Aurora

Summary

It’s been difficult to restart eating out again. Usually we just resort to delivery or takeout from various places nearby. However, it seems that many restaurants that are trying to outlast the pandemic by coming up with ideas to do the outdoor dining experience. Some restaurants don’t have a real patio, and you’re seated outside on the sidewalk within reach of people. And some restaurants like this one have a legit patio experience away from bystanders without worry.

This was the Italian blood orange soda. This was surprisingly good as it was not sour and not too sweet.

The prosciutto di parma was a 24 month aged prosciutto and comes with burrata cheese and focaccia. There isn’t anything particularly special about this, but it was delicious as expected. The focaccia was crispy and had a nice scent to it. The prosciutto tasted good albeit thinly slice and not overly salty. Lastly, the burrata was simply good. The picture is exactly what you think it tastes like.

The squid ink croquettes had squid ink risotto, lemon, and fior di latte mozzarella in the middle.

This was simply delicious, and I think it’s a must have if you come to this restaurant. The innards are fairly gooey, and when you squeeze the lemon on top it adds a nice little sour kick to the end. The rice was cooked perfectly for us, so it was neither too hard nor soft. The squid ink with the mozzarella added a nice rounded punch to this. It’s deep and full with umami.

The mezzi rigatoni carbonara was a special that evening. It had guanciale, egg yolk, pecorino, and fresh truffle. The pasta was cooked perfectly as expected, and it had a nice crunch to it. The shaved black truffle flavor was very subtle and not very noticeable. The sauce was very rich in that truffle flavor, but was not quite what we expected in terms of the traditional carbonara feel. Nonetheless, it was still pretty good though.

The skirt steak was from Creekstone Farms and came with crispy potatoes, broccoli rab,e and charred scallion salmoriglio. As expected, the steak was tender and juicy cooked at a medium rare. The mush reminded me a little of a chimichurri kind of sauce. The crispy potatoes had a slight crisp, so I thought it could’ve used a little longer time in the oven. Nevertheless, I felt the steak was fantastic as well as all the supporting complements.

The decor looked like a typical outdoor-ish garden experience, and it was reasonably comfortable. There are multiple fans blowing, and there are glass panes that separate tables. We did not feel stressed from eating at any given point, and the service was speedy and consistent.

Because the restaurant was in Covid mode, they did have some problems transitioning into dinner time. We had mentioned our reservation, but the host forgot until we mentioned to them again. Luckily, the crowds weren’t crazy, so we mentioned again and got a decent seat under the roof.

Final Verdict

I think Aurora is a nice outdoor dinner restaurant especially in this COVID-19 environment. Normally I am not a fan of outdoor restaurants, but I felt the food was surprisingly good despite a smaller menu. Definitely check this out if you are around the Williamsburg area during this COVID environment.

Yelp Jabs

No one checked in to see how the food was, if everything was okay, or if we needed anything.. That’s a little strange at I right? Believe me I completely understand we’re dealing with a pandemic and we’re social distancing. But come on, ask me if everything is okay at least

I don’t really find it strange. Unless I called for the waiter, they basically came to deliver/take our orders and give us the check. I think that’s perfectly fine as long as they don’t screw up any of those steps. So, was everything ok with your food?

We ended up arriving an hour late … I however, am not comfortable or feel safe sitting on the corner of a sidewalk for any dining experience

Let’s put 2 and 2 together (which equals 4 by the way). You arrived an hour late but were seated at a non-ideal space, and you’re complaining. This person tried to call several times, but I guess it’s normal that many people forget that restaurants in NYC are still suffering and no where near full service.