My husband and I have been hearing about Chef Amaury for some months because he is opening a new trattoria in downtown Aurora, so we decided to check out the ""original"" more upscale spot on North Commons. Wow! We went with the 5 course prix fixe arrangement, and there were times the food was so jaw-droppingly good that I forgot to drink the wine. First was a salad of greens with a perfectly shaped disc of blue cheese ice cream that melted slowly and sensually. Wow. The potato and leek soup with Spanish chorizo was like velvet - never had better (and I make it myself!). The fish was a pan roasted snapper with pineapple puree and wilted spinach served over ""forbidden"" rice, a black/garnet colored whole grain that tasted slightly of pecans. The big event - my husband had the Painted Hill New York Strip, and you could cut it with a hard stare! Of course it was cooked to perfection, and those goat cheese truffle potatoes were practically sinful. I had the La Belle Farm Seared Duck Breast with the most delicate baby potatoes and a wild huckleberry sauce. The skin was perfectly crispy, the presentation lovely but not too ostentatious, and the sauce was a wonderful complement. For dessert my husband had the Venezuelan bittersweet chocolate molten cake. It had so much cacao in it that even I (not a chocolate lover, to be honest) could sense the intense difference between this and your normal chocolate fare. I had the Goat Cheese Cheesecake, which comes on a little hard, lacy cookie - a toille or something like that? (Chef Amaury promises the cheesecake will be at the new restaurant too!) It was fabulous - classic yet clever. Every aspect of this experience was an unforgettable treat, from the homey decor, to the attention and explanations from the chef at every phase of the dinner, to food itself, which was par excellence. We can't wait to go back.
Pros: Shockingly good food, personal attention from the chef
Cons: a little out of the way
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