Splurge Lunch at Ai Fiori!

Last year I went to Marea for my birthday - I was so impressed with the meal that I've been looking to try all of chef/owner Michael White's restaurants.  I've been studying the menu for Ai Fiori for quite some time, in particular the much lauded trofie nero (I'm currently obsessed with squid ink dishes).  So today I finally went for lunch:

Vellutata - lobster veloute, perigord black truffles, chervil: pretty good as soups go, but not outstanding

Trofie Nero - ligurian crustacean ragout, seppia, scallops, spiced mollica: the main reason I wanted to try Ai Fiori, this dish was amazing - the only issue is that the portion size is tiny

Ippogolosso - line caught atlantic halibut, lentils du pays, black trumpets, lardo, salsefrica: technically, everything on the plate was prepared nicely, but I found the dish as a whole a bit lacking; not sure how to describe it except that it lacked character

Milk Chocolate Cremeux Tart: I was surprised at the presentation (or lack of); the desserts at Marea were fairly elaborate so I was expecting something similar. Taste-wise, it was good - decadent without being overly sweet

Overall a decent meal, but nowhere near as good as Marea - this was also a lunch service as opposed to dinner, so that plays into this as well.

Ai Fiori
400 5th Ave
(between 37th St & 36th St)
New York, NY 10018
http://www.aifiorinyc.com/