Aureole Restaurant New York, NYC “I called it Progressive American cuisine because every time I stepped into the kitchen, I felt things moving forward”. Charlie Palmer
Aureole's Dining Room - Photo courtesy of Maggie Marguerite
Fine Dining – Midtown Lunch and Dinner Monday through Saturday
Lunch 2-course Prix Fixe: $45, served in the Liberty Room and Dining Room 3-course Prix Fixe: $52, served in the Liberty Room and Dining Room A la carte available Dinner in the Liberty Room 3-course Pre-Theater Menu: $78 A la carte available Dinner in the Dining Room 3-course Prix Fixe: $104 6-course Tasting Menu: $145 Optional Wine Pairing: $85 Modern American Cuisine
Located at One Bryant Park, at the foot of the Bank of America Tower, Aureole is Chef Charlie Palmer’s acclaimed flagship restaurant in the heart of Midtown, NYC.
When reserving, you’ll be asked if you want to be seated in the Liberty Room or the Dining Room, the two different spaces of the restaurant, both models of urban elegance in their own way:
The Liberty Room, with its front bar, magnificent circular chandelier, and bare walnut-topped tables, is the perfect location for a casually-chic lunch or dinner. From this room, the guests can admire the spectacular wine mezzanine, which stores up to 3,500 bottles. Its pre-theater menu is a great option if you are going to a show in Times Square.
The Dining room has a more formal elegance, with its white table linens, its thick carpet in brown and golden colors and its five linear chandeliers which bring a golden glow to the space. It is more suited for a romantic dinner, a formal business dinner or to celebrate a special occasion.
At the helm of the kitchen, Executive Chef Christopher Engel delights the guests with a menu steeped in refinement which highlights beautiful and seasonal ingredients and re-affirms Chef Palmer’s signature “Progressive American” cuisine.
Aureole's Liberty Room - Photo courtesy of Maggie Marguerite
Story Chef Charlie Palmer grew up in upstate New York and has fond memories of his childhood experiences in his family’s vegetable garden. After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America in 1979, he began his career at NYC’s famous restaurant La Côte Basque, before leading the kitchen at the Waccabuc Country Club in Westchester County. In 1983, Michael O’Keefe hired him to lead the kitchen of the River Café in Brooklyn, which, under his tenure, was awarded a three-star rating by the New York Times. Charlie Palmer was 28 years old when he left the River Café in 1988, to open his own restaurant Aureole in a historic town house on Madison Avenue. The restaurant was relocated to its current location in 2009. Over the years, Chef Palmer’s many talents led him to open 13 notable restaurants across the country, along with several wine shops and boutique hotels. Chef Christopher Engel joined Charlie Palmer’s Group in 2016, where he started as Executive Chef of Charlie Palmer at The Knick and The Knickerbocker Hotel. In 2017, Chef Palmer asked him to become Executive Chef of his flagship restaurant Aureole. Chef Engel grew up in Germany and worked for some of Europe’s finest restaurants, with famous Michelin-starred chefs, including Martin Göschel and Gerhard Wieser. He first arrived in NYC in 2014 to work as Executive Chef at Kurt Gutenbrunner’s Michelin-starred restaurant Wallsé. Now leading the kitchen at Aureole, he incorporates his rich culinary background into the menus.
Executive Chef Christopher Engel - Photography courtesy of Thomas Schauer
My Experience The first time I went to Aureole was for a casual lunch with two girl-friends and we chose The Liberty Room. We went for the 2-course Prix Fixe, which was perfect for our party as we didn’t have much time that day. Everything arrived nicely plated at just the right pace. It was more than one year ago and I still remember the beauty and freshness of the salmon tartare served with green apple, celery and chive crème fraiche. We were charmed by the décor and the atmosphere of the space, which I would describe as modern and casual-elegant.
I recently returned to Aureole with my husband on a Friday night and we had a lovely dinner experience in the Dining Room. We went for the 6-course tasting menu with the wine pairing and were delighted by our choice. Refinement and sophistication are probably the best words to describe Chef Christopher Engel’s cuisine. Refinement of the ingredients which are sourced carefully, using the best quality in season products, giving the preference to local producers. Sophistication of the dishes, in terms of both taste and aesthetic, with different shades of flavors, textures and colors. I loved the fact that these dishes all tell you something about Chef Engel’s story, incorporating to Chef Palmer’s Progressive American signature style, flavors and techniques acquired during his experiences in Europe and the United States. I particularly loved the Yellowfin Tuna Crudo, prepared with blood orange, sesame dressing and pickled pearl onions; the Hudson Valley Foie Gras Terrine, paired with fermented red cabbage, lingonberry relish and piedmontese hazelnuts; the Seared Diver Scallop which came with Périgord black truffle, pine nut tapenade, turnips and celeriac purée. Dessert was a splendid chocolate and mint creation, made with dark chocolate, crème fraiche and mint ice cream. It perfectly combined sweetness and freshness and was a perfect ending to a beautiful dinner. It is not often that I choose to go for the wine pairing at a restaurant but I had read great reviews about Aureole’s wine list and thought it was the time to go for it. I didn’t regret it! Not only because each dish arrived with the perfect wine without having to think about it but also because the Head Sommelier Candace Olsen made it so fascinating answering our many questions about the wines and their producers. Besides the exquisite cuisine and the beautiful wine pairing, we truly enjoyed the quiet and elegant atmosphere of the Dining Room at Aureole, as well as the impeccable service which is at the same time professional and friendly. ~Nathalie, April 18, 2019
Aureole One Bryant Park 135 West 42nd Street New York, NY 10035 (212) 319-1660 Website
Lunch Monday-Friday 11:45 am -2:15pm Dinner Monday-Saturday 5:00pm-10:00pm