Ai Fiori

I went there for restaurant week like all the previous review. Service was good on what you can expect for a service but i like a friendly service and i felt it was a little bit cold. a little bit like the atmosphere. I want to be honest and as a person who was raised with a Mediterranean family i need to feel a warm welcome, a cozy atmosphere. Which i didn’t feel there. It is very business oriented for lunch.
The food was pretty good i think. But can i say it worth 1michelin star? i don’t know. Maybe. I like family style place. The soup was amazing. Delicious. It was my favorite dish! creamy enough. I was so sad to finish my soup. Then had the chicken dish. Was good. And then the panna cota. Was ok. I was didn’t like the frozen bloody orange but i like the crumbles.
It was the second i participated to the restaurant week as a client and i was not «wowed» by the menu they put for the «poor» people. Lol

Made reservation and was seated within 3 minutes during NYC RESTAURANT WEEK for lunch! The atmosphere is lively (one star) and the servers were friendly.
I ordered the butternut squash soup (zuppa do zucca) it tasted great! (One star) It had to pour into the bowl and it was tasty! The main course was the pasta. (Tagliatelle) Who would have thought that the pasta tasted so SALTY. The ham was salty, the sauce was extremely salty. Perhaps the pasta was also extremely salty. I was hungry, so I try to finish the food, but each bite required one sip of water!
Then, came along with the desert (yogurt panna corta) — another plus. (One star)

I came here for Restaurant Week and the food was AH-​MAZING! I LOVED EACH AND EVERY COURSE OF THE MEAL!
I ordered the Insalata, Tagliatelle (pasta), Torta di Cioccolato, and a glass of Red (Clos La Coutale, Cahors Malbec, France). There was nothing to complain about. The salad was an appetizing work of art. The pasta was extremely fresh and tasted amazing with the prosciutto. The dessert was plain at first sight as it was just a piece of chocolate cake but the cookie crumbs that they sprinkled on top made it taste so so good! It was such a treat especially with the gelato!
Service-​wise, it was alright… nothing spectacular but it wasn’t horrible either. Perhaps, the wait staff could’ve been more warm/​friendlier.
Nevertheless, I am definitely coming back for the food even though they’re usually $$$$

Took advantage of Restaurant Week promotion to visit Ai Fiori. This was the perfect break from work routine and grey weather. A true celebration of the pallet, paired with top shelf service.

My friends and I went there for lunch during the restaurant week last week. The food was good but nothing spectacular. I had pâté as a starter, skate wing as main dish and panacotta as dessert. The service was prompt, professional and cold.

I came here for lunch during winter restaurant week. Out of all the restaurants that participate in restaurant week, Ai Fiori is a good choice and because they’re a restaurant awarded with a Michelin star. Plus when I saw the menu it was pretty appealing. I had the butternut squash soup, housemade pasta ribbons, and the chocolate cake. It was a lovely lunch in a classy, elegant setting and the presentation of the food was beautiful. Not only was it beautiful, it taste good too. The restaurant is inside a hotel on the second floor.

I came here for lunch restaurant week. This restaurant is on the 2^nd floor of a hotel. I had:
Zuppa do zucca (butternut squash soup, pickled delicata, brown butter, pumpkin seeds) — the soup was creamy and bit too buttery for me
Pan roasted skate, fregola, trumpet royale mushrooms — the skate was not dry, not juicy but in between, lacking in sauce though, they barely gave us sauce
Yogurt panna cotta, pomegranate, blood orange granite — similar to a yogurt parfait, yogurt with some fruit and some pudding on the bottom
The décor of this place and the presentation of the food was quite unique. The food that I had came in big plates which made the food tiny compared to the plate. Reservations are recommended and window seats don’t give you any spectacular views unless you want to people watch on 5^th avenue. They have coat check service and on the other side is a lounge while you wait to be seated. The servers were very professional and always checked up on us. Overall, the food was average with good presentation. Was it worth the $ 25? Hmmm… I think it just made it.

