One of my favorite highlights during the very hot summer season is summer Restaurant Week. Josh and I first discovered Restaurant Week when we were interning during the summer before our senior year of college. It was a poor college student’s dream – eating a three course meal at a fancy NYC restaurant (like the now-closed famous La Cote Basque) for less than $20 (it was $19.98 at the time). Although prices have since risen to $24.07, Restaurant Week lunches are still a bargain, for the most part. Some restaurants have pretty limited Restaurant Week menus, so I try to find the menu online before making a booking.
Restaurant Week reservations book fast so it’s important to make them as early as possible. On the day that reservations opened, I called Josh to make sure that he would make a few bookings, and he didn’t disappoint. Our winner during winter Restaurant Week this year was Aureole so I was glad he booked it again. Instead of the Bar Room though, we snagged a reservation in the main dining room, which is a bit fancier. The menu was the same, but the tables had tablecloths, and best of all, there was bread service with three different kinds of bread (the Bar Room only offered slices of baguettes).
Slices of baguette, rosemary bread, and cranberry walnut bread
In addition to baguette, we got rosemary bread and cranberry walnut bread. The baguette was as good as last year, and the rosemary bread had a nice crust and a pronounced rosemary flavor. The cranberry walnut had lots of cranberries in it, but the crust was a bit burnt and the bread was pretty dense. I was just sad that the bread guy didn’t come back after his initial pass, but that’s ok because I need to start eating less bread.
The Restaurant Week menu had three options per course so Josh and I made different selections for each and then swapped plates halfway through, per our usual practice. For the first course, we had heirloom tomato gazpacho and pan roasted shrimp. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and served with prosciutto, baby arugula, and a brunoise of summer melons. The prosciutto provided the saltiness for the dish, while the melon contrasted with sweetness. It was a light and refreshing dish, perfect on a hot summer day.
Pan roasted shrimp with summer melons, prosciutto, and baby arugula
Our other appetizer was the tomato gazpacho, which was a brilliant red color and topped with diced avocado and garlic croutons. The gazpacho was also very light, not too sweet, and had a good amount of acidity. The creaminess of the avocado cut through the tanginess of the soup, and the garlic croutons added a nice little crunch. It was very simple in preparation and presentation, but still very tasty, and I think it’s something that I’d like to replicate at home.
Heirloom tomato gazpacho with diced avocado and garlic croutons
For our main course, we selected the Chatham Bay cod and marinated flatiron steak. The steak was cooked to medium rare as requested, though it was slightly tough, perhaps just because of the cut of meat. It was served with baby bok choy, coconut rice, scallions, and a chile garlic dressing. There were also flakes of toasted coconut scattered over the dish. It was an unusual combination with steak, and because I’m not a huge fan of coconut, it wasn’t my favorite. It wasn’t bad, just not really my cup of tea.
Flatiron steak with baby bok choy, coconut rice, scallions, and a chile garlic dressing
The cod was served in a broth with baby leeks, summer corn, potatoes, and little neck clams. The fish itself was very nicely cooked, with crispy skin and the perfect amount of seasoning. The broth had a delicate and subtle flavor, and the little kernals of corn were sweet and fresh. Josh and I both liked this dish a lot.
Chatham Bay cod with baby leeks, summer corn, potatoes, and little neck clam broth
For dessert, we had the carrot cake and the rocky road vacherin. The vacherin was chocolate meringues that were light and crispy. They were served with a smooth chocolate ice cream, soft and creamy marshmallows, brownie bites, black cherry syrup, and toasted almond slivers. The individual components were tasty, and all put together and it was a super rich dessert. It wasn’t as whimsical as the caramel popcorn ice cream dessert from the winter Restaurant Week menu, but it was still playful.
Rocky road vacherin with chocolate ice cream, =marshmallows, brownie bites, black cherry syrup, and toasted almond
I’m not the biggest fan of carrot cake but I thought this version was fantastic. It was light and moist and not overly spiced, something I don’t like in other carrot cakes. It came with a cream cheese mousse that fluffy and not too rich, but didn’t taste heavily of cream cheese. There were also pickled red grapes scattered about, though they didn’t taste very pickled. Still, they were sweet and juicy and a good textural contrast to the soft cake and mousse.
Carrot cake with cream cheese mousse and pickled red grapes
We were pretty full at this point but they brought a plate of mini cookies at the end of the meal, and I couldn’t resist. My favorite was the biscotti, and there was a thin chocolate chip cookie that was tasty as well.
Plate of mini cookies
Overall we thought the winter Restaurant Week menu at Aureole was slightly better than the summer menu, but it was still a terrific Restaurant Week meal and ranks as one of the better ones that we’ve had. The only dish that I didn’t like was the steak, but everything was well prepared and seasonably appropriate. The cod was a real standout, and the carrot cake was a surprise winner. There was really no difference in service between the main dining and the Bar Room, so if there is an opening in either (they’re listed separately on Open Table), I highly recommend making a reservation.
Aureole
135 West 42nd St. between 6th Ave. and Broadway
New York, NY