Restaurant Review: Aquavit, New York City

I visited Aquavit for the first time this spring - it's one of those restaurants that I've always meant to try, but somehow there was always a fancier, more hyped or supposedly better place to go. However, my parents were visiting and wanted to try it, so I finally got my chance at Aquavit. I should have done it years ago! From beginning to end, dinner at Aquavit was one of the best meals I've ever had.

Aquavit is located in the heart of midtown Manhattan, tucked away on a block that is mostly consumed by huge office buildings. Chef Marcus Samuelsson hails from Sweden, and Aquavit's cuisine is "contemporary Scandinavian," but there are a great deal of French and contemporary American influences as well. The restaurant boasts a calm atmosphere and cool, modern décor, with bottles of house made aquavit lining the walls.

Aquavit offers a 3 course prix-fixe menu, wherein each diner chooses his or her own appetizer, entrée and dessert. There is also a 6 course chef's tasting menu available, but the courses are set, which gives the diner less flexibility. We opted for the 3 course menu, and started our meal with some of the house-made aquavits (a type of flavored liqueur), which come in a huge variety of flavors. Fig-cardamom and ginger were my favorites, but mango-lime-chile and lychee-berry also stood out.

After sampling the delicious house potato and dill breads and a complementary amuse-bouche of sweet potato soup, our appetizers arrived. Since there were 4 of us, we were careful to order different things in order to taste as many dishes as possible. The foie gras ganache, short ribs and lobster roll were all outstanding and inventive. The foie gras dish was particularly creative - it was foie gras custard with a liquid center, with deep fried duck confit and a scoop of arugula ice cream topped with sea salt. Each element was delicious alone, but combined they became something truly spectacular.

For our main courses, we sampled the oxtail coated ribeye, the lamb, the venison and the seafood stew, all of which were impeccable. The quality of the ingredients was evident here, as the preparations were generally simple, allowing the meat to shine through. The ribeye was my favorite, but all of these mains were delectable. The "seafood stew" was particularly interesting - it was actually a seafood platter with saffron broth poured over - beautiful presentation. The only off note in the main courses was the bed of wilted romaine under the venison - it was bland and detracted from the other elements. Luckily, it was easily pushed aside.

Our desserts were preceded by a delicious, tangy palate cleanser of rhubarb soup with lime foam, which definitely readied my palate for something sweet. We ordered carrot cake, panna cotta with lemongrass sorbet and a chocolate caramel tart with salted caramel ice cream. The panna cotta was terrible, but the chocolate tart MORE than made up for it. It was comprised of a thin layer of chocolate cake topped with a layer of caramel and a very thick layer of bittersweet chocolate ganache. Combined with the rich, salty ice cream and a glass of sweet sherry, this was one of the best desserts I've ever tasted.

The service at Aquavit was perfect throughout, and our waiter could not have been more helpful with food and wine suggestions. The menu at Aquavit changes seasonally, but I am sure that no matter what the season, the food is always spectacular. I have never encountered a restaurant that pays such close attention to quality and detail as Aquavit. Even though Aquavit doesn't get much hype, I will never overlook it again!

Address: 65 E. 55^th St., between Madison and Park
Phone: 212-593-0287
Hours: Sun-Fri lunch 12:00-2:30; open for dinner 7 days
Price Range: 3 course prix-fixe $84, chef's tasting $115