Auden Bistro & Bar

I came to Auden for NYC restaurant in 2015 and had one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. Let me start off by saying that the atmostphere is elegant and posh, it’s located within the Ritz Carlton afterall. Anyway, the food was absolutely delcious, see above. Best burger ever. For my appetizer, I had the tomato soup with grilled cheese which was a match made in heaven. I highly recommend coming for both the food and the ambience.
It’s quite expensive so it’s definitely a meal for a special occasion, but I look forward to visiting once again.

I’m pretty disappointed with this place. The restaurant week menu looked great and I was excited to dig in. First of all, we sat for about 15 minutes before a waiter even approached us. We informed him that we wanted the wine pairing option with our meal, but he forgot and we had to tell him 2 more times. The ‘pairing’ was a joke, because my friend and I had totally different meals (he had pot roast, I had salmon) however we had the exact same wines, which were not at all paired with our food. They should have said they were giving us a flight, rather than a pairing.
My salmon tasted dry and re-​heated. The pot roast was decent and cooked medium-​rare, like my friend asked for it to be. We both loved the hot fresh-​out of the oven rolls, but that was the best part of the meal. We had high hopes for Auden, but will not be back.

Came here for dinner for restaurant week
Pros:
— Beautiful place — the ambiance was great
— Great service — the waiters were very attentive
— Amazing dessert — cheesecake was soft and portioned correctly
Cons:
— The appetizer was a pumpkin and beet salad but it turned out to be pear and beet — was really looking forward to the pumpkin
— The main dish (something with chicken) I ordered was very salty and the portion was huge (half a chicken)

Really enjoyed the afternoon tea here. Great space. The scone was amazing. Loved the egg salad and the ham and cheese sandwiches for tea the best.

This New Yorker can only afford eating here during New York Restaurant Week. I had the kale and pea salad to start, my companion had the flatbread with capers and tomatoes. Everything was cooked well and nicely seasoned. Our entrees were the NY Strip Steak and the Sea Bass. No complaints here! By the time dessert came, we were pretty stuffed but I had to make room for the berry peach cobbler which was pretty fantastic. They offered a $ 15 wine complement which I found pretty impressive. You get one white and one red. My only gripe was the cup of coffee I ordered to go with dessert when offered. $ 10? Haha. Really? Like I coulda went to Starbucks and it was like 6oz. But, overall it was a great dining experience.

Wow — the food here is amazing!
I met a friend here for brunch. Since the restaurant is in the Rits Carlton, I had a hard time finding it, but once I did I was greeted with wonderful service.
I had the lobster cobb salad and the cheese cake. Both were delicious. Nothing too adventurous, but clean well thought out dishes that brought the food to another level. The waiter kept my coffee refilled.
I liked how this restaurant is quiet. I could sit in here to read a newspaper if I wanted to.
My only complaint is that some of the items seem a bit ridiculous. $ 18 for cereal? Yeah.

$ 14 for a cappuccino… Utterly ridiculous!!!
Went here for restaurant week. Partly went because their advertised menu had crème brûlée as one of the included desserts. This was absent on their actual menu. I was greeted by a very sweet hostess who lead me to a window table at 12:30 on a Friday I didn’t expect to be the only patron in the restaurant, which I should have taken as an omen. My companion arrived shortly and was quickly seated (no one else there still). We both ordered from the prix fix menu. For appetizers, I had the kale/​pea salad, it was ok nothing special while she had the mussels which she thought were good. We both had the lobster Cobb salad as our entrée, again nothing special and really I would say disappointing. She had the blueberry crumb for dessert which she thought was actually good. But the main reason I am writing this review is to warn other patrons. She ordered a cappuccino and I ordered tea. My tea when served was actually coffee their mistake which I sent back, her cappuccino was ordinary nothing special. When the bill came we were SHOCKED to see that a small cup was $ 14. I have never been charged $ 14 for a cappuccino anywhere here or in Europe. Just because the restaurant is in the Ritz Carlton it’s acceptable to gauge the patrons. UNACCEPTABLE. Shame on them. It would do them right to lose all of their business as neither the food or drink was anything special.

