aurora

aurora

the experience, the garden and the delicious heart-warming pasta dishes make aurora one of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood.  whether you're visiting for brunch, lunch or dinner, you can bet you'll leave with a full belly and a smile on your face.  

our most recent visit was with friends who had traveled from the far west: the upper west side that is...  it's always a treat when they make their way out to williamsburg so we had to pick a special spot to take them to.  with a last name of del bene, you'd think they'd be psyched to check out our favorite italian restaurant.  until they told us they'd recently decided to go gluten-free...  hmm, what to do?  we went to aurora anyway.  i, of course, dug into the pasta special; pappardelle with gorgeous mushrooms and black truffle. i really tried to be a lady and leave a little leftover on the plate but you just can't do that here.  the food is so luscious and flavor-filled, you can count on me to be a member of the clean plate club. our gluten-free friends fared quite well also.  i'm told the chicken was perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and the scallops had been seared to perfection. we finished our meal with an affogato, i'm sorry i don't have a picture of this one to share.  our ice cream drowned in espresso obviously didn't last too long.  it was rich, had that slight bitterness and that hot/cold combination that always makes the flavors and textures of dishes more dynamic. 

if you're lucky enough to snag a table in the garden, be sure to soak up the scenery.  whether it's a frosty evening in december or a cool summer night, their garden is comfortable in any season.  treat yourself and enjoy every bite of it.  the well rounded menu and tasty wine list have made me a repeat offender  :)