The Aviary is located on the 35th floor sky lobby of the Mandarin Oriental at Columbus Circle on the Upper West Side. (The space was previously called the Lobby Lounge and MoBar.) The Aviary was designed by Chicago Chef Grant Achatz and modeled after the original Aviary in Chicago. (The New York outpost opened in 2017, whereas the Chicago version dates back to 2011.) The glass-fronted “Drink Kitchen” creates craft cocktails that feature molecular mixology with names like “Cloche Encounters of the 46 Kind" and "Science AF", and “How Snoop Dog Uses Lemongrass”.
The restaurant seats about 95 guests, and nearly every seat has stunning panoramic views of Columbus Circle and Central Park. Sister speakeasy The Office seats about 45 guests but does not offer the same views. The Aviary space features trendy tables, booths, and banquettes at which you can enjoy your drinks and food. Because we booked the “Kitchen Table”, we expected it to be in the actual kitchen (or bar) as we have experienced at other establishments. However, at The Aviary, you are seated at one of two high-top tables in the far corner of the dining room, just adjacent to the mixology kitchen. The height of the tables permits a better view of the action, although you are removed from it.
At The Aviary, you can order drinks and small plates a la carte, but you can also choose one of their tasting menus: 3 drinks with food for $110 per person, 5 drinks with food for $165 (with about four choices for each course), or you can splurge on the 8-course Kitchen Table experience like we did for $215. (We think that our menu included 10 courses rather than 8.) All prices are assessed an automatic 18% gratuity. When you order from the menu, take note of the tiny bird symbols next to the signature cocktails: the number of birds indicates the theatrics of the drink, and the farther away from the menu option (in other words, the farther the “bird” has to “fly” signifies the most surprising presentations. Our Kitchen Table experience included the following drinks and food:
1.
“In the Rocks” (a hollowed out ball
of ice formed by freezing a water balloon in a super chiller, then uses a
syringe to inject it with alcohol, then placing it atop a granita, served with a slingshot
device that is positioned over the glass to break the ice ball)
Osetra caviar with crème fraiche, foam, and colorful flowers
(Bachelors Buttons, Yaris blooms, Coriander blooms)
2. “The
[insert our last name]” (a yellow-hued fruity drink made especially for us and
served in a bird glass with two bites perched on its wings)
Crispy pork skin, tempura Hawaiian shrimp (togarashi aioli,
yuzu picked pear)
3.
“How Does Snoop Dogg Use
Lemongrass” (lemongrass swizzle stick, Peychaud’s, ginger beer snow, vodka)
Frozen
corn custard (char roe, mango, yellow tomato tom yum snow)
4.
“Micahlada” (a spin on the
Mexican Michelada [slightly renamed to reflect the creator’s first name,
Micah], with soy, coriander, hot sauce, calamansi
syrup, yuzu, Japanese whisky (Suntory Toki), Evil
Twin beer Bushindo [a Berliner Weisse-style])
5.
Gin and Tonic (chartreuse,
almond, house-made tonic, green apple and cucumber ice coating the inside of
the glass)
Kampachi ceviche (Thai green curry, coconut, hearts of palm)
6.
“Heart of Stone” (a
glass porthole bottle filled with whiskey, port, and a potpourri of spices,
tea, and fruit, meant to be sampled every few minutes as the infusion grows
more intense)
Tempura maitake, octopus croquette (caramelized onion,
pickled ginger, bonito)
7.
“Wizard’s Staff” (an
allspice, pineapple, passionfruit, and tequila cocktail served in colorful
ceramic tiki cups over ice that is flash-frozen [with liquid nitrogen] fresh
passionfruit juice, allspice berry smoke)
Pork belly curry (banana, cashews, iceberg lettuce [the iceberg is compressed in salt and sugar for more texture], a red
dollop of Fresno chili/red bell pepper for heat, and avocado puree)
8.
“Science
AF” (blueberry, lemon, honey, ginger, scotch that are
infused using high heat, steam, and a bubbling vacuum device)
Black truffle explosion (parmesan, romaine, black truffle), Foie
gras “sandwich” (pistachio meringue, allspice gelee, and a
paper-thin chip of dehydrated apple gel)
9.
“Cloche Encounters of the
46 Kind” (graham meringue, cinnamon, mocha chai, Maker’s Mark 46 bourbon)
Okinawa brown sugar ice cream (matcha, white chocolate,
puffed rice)
10. We
did not have time to try the last bite and drink because we had to leave for
the theatre, but multiple staff members told us that we could return at another
time to finish our Kitchen Table meal. Be sure to allow enough time; our 5:00
pm reservation had us seated by about 5:20 (after a quick walk through the
drinks kitchen/bar), but even two hours were not enough to enjoy the full
experience.
Service was outstanding, with staff members working
seamlessly together. Also worth noting is that although only one of us could
drink alcoholic beverages, the mixologists graciously created a comparable
non-alcoholic experience for the other guest. Nearly every non-alcoholic drink seemed
to be a visual mirror image of the alcoholic variation, which shows the time
and effort invested to please their customers. The non-drinker did not feel at
all slighted by the “virgin” drinks, which isn’t always the case at other bars.
The cost was the same for both the non-alcoholic and alcoholic variations; although
“splurge-y”, we felt that the menu was appropriately priced for the quality and
variety of items that we received and their fantastic presentations. Do not
come to The Aviary and order a glass of wine – you will miss out on the whole
point of this bar/restaurant.
We enjoyed our time at The Aviary, and plan to return with
friends so that we can share the unforgettable experience.
