into new dishes, but the combination of ingredients just didn't go well together and just ended up clashing with each other. It's suppose to be creative American, but I would say it's too creative. Oh, and my pork was rubbery, my wife's chicken was tasteless. They should definitely fire the pastry chef because the desserts was complete waste of time. Someone ordered the assorted fruit sorbet, which was 9 different sorbets, and we couldn't figure out what the flavors were. Someone at our table took a bite of one and that was enough for him. I just can't believe a restaurant at this price level can serve food like this. I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt, but since everyone at our table has similar comments as me I don't see how it could be an isolated problem. There's no way I'm going back to try it again.

Pros: ambience, prestige?

Cons: taste, snobby maitre d'

11/16/2006 Posted by maureenuw

I have dined at Aureole twice and have had a great experience both times. The service is impeccable, the food is delicious, and the bartender remembered my boyfriend's drink after months in between visits! It's quite pricy, but definitely worth it for special occasions.

Pros: Wonderful service, ambiance, and delicious food

Cons: Price