*this review is based on a Restaurant Week experience.
Why does Ai Fiori have a Michelin star?! My friend and I went during our lunch hour to enjoy a great RW lunch but found ourselves extremely thrown by the hype that we heard and the overall experience that we had. I was vastly disappointed. I understand that we selected the RW menu so it doesn’t have the same creative mojo as the regular menu but if it comes to a point where I can look at a dish and feel that I can make it myself… that’s when you ktnow.
We both had the butternut squash soup and tagliatelle. The soup was overly bland. While the presentation of pouring the soup over pumpkin seeds and roasted squash was a beautiful tough, there was no distinctive flavor from the soup. The roasted squash pieces were the highlight. As for the tagliatelle, I easily could have (and since then, definitely have) made the pasta myself at home. It also had an excess of green onion.
Dessert was the highlight of our meal. The panna cotta was done so well. It probably was the one dish that really felt like fine dining. But I could close my eyes and feel like I’m eating a similar item from Eataly or Whole Foods.
The experience is something separate. The vibes are beautifully NYC upscale, the décor is beautiful, and the staff is relatively friendly. But the food is so average. i would rather buy and make pasta from Eataly for less than half the price than come back.
There are so many upscale fine dining spots in NYC. I would recommend trying a different spot and going to Ai Fiori only if you have to.

I came here for lunch today and tried the restaurant week menu. This was the second time here and it didn’t disappoint!
I ordered the butternut squash soup, pan roasted skate and finished with the panna cotta. The soup was poured into a bowl and was so comforting and perfect with the winter weather. The skate was cooked well and soft, tasted delicious. The panna cotta was super refreshing and great way to finish off the meal. I wished there was a warmer dessert pairing, but still happy with my dessert. My friend got the chocolate torta, and it was a quite decadent, a bit on the heavy side (though a chocolate lover’s dream).
We arrived 15 minutes early for our reservation and we were seated right away. Service was great, very attentive and professional. My water glass was never empty or close to empty. The dishes came out fast today, but we didn’t complain!

For a Michelin-​starred restaurant, Ai Fiori was good, but not incredible. Service was impeccable. The space was impressive. The presentation of the food was delicate and articulate.
We ordered from the restaurant week lunch menu. The butternut squash soup was divine. My tagliatelle with prosciutto and pine nuts was sadly lacking in both prosciutto and pine nuts. The pasta was too greasy and a bit undercooked. The chocolate cake didn’t wow me, in fact, I left more than half of it on the plate — the horror! Me, leave chocolate cake uneaten? It happened. I liked the $ 10/​glass wine pairing for lunch. Good wine. Was I glad I tried Ai Fiori once, yes. Would I come back again, probably no.

I absolutely love this place. I visit NYC every two weeks and this is the place I always try to steer my

Really successful Restaurant Week lunch. Insalata was flavorful and crisp, chicken was juicy, moist and flavorful. Dessert of panna cotta was creamy and decadent but still fruity and refreshing. As expected in restaurant week service is hasty but after we got our check we didn’t leave our table until an hour later and still got water refill throughout so I am definitely not complaining.

TLDR; If I were to come again I’d order:
1. Zuppa di Zucca (butternut squash soup)
2. Tagliatelle (homemade pasta, prosciutto)
3. Torta di Cioccolato (coffee crema, chocolate, fior di latte gelato)
Really beautiful atmosphere, savory food, and warm service. I came for Restaurant Week Lunch Winter 2016 with my best friends. The restaurant is quite spacious and elegant. I ordered the insalata, pan-​roasted skate, and panna cotta. My friends ordered the butternut squash soup, tagliatelle pasta, and chocolate latte gelato.
The insalata was okay, nothing too special. It was very light and average.
The pan-​roasted skate wing was perfectly cooked. The sauce mixed perfectly with the couscous and trumpet royale mushrooms. Lastly, for dessert I had the panna cotta. It was tart and also very light. If you want something a little more wholesome, the torta di cioccolato is a chocolate lover’s dream. My friends really enjoyed the butternut squash soup. The tagliatelle pasta was very fresh and the prosciutto was savory.
Our waiter was warm, attentive, and very friendly. Great service!
I would recommend that my friends try this Michelin Star restaurant. It’s worth the hype!

