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Wood-fire grilled ribeye steak topped with shoestring onions and a coffee and whiskey-flavored  sauce
Aurora Restaurant 1350 Raleigh Rd (919) 942-2400
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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!

Aurora offers five distinct dining rooms, including private banquet rooms and outdoor al freso dining