Soon after placing my drink order, a container with unusually long breadsticks arrives, followed shortly by a bread selection that – for a restaurant of this caliber – seems very average.  Some of the breads (especially the multigrain rolls) had a dryness that suggested they were baked some time ago (perhaps offsite?) but I can't confirm this.

On both visits I selected the Chef’s tasting menu, for one reason.  The Aureole butter-roasted lobster followed by the thyme-coated filet of beef I had from the tasting menu on my first visit struck me as being perhaps THE ideal “surf and turf” offering, probably the only one I'd ever eaten where the whole (the consecutive lobster and filet preparations) was truly greater than the parts.  So on my return visit I substituted dishes found on the four course menu for a few of the other tasting menu courses I'd had previously.  (If you go to Aureole specifically for steak and lobster, another option when ordering is to select the filet on the four course menu and add the lobster as an extra course.)

The first course on the tasting menu is Market Sashimi with a fresh and pickled celery salad, spicy capicola, and black lava salt.  However, on my initial visit I substituted the Three Cheese Ravioli (with country ham, sage, and toasted pine nuts, served atop swiss chard) for this course, which were very good indeed.  Yet the real treat was the sashimi I had on my second visit.  Made with Hawaiian grey snapper and a celery salad containing onions that were especially delicate and sweet, this sashimi was a pleasurably light and delicious first course.

The next course – one I had both evenings – became a real favorite of mine.  I've always loved soup with dinner and was pleased to find a stellar summer offering here: Chilled Golden Tomato Soup with crab, melon, and cucumber sorbet.  All the ingredients worked together to produce a light, mild summer harmony on the palate.

 

Next came the main fish course.  While the Seared Wild Striped Bass on the tasting menu was very good, the Tasmanian Salmon I had as a substitute on my second visit was really exceptional.  The salmon was light, flavorful and cooked to a perfect bright pink; the accompanying roasted cauliflower, chic pea succotash, sea beans and dill cream worked well together to make an already delicious salmon even better.

The double crescendo of the tasting menu is the Butter Roasted Maine Lobster followed by the Thyme Roasted Beef Filet.  Many restaurants serve lobster and steak together (commonly known as "surf and turf") but very few serve them in ways where the whole is actually greater than the two parts.  The presentations at Aureole are an exception to this.  The lobster – served atop sweet corn chanterelle pudding and tender cippolini onions – is sweet and tasty but not overly chewy (as is typically the case with butter poached lobster prepared sous vide).

The thyme-roasted filet that's served next is the ideal follow up for something as mild and delicate as lobster.  And the black pepper and horseradish gnocchi served with the filet are superb and not especially spicy.

After the main courses, a lovely pre-dessert arrives: Golden Pineapple Shaved Ice accompanied by tropical fruit halo-halo.

Among the various desserts I sampled, my favorite was the Caramelized Mission Fig Upside Down Cake with almond nougatine and an intensely flavored banana ice cream.  (For those who remember the caramelized fig tart served at the former Madison Avenue Le Cirque, this is almost as good—which is saying a lot.)

My after-dinner coffee is an espresso roast that is rich with mild burnt overtones, an excellent "cream & sugar" coffee that is not overly bright or acidic.  After-dinner plates of apple Madelines, chocolates, and jellied candies close out the meal.

The service at Aureole is friendly, efficient and thoroughly professional...but never condescending.  In closing, what makes Aureole unique is the well thought-out blending of European-style elegance with the high-end American cooking that's featured here.  I really enjoy coming to this restaurant and hope that as fabulous as the past 20 years have been, even better years lie ahead for this restaurant in the new midtown Bank of America building location.

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