Came here for restaurant week lunch because of raving reviews about the food, service, and ambiance of the incomparable Carl-​Ritz establishment.
Service was impeccable – the reputation of Carl Ritz speaks for itself: greeters and waiters made our stay here pleasant and luxurious.
My friend and I both ordered mussels for appetizer. The portion was big and soooo delicious! The broth was amazing – the best one I ever had with mussels. Finished every last drop of the broth with two french baguette toasts.
When our lobster on the cob entrée came my friend was shocked: she was expecting an entrée but we were served chopped romaine lettuce with a bit of bacon, blue cheese, avocados, and cut boiled egg on the side. Five tiny, barely visible pieces of lobster were placed on the top of the lettuce. The dish looked like an unfinished salad an amateur would serve as an appetizer. My friend was in disbelief that this is what «lobster on the cob» entrée looks like. Next to us, a guy ordered burger and fries entrée from that same restaurant week menu, and the portion looked huge and delicious! We were both dying of jealousy looking at how that guy devoured his properly called entrée while we were struggling with our «lobster on the cob» salad.
The dessert made up for the poorly executed entrée. We ordered a pear cobbler and this amazing molten lava cake that has a different fancy name which I sadly cannot recall. The cobbler came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side and was well cooked: hot, crunchy top, with juicy fruits inside. The molten lava cake with chocolate and passion fruit jelly inside was fantastic!!! I was blown away by its richness, moistness, and bright flavor! The passion fruit ice cream scoop on the side with crumbs of chocolate cake around it was incredible too. I would eat that dessert until I would burst!
The ambiance was rich, inviting, and high class. Looking outside the full glass windows to the beautiful Central Park and the surrounding streets made us feel like we don’t have the care in the world, lounging, enjoying ourselves at this high end restaurant.
A great place for any type of meal that you would want to remember with flying colors.

For what it’s worth… I like this establishment. Arrived on a quiet Tuesday evening with a couple of friends and a strong desire to enjoy the atmosphere of Auden. I was not disappointed. From the get-​go, it was clear you are not entering an ordinary restaurant. The staff throughout are extremely pleasant and welcoming, major plus. The décor is elegantly planned and designed, an eye candy plus. But let’s get down to why we were here: the food.
Strictly speaking from the Restaurant Week’s menu perspective:
Kale & Pea salad — fresh, simple, a palate opener
Flatbread with the works — olives and capers ensure to deliver an explosion of flavors
Tomato soup — creamy, delicious, an excellent choice for tomato lovers
Pesto crusted bass — delicate fish meets complex vegetables, well-​balanced = well done!
NY strip steak with truffle fries — perfectly prepared steak covered with crispy fries, bravo!
NY cheesecake — fluffy, light, yet decadent and beautifully presented
Peach and blueberry crumble — interesting pair but not strong enough to warrant a second helping
Roasted banana ice cream & passion fruit lava cake — we have a winner!
If I may and if you can, order the unagi & tuna flatbread. It is worth the trip again and again. Absolutely lip-​smacking (but please don’t) good. Also, their complimentary bread and butter for starters are incredibly addictive. Them buns, oh, them buns!

Everything was phenomenal! From the fresh, hot out of the oven bread to the friendly wait staff. Ordered the NY strip steak medium rare but it came out medium well, no worries ’cause it was delicious anyway. Would come back anytime

