Ai Fiori
“The trofie nero was the dish I'd been wanting to try from this place and it did not disappoint.”
“Nestled on the second floor of the Setai Hotel, Ai Fiori takes you on an exhilarating tour through the culinary flavors of Italy.”
“For the entree, I had the Gamba di Pollo which is pan roasted chicken, spaghetti squash, chanterelles, pistachio, fregola and hen jus.”
Ai Fiori
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$$$ Price range Above $61
8 reviews
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Looking to dine at a restaurant with a Michelin Star during Restaurant Week? Look no further than Ai Fiori. When you arrive, you take a set of stairs up to the second floor. The dining area is beautiful and has a great atmosphere. The food lives up to the Michelin Star. For an appetizer, I ordered the Zuppa di Zucca (chilled zucchini soup, calabrian chili, lemon, basil). The server poured it into your bowl at your table. For my entrée, I had the Pollo Arrosto (pan-roasted chicken, summer beans, vidalia onions, and guanciale). The chicken was cooked perfectly and full of flavor. The medley of vegetables on the side and sauce were great complements to the entrée. The Panna Cotta was an excellent way to finish my meal. Nevertheless, the entrée was definitely the highlight of the meal. While Ai Fiori has great food, the portions are not huge. It is perfect to just make you full. If you have a huge appetite, manage your expectations. Please also note that the Restaurant Week menu is only available for lunch.
If you are looking for places to try for Restaurant Week, feel free to message me through Yelp and I can share my person list, which includes my Yelp reviews. The information for an electronic copy can also be found via my Yelp profile.
We knew it was going to be expensive. That is not a criticism. This was our treat during our short stay in New York.
The service was second to none. The wine list was totally out of this world (come back to that later).
Our kids can be fussy eaters even at high end cuisine. Unfortunately, we have take them to to many good places so their standards are high. Nothing for them to complain about.
My wife and I started with cocktails, and later the restaurant created non-alcoholic cocktails for the kids too.
The set menu of four courses (plenty of choice) was $97 per head.
I had:
Lobster Terrine
Spaghetti & Crab
Lamb Cutlets
Sublime chocolate sweet….
I chose for the first courses:
Half Bottle – Meursault-Blagny, Thierry & Pascale Matrot 2013 $92
Then for the mains:
Whole Bottle – Malbec "Catena Alta", Catena Zapata, Mendoza 2012 $125
The sweet wine, well I'll be blowed, I can't remember.
Coffees with a Bas Armagnac.
The wine waiter took my white wine glass slightly prematurely, but he made up for it by bringing me a small glass of a special Chardonnay. All redeemed by this action
Total Bill with TIP: $1076 (£755) – The kids really ought to cut down on their drinks.
Really wonderful lunch here! Started out with the fluke and caviar crudo! Tremendous amount of caviar just how I like it! Main course of the branzino which I really enjoyed, perfectly cooked with crispy skin. Side onions were amazing. My friend and I shared a side of the mushrooms which were delicious. For dessert, the Paris Brest which was very flavorful! Service was very good! Will be back, maybe for dinner!
The place was beautiful. We came for RW Winter 2015-6. The food was okay – nothing that blew us away and we ordered the seafood, knowing that this place is known for their seafood. Normally I would give Ai Fiori four stars. The service was okay, the space is beautiful, the food was up to par (even though not spectacular).
What really made me bump this place down is that they charged me more than what I signed for on my check. Sure it was only a difference of $1, but what a dick move by a Michelin star restaurant! Seriously?
Great option for Italian in Midtown West.
My girlfriend and I came here the weekend of Valentine's Day (2/13/16) for dinner. Our expectations were high, knowing the reputation of restaurants in the Altamarea Group. Fortunately, we were not disappointed by our experience.
Located on the second floor of the Langham Hotel, the restaurant's dining room consists of tasteful décor that promotes a classy ambience. We were comfortable in business casual attire. Service was professional and friendly. Our waiter did an excellent job of getting to know our preferences, explaining the menu options, and providing relevant recommendations. As a result, we made an informed decision to try the menu as a four-course prix fixe.
The food was delicious. We were pleased with all of our options, including seafood, pasta, and meat dishes. The blue crab spaghetti, trofie nero, and Nantucket Bay scallops were excellent. We also enjoyed the rack of lamb (agnello), venison (capriolo), and lobster soup (vellutata). Our stomachs were focused on chocolate for the dessert course so we were fans of the budino, which consisted of milk chocolate crema, dark chocolate cake, and salted caramel gelato. Pricing was reasonable ($97/person), and the portions were filling.
I definitely recommend trying it, and the prix fixe is a good way to explore the menu options. Our waiter also mentioned that many people come just to eat the pasta as their meal, which is another solid approach. I look forward to coming back again soon!
Located on the second floor of a hotel, sits another Michael White restaurant and much like his other restaurant ventures, such as Marea and Osteria Morini, Ai Fiori brings the well known strengths of Italian cuisine to the table.
Took my fiancé here for her birthday dinner and she enjoyed the experience of dining at Ai Fiori. The decor was decadent and fanciful, with paintings on the walls and shiny polished surfaces. The service itself was excellent, from beginning to end the staff was friendly and courteous.
