Aureole -- CLOSED

05/24/09

hope a move will help

by focis

My cousin had a gift certificate and asked me to join. Wish i had one as well. Although the service was great and very friendly, i really was unimpressed with the food.

Dishes stuck in the same time as the restaurant's decor, around 1980. Nothing inspiring and for the price it certainly did not live up to the hefty prix fixe cost.

I had the scallop sandwich to start. the 5 dollar supplement was not worth the two thumbed size pieces of foie gras that topped the overly crisp and chewy waffers that topped the scallops. taste was not bad but the waffers just got in the way and allowed the scallops to be simply cooked and not properly seared for flavor. the ravioli looked much better.

Second course was the suckling pig. where was it?? the dish was made up of what looked and tasted like two sausages and one piece of belly that had a crust that was so chewy that it was inedible. Very disappointed in this dish and even more so that it was not properly discribed in the menu.

Dessert..an afterthought. The carrot cake sounds lovely but again falls short. basically a carrot pound cake with some stuff on the side..

Again high marks for service.. terrible decor which hopefully will come into this century with the move.. hopefully the food will follow.

• Pros: service is great
• Cons: food is from the 80's

04/20/09

Fabulous night out

by CSMobileUser

This was the last night out on our first trip to New York. We wanted something special and we weren't disappointed. The food and service were exceptional. If anything the service was a litle too attentive, but that can easily be forgiven. As for the reviewer that said it was unromantic, I got engaged over the meal! Would highly recommend it.

• Pros: Example: best croissants in town
• Cons: What are the drawbacks?

12/01/08

Very disappointing. CHECK YOUR BILL.

by Anshu248

Very disappointing.

First, this place is for business meetings -- quite LOUD, utterly unromantic, and very congested. Food is okay.

Make sure to double-CHECK YOUR BILL. We were given a bill of DOUBLE the amount (instead of 2, we were charged for 4 dinners). It was an unacceptable mistake, since I generally don't check the bill. So I suggested that they should make up for the mistake by giving us some discount on our bill. I thought it was fair, since there was a chance that we might have actually paid the double amount. The manager refused. For such an upscale place, I expect 100% satisfaction. At least, they should know how to MAKE UP for their unacceptable mistakes. I have decided to just publicise my above experience.

• Pros: None.
• Cons: Expensive, Discourteous, CHEATS.

06/12/08

very special dinner

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

12/23/07

Great Birthday Dinner Experience!!!

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.

12/18/07

Yummmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!

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!

10/08/07

Christopher Lee reinvigorates Charlie Palmer's luxe eastside institution.

by Contributor

Aureole was one of the pioneering New American restaurants in New York, and has maintained a following on the east side, even as the years have robbed it of buzz and fame. For a generation of New York foodies, Charlie Palmer's high-flown, dramatic dishes and the opulence of the service in his townhouse restaurant have been eclipsed by latecomers. But in hiring the brilliant Chris Lee from Gilt, Palmer has restored Aureole to the center of the conversation: one need only look at Lee's lobster "pot au feu" with bone marrow and orange Pernod broth, his pheasant with beluga lentils and bacon jus, or his borscht with boudin blanc to see the fact: Aureole is back.

04/11/07

A perfect evening!

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

03/18/07

a nice lunch

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

03/01/07

Less than stellar service interferes with otherwise spectacular food...

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