Auden Bistro & Bar
“It's quite expensive so it's definitely a meal for a special occasion, but I look forward to visiting once again.”
“for dessert we attacked the apple crumble with vanilla ice cream, creative smore cake, AND their seasonal pumpkin cheesecake.”
“They paired the soup with just a little piece of grilled cheese sandwich, which was the perfect complement.”
Auden Bistro & Bar
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
6 reviews
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For what it's worth…I like this establishment. Arrived on a quiet Tuesday evening with a couple of friends and a strong desire to enjoy the atmosphere of Auden. I was not disappointed. From the get-go, it was clear you are not entering an ordinary restaurant. The staff throughout are extremely pleasant and welcoming, major plus. The decor is elegantly planned and designed, an eye candy plus. But let's get down to why we were here: the food.
Strictly speaking from the Restaurant Week's menu perspective:
Kale & Pea salad – fresh, simple, a palate opener
Flatbread with the works – olives and capers ensure to deliver an explosion of flavors
Tomato soup – creamy, delicious, an excellent choice for tomato lovers
Pesto crusted bass – delicate fish meets complex vegetables, well-balanced = well done!
NY strip steak with truffle fries – perfectly prepared steak covered with crispy fries, bravo!
NY cheesecake – fluffy, light, yet decadent and beautifully presented
Peach and blueberry crumble – interesting pair but not strong enough to warrant a second helping
Roasted banana ice cream & passion fruit lava cake – we have a winner!
If I may and if you can, order the unagi & tuna flatbread. It is worth the trip again and again. Absolutely lip-smacking (but please don't) good. Also, their complimentary bread and butter for starters are incredibly addictive. Them buns, oh, them buns!
It's not everyday you can just walk into Ritz-Carlton and eat! I came here on my last day in New York, since me and my boyfriend were going to check out Central Park and Times Square one more time before we left.
We came here on a Tuesday afternoon around 1 PM, and it was pretty quiet. We had a reservation already, so we were quickly seated and helped! The hot water comes with honey and lemon…YAY! My favorite.
We ordered:
Appetizer:
-Sushi flatbread: unagi and tuna, cucumber green onion, micro shiso, wasabi cream:
This was delicious! I don't usually like flatbread because I feel like the topping are never enough, or the bread is too dry. This flatbread was perfect–warm, soft (almost had the same texture as a pita bread) and it was topped with a good amount of tuna! One thing my boyfriend didn't like was that the wasabi cream was a bit too much for him….but I love wasabi, so I can't complain.
Sides:
-Winter Truffle Gnocchi:
a small (but huge portion!) platter of gnocchi, sauteed in truffle oil. This is my first time ever trying gnocchi, and to be honest, I didn't really enjoy the texture of it. Truffle oil was good, but I don't really understand the texture of it…I would much rather eat pasta. This definitely does not mean the gnocchi here is bad! It's just that I didn't enjoy it because I was confused about whether these were cheese balls or dough balls.
Entree:
-Seared Skuna Bay Salmon: sauteed kale, red lentils saffron ginger cream, caviar:
Looks small. but actually a perfect serving size if you also eat the appetizers and order a soup. Vegetable is cooked thoroughly, and fish is soft and tender!
-Grilled NY Strip Steak: Sauce bernaise, sauteed spinach, amagansett sea salt fries:
YUM! Had to get this while we were in NYC! A little burnt on the outside, but that didn't stop the flavors on the inside! We got medium-rare, and it was perfect! Perfect temperature, perfect portion! And the mini frites (forgot the actual terminology) were yummy and crunchy!
Sandwiches:
-CPS Lobster and Caviar Roll: Lobster salad, toasted brioche roll, auden frites:
You can either choose a side of auden frites or jansal baby greens! Though I wasn't asked if I wanted fries or greens, but I trusted my server to know what tastes best. When the sandwich came out, I was so excited to try it! There was a lot of caviar on the inside, and the lobster salad inside the roll was perfect. Big chunks of lobster, and the mayonnaise was not overwhelming. Brioche was perfectly toasted…maybe just a bit more to suite my liking!
The fries were YUMMY. I love potato wedges, and since I did not get to try Pommes Frites (sadness…) before they closed, this was my chance! I LOVE their "ketchup"! It had marinated tomatoes, sundried tomatoes etcetera flavor in that little bowl! It was so addicting! Loved the sweet yet tangy flavor to it.
Dessert:
-New York Cheesecake! DELICIOUS! I love that it didn't taste like it was just taken out of the fridge, and it was not overwhelming like other cheesecakes I've had before.
Pros:
-Amazing service! Assisted right away, and all of our orders were correct!
-Fabulous flavor! Definitely a great tastebud experience!
-Not as expensive as I had thought! I didn't think that we would be full from this…but we were stuffed!
-Great ambiance! Comfortable seating, nice lighting and great place for couples or even families!
-Good portion sizes! YES! I totally love that high end places can still give good portions, and still keep the prices friendly.
