Aurora
Review | Winter 2002 | Lisa Lewis
A
profound respect for the ingredients:
this is said to be a hallmark of Italian
cuisine. I don't know if proprietor
Hank Strauss or executive chef Gwen
Higgins are Italian, but their respect
for the food and attention to the details
of the dining experience make a meal
at Aurora an exquisite culinary event.
To begin with, everything at Aurora
is made on premise - including desserts,
pastas and breads (from a sourdough
starter which has been tended for about
2 years). Our server explained that
they use as much organic, local, produce
"as we can get our hands on"
and the menu changes seasonally to feature
items which are best at each time of
the year. Nightly specials are offered,
though my companion and I found numerous
enticing choices on the regular menu,
which is divided, in typical Italian
fashion, into the following categories:
Antipasti (appetizers), Insalate e Minestra
(soups and salads), Pizze, Polenta,
Primi (the pasta course), Secondi (entrees)
and Dolce (desserts).
Starters ranged from variations on the
traditional bruschetta to an inventive,
hickory-smoked duck breast served on
foccaciaa with a delicious touch of
blackberry mascarpone, baby greens,
cranberries, and a delicate, understated
balsamic vinaigrette. Each salad is
a carefully crafted balance of flavors
and textures. For example, the Pere
salad, a combination of grilled pears,
gorgonzola cheese, pistachio nuts and
baby greens, has tasty individual ingredients,
but the combination of them is truly
a taste sensation. We noted that all
of the salad dressings were flavorful
without being oily and without the high
acidity that often makes salads overpower
a good glass of wine.
The wood-fired oven with its hand-painted
tile mural ("Virgil's Dawn"
by local Adriano Tile Co in Carrboro)
is the focal point of the open kitchen
at Aurora and is the site of many delicious
creations. The homemade bread, which
was rye on the night of our visit, has
an unusually crispy crust and European
style crumb which inspired my companion
to dub it "the best restaurant
bread in the Triangle."
Aurora offers an extensive wine list,
chosen by proprietor and sommelier Strauss.
We were happy with our modest 1999 Montelcino,
but choices to suit every taste impressed
the Wine Spectator Magazine such that
they gave a Restaurant Award of Excellence
to Aurora in 2001.
If an Italian restaurant should be judged
on its pasta, Aurora passes the test.
Ravioli ai Carciofi, a dish of handmade
ravioli served perfectly al dente, enclosed
an intense artichoke and ricotta filling
and sauced with a delicious parmesan
cream reduction and sun dried tomatoes.
In general, portions at Aurora are generous
without being excessive.
Entrees include meat and seafood dishes,
some breaking from traditional Italian
style (veal with apples and port, grilled
tuna with sushi-type accompaniments).
I tried the Petti de Pollo, a breast
of free range chicken, incredibly tender
under a porcini/pancetta/tomato ragout
served with lightly cooked baby spinach.
We found sauces at Aurora to be well-seasoned
without overwhelming the flavors of
the food. My companion raved about his
Filetto di Manzo, beef tenderloin cooked
on the wood grill and stuffed with gorgonzola
cheese, and the accompanying garlic
mashed potatoes were amazingly rich.
Finish a meal at Aurora with after-dinner
drinks, coffees, cigars (to be smoked
after 10 p.m. in the bar or on the patio)
and, of course, desserts. In spite of
being perfectly full from dinner, we
tried a serving of the Gelato de Caramello,
purely in the name of research, of course.
This white chocolate caramel gelato
has an unusual and wonderful flavor,
created accidentally (our server told
us) when the chef tried to melt white
chocolate quickly in the wood burning
oven, and it caramelized. With rich
fudge sauce and toasted almonds, this
ultimate sundae was too good to just
taste. It vanished quickly. Pastry chef
John Rupp's other creations, including
chocolate soufflé, pumpkin cheesecake
and apple cake, will have to wait until
our next visit!
Aurora's expansion into its current
location has allowed the kitchen and
dining room ample space to accommodate
parties of virtually any size. The colors
of the décor, aqua and dark peach,
with dark green tile, evoke a Mediterranean
feel. The spacing of the tables is generous
- we noticed areas left open or with
a large plant to create privacy for
each table; spaces into which many restaurants
would have squeezed a few more tables.
The main dining room was a little drafty,
but is probably very pleasant in warmer
weather.
Overall, the ambiance and especially
the food at Aurora were outstanding!