AOA is a bar and grill that is Located next to the Hilton Garden Inn in TriBeCa. Sounding like a weird onomatopoeia, its name means Avenue Of the Americas.

There, Chef Nadav Cohen crafted an upscale bar menu that includes items with truffle, such as the Mac and cheese, as well as wood fire pizza (the oven is visible from the second bar) and classic dishes. 

The decor has this European feel that reminded me a bit of an old train station, with all the apparent metallic pillars or the passage between the restaurant and the hotel topped with a clock. 

I admit that it did not take long for us make a choice: we were there for burgers. Well, at least I was set on that, as Jodi decided to order their veggie burger that was more a falafel in pita sandwich, the falafel being molded as a patty. 

It was served with tahini and Harissa, that is a Tunisian hot sauce. Luckily, Jodi got it on the side, because it is very hot and they might put a lot of it. As a side, she picked some delicious tater tots that I ate more than their house cut fries. 

My burger, perfectly cooked medium, and juicy, was the AOA burger. Well, when it gets the restaurant name, it means it is their signature burger, so expectations are high. 

It was composed of lettuce (too much of it, I ended up removing some, but I admit that I am not a huge fan of it on a burger anyway), tomato, onion, bacon, aged cheddar and chipotle mayo (perfect: I always add mayo to my burger). The menu said that there were crispy onions, but they were nowhere to be found.

Inside the burger was some peppercorn that gave an interesting texture to it, but I would have preferred without. Verdict: decent burger, nothing more for me. Would I go back? Maybe, but to try other dishes, not specifically for the burger. 

Enjoy (I did)!

If you like this post, the photos or the blog, please feel free to share it or post a comment. Merci!