It’s not everyday you can just walk into Ritz-​Carlton and eat! I came here on my last day in New York, since me and my boyfriend were going to check out Central Park and Times Square one more time before we left.
We came here on a Tuesday afternoon around 1 PM, and it was pretty quiet. We had a reservation already, so we were quickly seated and helped! The hot water comes with honey and lemon… YAY! My favorite.
We ordered:
Appetizer:
–Sushi flatbread: unagi and tuna, cucumber green onion, micro shiso, wasabi cream:
This was delicious! I don’t usually like flatbread because I feel like the topping are never enough, or the bread is too dry. This flatbread was perfect – warm, soft (almost had the same texture as a pita bread) and it was topped with a good amount of tuna! One thing my boyfriend didn’t like was that the wasabi cream was a bit too much for him… but I love wasabi, so I can’t complain.
Sides:
–Winter Truffle Gnocchi:
a small (but huge portion!) platter of gnocchi, sauteed in truffle oil. This is my first time ever trying gnocchi, and to be honest, I didn’t really enjoy the texture of it. Truffle oil was good, but I don’t really understand the texture of it… I would much rather eat pasta. This definitely does not mean the gnocchi here is bad! It’s just that I didn’t enjoy it because I was confused about whether these were cheese balls or dough balls.
Entrée:
–Seared Skuna Bay Salmon: sauteed kale, red lentils saffron ginger cream, caviar:
Looks small. but actually a perfect serving size if you also eat the appetizers and order a soup. Vegetable is cooked thoroughly, and fish is soft and tender!
–Grilled NY Strip Steak: Sauce bernaise, sauteed spinach, amagansett sea salt fries:
YUM! Had to get this while we were in NYC! A little burnt on the outside, but that didn’t stop the flavors on the inside! We got medium-​rare, and it was perfect! Perfect temperature, perfect portion! And the mini frites (forgot the actual terminology) were yummy and crunchy!
Sandwiches:
–CPS Lobster and Caviar Roll: Lobster salad, toasted brioche roll, auden frites:
You can either choose a side of auden frites or jansal baby greens! Though I wasn’t asked if I wanted fries or greens, but I trusted my server to know what tastes best. When the sandwich came out, I was so excited to try it! There was a lot of caviar on the inside, and the lobster salad inside the roll was perfect. Big chunks of lobster, and the mayonnaise was not overwhelming. Brioche was perfectly toasted… maybe just a bit more to suite my liking!
The fries were YUMMY. I love potato wedges, and since I did not get to try Pommes Frites (sadness…) before they closed, this was my chance! I LOVE their «ketchup»! It had marinated tomatoes, sundried tomatoes etcetera flavor in that little bowl! It was so addicting! Loved the sweet yet tangy flavor to it.
Dessert:
–New York Cheesecake! DELICIOUS! I love that it didn’t taste like it was just taken out of the fridge, and it was not overwhelming like other cheesecakes I’ve had before.
Pros:
–Amazing service! Assisted right away, and all of our orders were correct!
–Fabulous flavor! Definitely a great tastebud experience!
–Not as expensive as I had thought! I didn’t think that we would be full from this… but we were stuffed!
–Great ambiance! Comfortable seating, nice lighting and great place for couples or even families!
–Good portion sizes! YES! I totally love that high end places can still give good portions, and still keep the prices friendly.
Cons:
–None that I can think of!
Tips/​Observations:
–The front door to this place is actually just the front door of Ritz-​Carlton. It used to be on the side, but now they closed that off.
Overall, was a great ending to our trip in NYC! This place is packed with details and flavors… a delight dining here!

Great high-​end restaurant delivering great service, fresh and flavorful dishes as well as a variety of options.
The beauty of being at a hotel is that they serve breakfast everyday. As well as lunch and dinner.
Fantastic location also, right on Central Park

Located inside the Ritz Carlton, it was very convenient since that is where we were staying. We ate dinner our first night, I had a seared cod over pea and avocado risotto, it was amazing. The portion size was perfect. The flavors were wonderful. I, also, figured we were in Manhattan so why not try their signature Manhattan? The drink was very good and although it was pricey, I felt they were generous enough with the alcohol to make it worth it. We went on to have their pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. The first words we spoke after the first taste, «Best pumpkin cheesecake ever.»
The second visit was for brunch. I had to try their Mac and cheese side dish. It is easily one of the top Mac and cheeses I’ve ever had… creamy, flavorful cheeses, everything you want from a Mac and cheese. Then I had basically a toasted ham sandwich with a cheese sauce and sunny side up eggs on top. I’d eat that everyday if I could. Wasn’t sure what to think or how to eat it at first, so I grabbed my fork and knife and dove in. It was heaven, for a fat kid, but heaven none-​the-​less.
Being from out of town, I asked one of the staff members a complete random question about where I could buy a single red rose. He had to go check, but he was back at my table in less than 5 minutes with a list of places within a block of our location.

was there for restaurant week lunch, appetizer and 2^nd course were good (salmon is not wild, farm raised), dessert on the week side. Came back for dinner and they had exact same menu as lunch… even though I called earlier and was told menu would be different…

I came here for a restaurant week lunch, and really enjoyed my experience. I arrived a bit early and they seated me at the bar, where I was offered cashews, almonds, peanuts, and a glass of water. The restaurant is set inside the Ritz Carlton, just by Central Park, and it’s quite beautiful.
We all ordered the three course prix fixe. I had the heirloom tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich as an appetizer, and I thought it was absolutely delicious. They paired the soup with just a little piece of grilled cheese sandwich, which was the perfect complement. The salads didn’t look particularly remarkable, though the ingredients appeared to be fresh.
The salmon, for the main, was a little bit underdone in my opinion. It was served on two sauces but the salmon itself was lightly seasoned. It was well made but a little too light for my preference. The burger was served with generously cut potato wedges, and seemed to be the most filling main.
The dessert options were: ice cream sundae, mango passion cheesecake, and ginger peach crumble. The crumble was bold, and the ginger flavor was very prominent. This is a pleasant surprise from a lot of other so-​called ginger desserts, which timidly hint at ginger while focusing on other flavors. The mango passion cheesecake was served in a dome with the mango and passion fruit as a jelly on top of the cheesecake. It wasn’t as nice as it looked though it was a nice cheesecake. The sundae was very generous in size and it had quite a range of flavors and textures.
I would definitely recommend Auden for restaurant week, if not for the regular menu. The service is great and it’s not too loud, which makes it the perfect restaurant for catching up with old friends.