Restaurant week lunch review! Maybe 3.5÷5 stars.
Ai fiori is one of the places that fill up the fastest for restaurant week so I was super excited to get a reservation. I came with three friends and we were seated at a spacious table near the window. The atmosphere is gorgeous, with lots of floral decorations and antique-​looking plates.
For my starter I ordered the pâté. I was rather underwhelmed. It was rubbery and reminded me of meatloaf, and the flavor didn’t have the richness of pâté that I was expecting. The mustard sauce that came with it was very overpowering and looked like your basic whole grain Dijon mustard. Regretted ordering this. One friend got butternut squash soup and said it was very good.
My main was the skate wing. This was really really good. The fish was perfectly crisp on the outside, and incredibly tender on the inside. It came on a bed of coucous, along with mushrooms and some greens. Very simple and subtly flavorful. I really enjoyed this dish.
For dessert I got the panna cotta. I’m usually a chocolate dessert person but this seemed too unique not to try. It had pomegranate seeds, graham cracker crumbs, grapefruit sorbet, and these cute meringue drops on top. I thought it was decent — the panna cotta itself was very creamy and milky, and the sorbet was refreshing. There was a layer of pomegranate jelly on the bottom that was a little too cloyingly sweet however. I do admit I wish I got the chocolate cake as I think I would like it better, but I guess I’m glad to have tried something different.
Service was okay, the waiter seemed a bit impatient and a little cold.
Overall it was a pleasant but not outstanding experience. I’ve been to restaurant week places with more memorable food and friendlier service, and would recommend those places over this one.

Enjoyed dinner tonight at this Michelin star restaurant. = 4.5 Stars
Most of the ordered dishes were excellent. Highlight dishes for me were the pan seared nantucket bay scallops, riso acquerello/​beef short ribs/​bone marrow risotto, butter poached nova scotia lobster, and the prime dry-​aged strip loin.
Desserts were ok (Marea has better ones, imo).
Overall, not as good as Michael White’s other restaurant, Marea, but then not many restaurants are. Prices are similar (reasonable), but bigger portions here.
Excellent service.
(Not difficult to make same-​day reservation.)
: A–

I had high expectations for Ai Fiori considering its name and Michelin-​Star. However, I was left disappointed. I wonder if Michael White restaurants and I just aren’t meant to be, because I didn’t like Marea either.
The place is classy and located inside a hotel. The tables are big and far apart, so the restaurant feels spacious. The host was also super sweet and kind when we arrived.
A few things irked me about Ai Fiori. First, no one came to explain the menu to us. I had to flag someone to flag our captain down, but the captain never came. Instead, a server came and did not ask about allergies nor explain the menu. When I asked him to suggest a pasta dish without seafood or spices, he precisely pointed to the one dish with seafood and spices.
Now onto the food, the sea bass was delicious and so was the duck. The pork shoulder cheese ravioli was alright. When the captain finally came to check on us about the food we expressed that we liked the duck and fish but not the ravioli. He didn’t say anything back … Awkward. Also, I would skip the outrageously tiny-​portioned, mediocre $ 26 scallop appetizer; it’s not worth it.
I also felt rushed during the entire dining experience, with bus boys clearing plates multiple times before we were finished. Someone also said «let me bring you the check» before we asked for the check.
On a positive note, the sommelier, the server who gave us bread, and the server who gave us dessert were all super friendly.
But you walk into a Michelin-​restaurant expecting a unique experience, but Ai Fiori just falls under the umbrella of mediocre but nice restaurants in NYC.

Wanna impress your better half. Good place to do that. Wanna close a business deal, also a good place to do that. Wannabe take the kids out NOT a good place to do that.
Elegant, dark, no music in background, and excellent service.
Food is above average but it can be slightly better considering the overall feel.

I would call the ai Fiori the perfect restaurant. The service is nice, waiters listen to you and provide great advices. The seven course chef tasting menu is a nice trip in the menu and a great value. The halibut the clear hit in the menu. I also tried their signature past, trofie nero. Nobody should leave the ai Fiori without having tried them. Do not hesitate, book a table!