If you’re looking for a breath of fresh air (literally), head over to the hidden West Village restaurant on Perry Street: Aria.
After spending a morning exploring West Village, Pat and I were starved. But we were not in the mood for the usual brunch offerings. We were craving something small yet different from the usual. We were looking for a breath of fresh air. Coincidentally, minutes later we stumbled upon Aria Wine Bar on Perry Street, which in Italian literally translates to air. The concept of this West Village restaurant came to be after Chef Roberto Passon stepped out of his restaurant and said “I need air!” The exterior is lined with windows with the entire interior of the restaurant exposed to people passing by. We stepped inside.
It was late, around 3:15PM so the place was quite empty. Exposed beams covered the high ceilings, with distinct and minimalistic lamps dropping down onto the tables. A white counter wrapped around the marble bar. There were a few wooden table nooks near the windows facing the sidewalk, so Pat and I chose to stay in one of those high-top nooks. The specials were brought out to us on a cute wooden stand and the drink list was handed to us on a chalkboard-like menu. We were served bread and olive oil as a starter, but my favorite touch had to be the way they gave us water. Rather than serving it in a standard carafe, it was served to us in a glass Bulleit Bourbon Whiskey bottle. I loved it! Such a unique touch.
Grilled Octopus Salad
I ordered one of the specials, the grilled octopus salad. Octopus is actually one of my favorite seafoods, it reminds me of when my mother used to make it for me in Japan, grilled with olive oil, lemon, and parsley. The octopus had been sliced into bite sized pieces and arranged in a beautiful presentation over a bed of salad made with celery, thin sliced potatoes, tomatoes and more. The octopus was tender and cooked perfectly.
Lobster Ravioli with Vodka Sauce
As soon as the plate was set in front of Patrick, he dove and speared a ravioli with his fork. The portion of the lobster ravioli or Tortelloni d’Aragosta isn’t huge, but definitely worth it for lunch. They kept the sauce simple so that the tortelloni could speak for themselves. Pat licked the plate clean, finishing the sauce with our leftover bread.
Following our lunch we continued our leisurely afternoon stroll. We’d definitely want to go back to Aria and probably have a taste of their heartier cuisine at night. When we could see all the dropdown table lamps lit up from outside this West Village restaurant, people chatting over wooden tables inside, and laughing over glasses of wine.
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