Fantastic restaurant. Obviously, it is in the Ritz-​Carlton Hotel, so you know off the bat the food is going to be top quality, the service is going to be superb, the ambiance, décor, bathrooms, vibe, lighting, music, etc. are going to be spot on. Came here with a large group of tourists (so I deeply apologize for their loud speaking over a period of 4 hours). We enjoyed many bottles of red wine and champagne. The complimentary butter rolls were out of this world. So buttery, moist, aromatic, sweet, soft, yet not in the least heavy or overwhelming, such that I had 5. Yes, I’m ashamed to say I had almost an entire plate of rolls to myself, but I knew I would really regret it if I didn’t stuff myself with those heavenly carbs. A few hours worth of treadmill the next day would be totally worth it.
Even though it was restaurant week, we decided to order off the regular menu. I was lucky enough to have tried many appetizers. The grilled scallops fennel, grapefruit, pink peppercorn, and basil vinaigrette were amazing. One of the best salads I’ve ever had, very pretty, and definitely the best appetizer on the menu that night. The mussels in allagash broth, garlic, caramelized Leeks, and grilled country bread is a fun display, very large.
For the entrée, I had the grilled swordfish with avocado pea risotto and lemon chermoula. the chermoula was very strong and while I didn’t think it complimented the swordfish all that well, the swordfish itself was very fresh and the risotto was made just right! The veal porterhouse with shishto peppers and baby onions were very flavorful and the veal serving was very generous, lots of fat made it so much jucier and more tender. A few people ordered the prime ribs with fries and they said they really enjoyed it too.
For dessert, I had the molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Like anyone, I’ve had this classic dessert a dozen times but let me tell you Auden does it right. Every crumb in the chocolate cake was baked at the same temperature for the same time. It’s hard to imagine perfection wasn’t just created from a 3D printer that doesn’t make mistakes. So consistent… and that hot sauce that oozed out so elegantly when you puncture the cake. How you somehow don’t get brainfreeze from the large bite of vanilla ice cream you take because you can’t stop yourself from savoring smaller bites… it was gone in an instant. I would definitely recommend it over the other desserts that don’t seem to be on the current menu anymore. So I guess they change the menu very often… looks like I have to go again soon!
Obviously, this is a very expensive restaurant and be prepared to drop a lot of money, esepcially if you want to impress your date, but trust me, it will be worth it. Great location too so you can take a nice stroll in central park or columbus circle after the meal. You’ll want to walk it off.

did I die and go to heaven? so good. loved the food here!
got the tomato, mozzarella, olive flatbread for an appetizer, great portion, delicious.
the NY strip had just the right amount of fat the melts in your mouth.
chocolate ganache had an interesting olive oil ice cream (hence hint) and specks of salty caramel sprinkled here and there.
the cheesecake had an awesome crème brûlée top, yumm.
would eat here again.

Came here for lunch with a close friend who is visiting in town.
We were expecting a nice, long and relaxing lunch to catch up over a bottle of wine (yeah… I know, dont judge me lol)
Little did I know, we were rushed horribly … finished 3 courses meal within one hour
Food was ok, but the experience has made this a no-​return land.

came here for a cozy dinner for two.
started off with the beef tartare, which was a perfectly respectable portion to share.
sausage flatbread was a bit too spicy for me — heirloom tomato flatbread was pretty delicious though.
my dining partner was a big fan of the sea bass, i didn’t try it because i’m not a fish fan. my veal crown chop with garlic mashed potatoes and mushroom sauce was AMAZING. so delicious. a bit fattier than i would like but sooo good.
we also ordered a side of the truffle auden fries — yum!
for dessert we attacked the apple crumble with vanilla ice cream, creative smore cake, AND their seasonal pumpkin cheesecake.
i was so full that i had to be rolled out of the restaurant.
crowd was pretty stuffy… it IS the ritz after all.

Located inside the very posh Ritz-​Carlton, Central Park this restaurant offers a very simple menu with traditional dishes (poached lobster, pasta, burger, salmon) with impeccable service.
I had a business lunch here and it was perfect. The menu is small, but appealing to everyone. The service was excellent and not stuffy. The prices were high — more along the lines of dinner pricing — but this is to be expected for the area (Central Park South).
I ordered the Salmon and it was wonderful. Cooked perfectly, light and tasty.
The free appetizers were a very nice touch.