Aurora

Aurora Restaurant Review:

Long before Williamsburg, Brooklyn, became one of the city’s best restaurant neighborhoods, this Italian eatery was cooking up above-average Roman-style fare. In fact, Aurora was so successful, it made the jump over the East River, opening an outlet in SoHo. The menu here is loaded with Roman delights, including suppli, fried tennis-ball-size rice spheres filled with gooey mozzarella (a bar staple in the Italian capital); impressively executed grilled octopus; and liberally topped variations on the theme of bruschetta. The pasta dishes alone are worth the trip: spaghetti carbonara---egg, pancetta and pecorino---could compete with a typical neighborhood trattoria’s version in the Eternal City; pillowy gnocchi slathered in a bold asparagus sauce and sprinkled with black truffles is rustic yet inventive, and very satisfying. Wash it all down with a nice glass of fizzy lambrusco or one of the half dozen Italian red or white wines offered by the glass.