10/23/09

NOT 4.5 Stars. Apparently people don't care about tasty food

by IKnowFood

I know food, and Aurora has missed the mark. Why get so fancy when you can't even cook the basics? No salt and pepper on the table and guess what, none in the food either. I don't care if they don't use salt, just use something that gives taste. Ratings out of 10:

Food overall = 4

Focaccia = 9; Regular bread = 5

Cod fritters = 5 - missed terribly on the bland sauce!

Meat plate app = 5 - Give me 5 minutes and I'll beat the crap out of this lackluster meat plate

Butternut squash dumplings = 6 - great texture, missed again on the sauce, BLAND taste

Chestnut pasta with wild boar ragu = 3 - didn't get a lower rating because it was edible. Again, got fancy with the boar but lacked any kind of taste. Filled me up and I felt robbed

Pasta w/ mushrooms = 2 - This dish outraged me. My Stepdad described it as "light." Yes, it was light, and even lighter on taste

Tiramisu = 3 - I order this desert EVERY time it's on the menu. It is my "go to" desert at Italian. Sloppy texture, too creamy, missed on taste, not enough alcohol or coffee, served in a square glass (WHAT?! why so fancy pants?). All in all, a total disaster.

Panna Cotta = 4 - slight improvement from the Tira but still a miss. Good texture but again, it's about the taste!

Service = 4

I used to work as a waiter, so I know it's difficult to be in a good mood all the time but it was early in the night and our waitress was cold. She didn’t come when I waived to her, she didn't answer my question about beer that I asked her twice. She didn't even know the 7 beers they carry and which ones were dark. She got relieved at the end of the meal for whatever reason and that waitress totally whiffed on my Stepdad's desert. When I asked for salt, I got big-chunk sea salt. FAIL! The food came super fast, which boosts their rating.

Atmosphere = 7.5

They are so close to a 10 but they don't even know it! How do you miss fine details like this is beyond me, it almost makes me angry. Why are the tables so small? The lighting scheme needs serious work. Only got to peek at the garden but it looked nice. Why are you not accepting credit cards?! Cheating on your taxes? Boneheads!

Overall, it gets a 5/10 average between the 3 categories. But I erred to the side of 2 stars because they butchered their deserts and 2 of their 7 beers were 750 ml and nothing on tap. Extensive wine list but whatever! Every decent restaurant has some wine to choose from. Ultimately we come to eat... and Aurora, get your act together y'all.

• Pros: Decor, focaccia
• Cons: Food, service, lighting, tables... what else is there?

04/19/09

Organic Italian --What the Heck????

by Smith775

First of all its supposed to be located by the waterfront. Not the case. Its actually up the block in a deserted area where the garden is shielded by what looks from the outside like an abandoned parking lot.

We were taken to the garden on a warm day and what is suppose to be an outdoor garden is covered by a plastic tent, no ventilation no open doors...the tables are dimly lit with candles covered by small paper bags! How Frugal.

Most importantly, we passed on the bottled water and were served warm tap water--no ice! We tried the octopus --three small tender pieces on a very large plate and the scallops--5 very thin slivers of scallops covered in garnishes. For the main course, the seared salmon was served in a plate of green water and empty mussels the salmon was slightly undercooked on one side. No sides served with main course. The short rib, was a piece of tender albeit blubbery steak served with polenta sauce that tasted more like grits. A side of potato or asparagus was an additional $5.00. The margarita, too strong on the tequila and very bitter not quite what I remember a margarita to be!!!! Overall, the most enjoyable part of the meal had to be the bread basket. Too much focus on presentation and too pricy, very small portions and who the heck ever heard of organic Italian??? This is not keeping up with tradition...would NOT recommend at all. We had to go back to Manhattan and have dinner there the same night.

• Pros: Healthy grub
• Cons: Pricy, prententious, very unconventional cuisine

12/09/08

My favorite italian restaurant in the world!

by olivier77ny

Well, if you have a date, this is totally the place to be. Book a table in the winter garden. And make sure you share a couple of antipasti!

• Pros: Try the burratta

05/15/08

great service, yummy food, beautiful atmosphere

by desieclipse

One of my brunch/ lunch favorites in Williamsburg. A gorgeous patio, great service, and yummy food (I like the wild boar ragu and their salads).

• Pros: gorgeous patio, general ambiance, spacious - never feels overcrowded, little to no wait usually, easy parking
• Cons: limited menu selection

04/29/08

amazing food except for my bony fish!

by itookawalk

i loved everything about this place except for the 3 or 4 bones i almost swallowed from my fish special...oh well, i forgive them.

• Pros: stellar service, amazing mozzarella pizzette
• Cons: bones!

11/03/07

a very nice dinner

by sandysomerset

went to aurora last night (thursday), 2 of us, and had a beautiful relaxed night. we wanted to taste the new menu and we had a couple of appetizers, a pasta and 2 entrees and everything was just as expected - really well prepared and well served.

the staff was relaxed and prompt with service, welcoming us without unnecessary big deals, but with a sincere nice and simple attitude. our waitress was also well informed about food ingredients and wine information(!).

although the weather was not that nice, the restaurant was surprisingly busy; the hostess helped us with a quiet table and she didn't make us wait very long to be seated.

again, just as expected, a very nice dinner in a very nice environment where you are made to feel like home.

