NYC Tastes

Winter Restaurant Week kicked off on Monday and I went straight to lunch at one of my old favorites,Charlie Palmer's flagship Aureole. It's hard to believe this place has been open for 27 years.  I love everything about it; the gorgeous zinc topped bar, the enormous glass windows overlooking the hustle and bustle of 42nd Street and the warm comfortable service that always makes me feel right at home.  I began with the Yellowfin Tuna Tartare topped with jicama, cucumber and bonito cream in a citrus broth.  The acid from the fruit gave the dish a gentle delicious "pop" without overtaking the fresh flavor of the fish. Braised Short Rib with pearl barley, horseradish and watercress was an absolute monster of an entree. There was easily enough food here for three people and while the meat was falling off the bone tender I was hoping for a little more flavor from the pearl barley.  It tasted more like an afterthought than a true component to the dish. ...

It’s that time of year again when big New York City restaurants lower their prices and offer special menus for winter restaurant week. As usual I am trying to go to at least two meals- preferably lunch since that’s the better deal and preferably something new. This year I made my first reservation for Aureole. Aureole had closed a while back and relocated from its former townhouse to brand new digs right near Bryant Park. The space was pretty impressive walking in. A gorgeous big dining room with huge ceilings and lots of natural light from the windows to the left. This was my first time dining at a Charlie Palmer restaurant so I was pretty excited to see what was in store. I had a table reservation for two but since it ended up being just me I asked for a seat at the bar instead. Thanks goodness I did- this may be my new favorite people watching bar.! The big windows in the corner looked right out onto the end of Times Square. I had a ton of characters outside to keep my bread mun...