NEW YORK–This Spring 2007 Aroma Kitchen & Winebar puts culinary craftiness at your immediate service with its first ever Chef Tasting Menu available Monday nights from 6:00PM-11:00PM. Offered in response to a growing demand for seasonal samplings of the enticing dishes that grace Aroma’s daily menu, this $30 per person, 5-course menu will change weekly to showcase the broad essence and generous appetites of regional Italian home-cooking. Alongside this diversity of dishes, guitarist and former Epic/Sony songwriter Jack Morer adds animation to the ambiance with Spanish and flamenco-influenced compositions. With the night’s eclectic mix of provocative tastes and equally stimulating sound-bytes, forget the “Monday blues” and look forward to the start of the week with an affordable, stress-free evening. To schedule an interview with owners Alexandra Degiorgio & Vito Polosa interested media please contact Workhouse Publicity, Lauren Gould by telephone 212. 645. 8006 or via email lauren@workhousepr.com

A SEASONAL SHOWCASE
Ever evolving, the Chef Tasting Menu will highlight seasonal ingredients and the freshest market produce within a variety of five courses determined that night by Aroma’s chef and owner, Vito Polosa. The focus? Giving food enthusiasts the opportunity to experiment with new flavors and distinctive taste combinations of food and wine. A recent menu began with appetizing and addictive seafood & caponata risotto “arancini” followed shortly by a palate-pleasing baked stuffed calamari. Next up was a traditional pasta dish of the south, a “strascintati” with wild mushroom soffrito and roasted red peppers, while the subsequent main course was a rich braised lamb shank. The last course, a sampling of desserts, ended the meal with indulgent sweets. The 5-course Chef Tasting Menu is generously priced at $30 per person with an additional $18 for optional wine pairing. Available for the entire table only. For reservations or more information call 212-375-0100 or visit aromanyc.com

SAMPLE MENU
first course
seafood & caponata risotto “arancini”, basil

second course
baked stuffed calamari, almond, shrimp, capers, fennel, parsley
Venosa Dry Muscat 2004 (Basilicata)

third course
strascinati, wild mushroom soffrito, roasted red peppers, moliterno
Grifalco Aglianico del Vulture 2004 (Basilicata )

main
braised lamb shank, vegetable ragu, fontina polenta
Tiburzi Montefalco Rosso Santambra 2004 (Umbria)

dessert
sampler
Castello di Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto 2004 (Piedmont)

AROMA KITCHEN & WINEBAR
Relaxed. Intense. Italian. Aroma Kitchen & Wine bar is an Italian restaurant intent on taking guests to refreshingly new levels of Italian food and wine enjoyment. Located next to the Bowery Bar in the East Village at 36 E. 4th Street between Bowery and Lafayette, Aroma feels like a secret wine bar in Rome. From the moment Alexandra Degiorgio greets you at the door, to the first scent of wine selected by Vito Polosa visitors to Aroma experience a casual, honest environment and dishes that capture the flavor and soul of Italy. It's a cozy space, yet it feels expansive. The wine list includes over 150 Italian wines, divided by region, including an extensive “by the glass” program. With seats comfortable enough for dining at the bar, a dining booth in the back and a sidewalk veranda, the restaurant seats 30. Additionally, Aroma’s Farmhouse Room, a private, subterranean escape, is accessed through a narrow staircase and winding catacombs and comfortably seats 20 guests.

MENU AND VENUE INSPIRATION
Alexandra Degiorgio and Vito Polosa’s childhood in the Mediterranean was founded in a culture with a strong, stable culinary tradition where great pleasure is derived from food and where dining is an experience to be savored. Great meals lasted for hours, bringing family and friends together. These meals were always prepared with local and fresh ingredients and with love, care and attention.
Since moving to New York, Alexandra and Vito have seen the same passion for food and drink but found the experience is rarely savored or remembered here. This passion is also often hindered by a fear that delicious food cannot be healthy for you. After they met in November 2002, they created an escape in their home by hosting frequent dinners to celebrate friendships and family, food and wine. They dreamed of creating a restaurant that would bring back the values of fresh, local food that is carefully prepared coupled with wonderful wines and genuine service. Alexandra Degiorgio and Vito Polosa opened Aroma Kitchen & Winebar on March 2005 with a vision to take guests to new levels of Italian food and wine enjoyment making every meal a memorable experience.

ATMOSPHERE
Aroma is a study in contrasts: The urban/rustic interior features exposed brick, a dark wood bar with natural edges juxtaposed with mirrors framed with brushed steel. The room is softly lit by both contemporary chandeliers and flickering candles. Aroma doesn't have a fancy cellar, but even the red wines are served at just the right temperature. Brought together by their shared passion for food, wine and entertaining, owners Degiorgio and Polosa are both as active behind the scenes as they are in front of the house. Alexandra, a native of Malta, was formerly a consultant for American Management Systems (AMS), an international information technology firm. Vito, from Potenza, Italy (just South of Naples) has extensive experience in service as waiter, head waiter or manager at such NYC restaurants as Fiamma, Da Silvano, Bice and Il Gattopardo. Most recently, he was a wine salesman for Winebow, one of New York's largest wine and liquor distributors. The team brings passionate, focused intensity to the art of relaxing hospitality. They plan to share their enthusiasm with wine tastings, directed pairings and other
educational programs.

HOURS
Aroma is open Monday – Friday 12PM – 12AM, Saturday - Sunday 6PM – 12PM. Lunch is served Monday to Friday 12PM – 3PM. Dinner is served Daily 6PM – 11PM. Aroma is open for "aperitivo" Monday – Friday, 4PM – 7PM.  

Aroma is located at 36 E. 4th Street between Bowery and Lafayette. For more information call 212-375-0100 or visit aromanyc.com.