Cons:
-None that I can think of!
Tips/Observations:
-The front door to this place is actually just the front door of Ritz-Carlton. It used to be on the side, but now they closed that off.
Overall, was a great ending to our trip in NYC! This place is packed with details and flavors….a delight dining here!
Fantastic restaurant. Obviously, it is in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, so you know off the bat the food is going to be top quality, the service is going to be superb, the ambiance, decor,bathrooms, vibe, lighting, music, etc. are going to be spot on. Came here with a large group of tourists (so I deeply apologize for their loud speaking over a period of 4 hours). We enjoyed many bottles of red wine and champagne. The complimentary butter rolls were out of this world. So buttery, moist, aromatic, sweet, soft, yet not in the least heavy or overwhelming, such that I had 5. Yes, I'm ashamed to say I had almost an entire plate of rolls to myself, but I knew I would really regret it if I didn't stuff myself with those heavenly carbs. A few hours worth of treadmill the next day would be totally worth it.
Even though it was restaurant week, we decided to order off the regular menu. I was lucky enough to have tried many appetizers. The grilled scallops fennel, grapefruit, pink peppercorn, and basil vinaigrette were amazing. One of the best salads I've ever had, very pretty, and definitely the best appetizer on the menu that night. The mussels in allagash broth, garlic, caramelized Leeks, and grilled country bread is a fun display, very large.
For the entree, I had the grilled swordfish with avocado pea risotto and lemon chermoula. the chermoula was very strong and while I didn't think it complimented the swordfish all that well, the swordfish itself was very fresh and the risotto was made just right! The veal porterhouse with shishto peppers and baby onions were very flavorful and the veal serving was very generous, lots of fat made it so much jucier and more tender. A few people ordered the prime ribs with fries and they said they really enjoyed it too.
For dessert, I had the molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Like anyone, I've had this classic dessert a dozen times but let me tell you Auden does it right. Every crumb in the chocolate cake was baked at the same temperature for the same time. It's hard to imagine perfection wasn't just created from a 3D printer that doesn't make mistakes. So consistent…. and that hot sauce that oozed out so elegantly when you puncture the cake. How you somehow don't get brainfreeze from the large bite of vanilla ice cream you take because you can't stop yourself from savoring smaller bites… it was gone in an instant. I would definitely recommend it over the other desserts that don't seem to be on the current menu anymore. So I guess they change the menu very often… looks like I have to go again soon!
Obviously, this is a very expensive restaurant and be prepared to drop a lot of money, esepcially if you want to impress your date, but trust me, it will be worth it. Great location too so you can take a nice stroll in central park or columbus circle after the meal. You'll want to walk it off.
I came here for a restaurant week lunch, and really enjoyed my experience. I arrived a bit early and they seated me at the bar, where I was offered cashews, almonds, peanuts, and a glass of water. The restaurant is set inside the Ritz Carlton, just by Central Park, and it's quite beautiful.
We all ordered the three course prix fixe. I had the heirloom tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich as an appetizer, and I thought it was absolutely delicious. They paired the soup with just a little piece of grilled cheese sandwich, which was the perfect complement. The salads didn't look particularly remarkable, though the ingredients appeared to be fresh.
The salmon, for the main, was a little bit underdone in my opinion. It was served on two sauces but the salmon itself was lightly seasoned. It was well made but a little too light for my preference. The burger was served with generously cut potato wedges, and seemed to be the most filling main.
The dessert options were: ice cream sundae, mango passion cheesecake, and ginger peach crumble. The crumble was bold, and the ginger flavor was very prominent. This is a pleasant surprise from a lot of other so-called ginger desserts, which timidly hint at ginger while focusing on other flavors. The mango passion cheesecake was served in a dome with the mango and passion fruit as a jelly on top of the cheesecake. It wasn't as nice as it looked though it was a nice cheesecake. The sundae was very generous in size and it had quite a range of flavors and textures.
I would definitely recommend Auden for restaurant week, if not for the regular menu. The service is great and it's not too loud, which makes it the perfect restaurant for catching up with old friends.
Wow – the food here is amazing!
I met a friend here for brunch. Since the restaurant is in the Rits Carlton, I had a hard time finding it, but once I did I was greeted with wonderful service.
I had the lobster cobb salad and the cheese cake. Both were delicious. Nothing too adventurous, but clean well thought out dishes that brought the food to another level. The waiter kept my coffee refilled.
I liked how this restaurant is quiet. I could sit in here to read a newspaper if I wanted to.
My only complaint is that some of the items seem a bit ridiculous. $18 for cereal? Yeah.
Came here for dinner for restaurant week
Pros:
– Beautiful place – the ambiance was great
– Great service – the waiters were very attentive
– Amazing dessert – cheesecake was soft and portioned correctly
Cons:
– The appetizer was a pumpkin and beet salad but it turned out to be pear and beet – was really looking forward to the pumpkin
– The main dish (something with chicken) I ordered was very salty and the portion was huge (half a chicken)