We ordered their four course pre fix menu, trying the Polpo (octopus), Torchon (foie gras), Trofie Nero (their signature squid ink seafood pasta), Risotto, Bouillabaisse and the Tagliata. The Polpo was cooked well, with the meat holding a good firm but not too chewy texture. The Torchon had a melt in your mouth feel. The full flavor of the liver was there without being off putting as some can be when it's too strong. Trofie Nero was very good, being a fan of pasta makes me biased but it had great texture and not mushy. The crunch of the spiced mollica (breadcrumbs) was balanced out with the savory flavors of the cuttlefish. Everything in that plate of pasta was done well, as opposed to the Risotto, which was good but not great. The Risotto was flavorful but one dimensional with a overpowering creamy Taleggio cheese used in the sauce. It was a bit saltier than I would expect from typical risottos. I liked it but I wouldn't necessarily order it again. The Tagliata was cooked medium rare and done perfectly. Seasoned lightly and very enjoyable. The Bouillabaisse was served with a dense and thick broth filled with briny flavors of the crustaceans that cooked in this dish.
Ratings:
Food (out of 2 stars) – 1.5 – Food was good, but the issue was the size and portions of the dishes. You may find yourself hungry for more if select certain dishes that were only a small bowlful per serving. The size may have been due to the pre fix menu, so keep that in mind when you decide how you would like to order.
Decor (out of 1 star) – 1 – Spectacular decor and fancy overall. Wood floors and walls, with paintings and small plants positioned throughout the layout.
Service (out of 1 star) – 1 – Friendly service, had no issues with staff.
Price (out of 1 star) – 0.5 – Pricey, certain items are worth it but others weren't so. Not the most expensive but neither was it worth every penny.
We were ecstatic when Gilt published a discount for all of Michael White restaurants…Well, excluding Marea, that is. My Marea experience had been rather mixed anyway, but I had heard from many people that Ai Fiori offered a superior meal, so I jumped at the chance to try it out at a reduced price. We had reservations to go there one evening, but found ourselves in the area a few days earlier and decided to try our luck for a last minute table. Thankfully, they were able to accommodate us and were even polite when I murmured that I would be wearing jeans into their classy establishment.
Upon our arrival at the Langham, we made our way up the windy staircase to the second floor and approached the host stand. We were greeted with big smiles and pleasantries, but all I could do was gaze into the elegant dining room on the other side of the glass door just behind us. The dark wood, sleek lines, white table cloths, wine bottles on display – it all built an air of refinement. Suddenly, I felt horrifyingly underdressed. I apologized to the team, saying that we had been out and about and had stopped in straight from shopping. My less than glamourous attire did not even cause the well-trained professionals to bat an eyelash; they just simply reassured me that I looked fine. In fact, they took us to a reasonably nice table in the middle of the space, where we received impeccable service all evening.
We wound up skipping the drink portion of the meal to get our carbs the culinary way. A server came around with a platter of various breads, including miniature baguettes and onion rolls, among others. The bread was phenomenal, but we tried to pace ourselves to save room for the main event. We started by splitting two pasta dishes. There was the sea-infused Trofie Nero, a squid ink pasta tossed with seppia, scallops, spiced mollica, and topped with a Ligurian crustacean ragu. The dish was PACKED with seafood and served as a very generous portion. We also inhaled the Braised Veal Agnolotti, which was covered with a onion soubise, a green garlic gremolata, and walnuts. We then moved on to share the Long Island Duck, which was roasted to perfection and served with sliced kohlrabi and sautéed broccoli rabe. It was crusted in chopped pecans for texture and plated over a dab of plum sauce for a hint of sweetness. In addition, we accompanied this with a side of Escarole that was studded with anchovy bits and topped with shaved Parmesan.
From the flawlessly executed and beautifully displayed plates to the distinguished service, we simply fell in love with Ai Fiori. After we snuck out of the elegant dining room in our casualwear, we promised the hosts that we would be back soon…and donning more upscale attire!
Came here for Restaurant week with my co-workers for lunch. We read up on it before since it had one Michelin star so we all came in with high expectations. The restaurant is spacious and elegantly decorated.
From the restaurant week menu ($25 lunch), I ordered
Insalla – baby lolla ross with machego cheese and croutons
Pollo Arrosto – pan roasted chicken with brussel sprouts, apples and guanicale
Chocolate cake – dark chocolate, coffee, and fior di latte
People in our group also ordered the Butternut Squash Soup, Tagliatelle, and Yogurt Panna Cotta and they all spoke highly of the dishes. There was a perfect blend of flavors and each dish had a unique element.
Though portion size was smaller than expected, I was decently full at the end of the meal (but was hungry a couple hours later). Plates returned empty to the kitchen. The chicken was seasoned nicely and the brussel sprouts were very flavorful. All the ingredients blended well together and of high quality. The dishes were light – which is great for lunch because I don't want to feel too full when I go back to work. I don't think I would here normally because the prices are quite high and portions are small. It was still a great experience getting to try a Michelin star restaurant!