Alison C.
Yelp
AperiBar was located in the lobby of the Luma Hotel in Times Square, but was rather difficult to find once you entered the hotel. While there was a small café and bar in the front of the lobby, we needed to continue all the way to the rear of the main floor in order to discover the actual restaurant. The host stand was also in the back of the room, near the open kitchen, which did not help the situation.
The restaurant had a modern, upscale vibe, which carried over into their contemporary interpretations of traditional Italian dishes. We enjoyed the snazzy atmosphere and comfortable table, though we found the service to be rather slow.
When we finally placed our beverage orders, I asked to sample both the 2021 Borgo Paglianetto Verdicchio di Matelica Petrara from Marche, Italy and the 2020 Fattori Soave 'Runcaris' Garganega from Veneto, Italy. The Verdicchio was a bit too acidic and not fruity enough for my liking, so I opted for the Garganega white wine, which was packed with notes of tropical fruit. I had finished a good deal of my glass before the staff returned to take our food order, which was certainly not an ideal situation.
When it came to my meal, I decided to start with the Eggplant Caponata antipasti and progress to the Branzino entrée. The sweet-and-sour, pickled eggplant was served cold and was blended with toasted pine nuts for some added texture. I put a spoonful on a slice of ciabatta that had accompanied my friend's order of whipped ricotta, but found the bread rather dry and bland. The eggplant, itself, was just fine, but nothing special. The server made it a point to tell me that my fish filet would be served medium rare, which had sounded underdone to me, but actually came out extremely moist and tender. It was served with a blend of roasted brussels sprouts, wild mushroom, and raisins, all in a caper brown butter, which continued the sweet-and-sour flavor profile I had enjoyed with my starter. The vegetable medley was tasty, though some of my sprouts were cold and had not been properly coated with the warming butter sauce. Lastly, for dessert, my friend and I shared a large slice of the Olive Oil Torta, which was much drier than it should have been. In addition, the strawberries that were served with it were out-of-season and overripe.
All in all, I thought AperiBar was fine...but definitely not up to par with other restaurants by Chef Charlie Palmer. Granted, it was much more affordable than his high-end spots, but the food and service also left more to be desired.