• Cons: not really..

10/14/07

Jaw Dropping Disappointment -READ THIS FIRST

by brooklyn_eater

Aurora has good food, but if the server forgets you exist, the food will never come.

We went for brunch (10/14/07) knowing from previous visits that we were in for some well-crafted food and drink. It took some talking to get an outdoor table without reservations (for Brooklyn brunch?!). There were five open tables but we got to sit down pretty quickly and ordered our food within 10 minutes.

We drank our coffee and had some juice. Plates of food seemed to be heading everywhere but to our table. After 45 minutes I raise my hand to our server to get some more coffee and she says, "DID YOU WANT YOUR CHECK?"

WTF? Hello!! We never got our food. Our server like deer in headlights froze in fear and went to speak to her manger and hostess. It appeared that she hadn't even submitted the order to the kitchen, but regardless, we were done. This was unacceptable for a restaurant that considers itself a notch above most of its surrounding eateries.

Another thing to note and this just may be a difference in cultures, but the manager and the hostess are very European, i.e. overtly nonchalant with customer service skills, lacking eye contact or actually listening when you are trying to talk to them. It helps to act sincerely sorry when you mess up and instead they told us that it was the kitchen's fault. Who cares if it was the dishwasher or the owner's fault, it was the restaurant's mess up.

It's a shame, but I'm done with Aurora for now and as a general rule, think twice before entering a restaurant that's hosted by rude, insincere Euro-trash.. it may be an indicator for the rest of your visit.

Got to Lodge, Sweetwater, Dressler or Enid's, you'll pay less and you won't be treated like crapola.

• Pros: Good Food, Good Drinks
• Cons: Terrible Service, Mean Hostess, Crappy Manager

09/05/07

Loved it so much we had our wedding here!

by verybecca

When my then-boyfriend asked me to marry him after taking me to Aurora, we decided then and there that we wanted to have our wedding reception there. The service was amazing, the wine was delish and the food was superb. We left very happy. We loved that there was a park at the end of the street (we were going to have our ceremony there but we couldn't get the permit due to "construction" so we got married at a park in Greenpoint instead, which worked out very well)...three days after the wedding and we're still hearing about how fabulous the restaurant / food / wine / service / ambiance was. The menu was incredible. They were accommodating to all of our vegan friends and the waitstaff moved like ninjas...virtually invisible and incredibly attentive and professional. Carmel (the manager) was wonderful through the planning process and she answered all of my questions as they came up. They even decorated the restaurant exactly how we wanted (we provided materials two days before and I didn't have to worry about a thing). We were treated extremely well and if I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. Thanks to Aurora, our wedding was absolutely perfect.

• Pros: Fabulous service, delicious, authentic, seasonally relevant food

09/01/07

Delicious & authentic Italian w/ great service.

by fabry

Intimate & rustic atmosphere. The food was fresh and delicious!It is amazing - great service, fabulous food, wonderful wine! The ambiance is also relaxing.I found my new favorite restaurant.The staff was so attentive (and adorable)and helpful that it was a dining pleasure. The food was so amazing - we tried so many dishes to get a great tasting - fava beans salad ,duck reccomende m/r, homemade pasta , the most fresh mozzarella I've ever experienced - everything was just perfect. I literally can't wait to go back to Italy and this restaurant. The sound levels were just right that we were able to have intimate conversations all evening. The temperature inside the restaurant was perfect and the windows were all wide open to let in the great breeze that the city had tonight. Everything was spot on!

I strongly reccomended to have dinner at Aurora restaurant for the wonderful food,exellent wine list and professional stuff.

• Pros: Service,good food,wine list,beautiful garden.
• Cons: none.

09/01/07

EXELLENT service,beuatiful place,great food.

by josymiky

We went at AURORA reastaurant on thursday night.We went there to celabrate my 29th girlfriend's birthday.

I also celebrate my one 3 months ago.We had an amazing experience as usual,

The waiter reccomended us a really nice bottle of Barbera to have with our meal.The service was speedy and delightful.For an appetizer, I had the absolutely mouth-watering burrata (buffalo mozzarella). I then had the gnocchi with mushrooms ragu' which was very good. My wife had the pappardelle wild boar ragu' which she loved. For dessert I just had to try the cherry tart in combination with a glass of Sagrantino passito reccomended from the waiter as the initial wine.Exellent!!!

I love the decor of the restaurant-very warm and cozy. I am definitely returning to Aurora, my favorite Italian restaurant. I give it a 10 in all the fields. Thanks Aurora and its staff for making my dinner such a memorable experience.

Excellent wait staff, great food, and the place is wonderful.

We will definitely be visiting here again, and hopefully soon!

• Pros: Excellent value, great service,good food.
• Cons: None that I can think of!