AuRants

I’m a cook. I like to cook and, clearly I like to eat. When I tell people “I’m a cook” they say…"oh yea? What type of food do you cook?" and I’ve always struggled with this question. I find myself getting immediately flustered and approaching the question with…"well what do you mean ‘what do I cook?’ I cook everything." I never liked to categorize the type of food I cook, which is my immediate impression of AuRant’s. The type of cuisine presented was fusion, but difficult to categorize from there, which is unique, wonderful, and delicious. Jessica and I enjoyed a glorious meal with two friends, Candice and Rose, at AuRants located on Main Street in Duryea. AuRant’s opened last September and has been growing quite the fan base, rightfully so based on jam-packed flavorful food, the extensive beer list, and well-seasoned mixed drinks (we highly recommend the bloody mary…using sriracha as the hot sauce, a splash of caper juice, plus a little of this and a sprinkle of that making the drink expertly balanced). The atmosphere is very inviting- high quality food with a relaxed feel, warm tones in the decor, plus very fun and current music (Jessica noted Vampire Weekend and Bon Iver played during our meal).

I’ll begin with my absolute favorite dishes of the evening. Firstly, the meatball ravioli wrap Jessica ordered was out of this world. She has the ability to pick the one thing off the menu that I would never think twice about, and it turn out to be the most delicious dish of them all. A flour tortilla is stuffed with lamb risotto meatballs, beef short rib ravioli, caramelized onions & yellow bell pepper, spinach pesto marinara, fresh mozzarella, and then baked to create a crisp exterior. The outside of the wrap is sprinkled with what tasted like Parmesan cheese to create a perfectly seasoned/salty bite. It reminded me of a cocktail where the rim of the glass is lined with either salt or sugar, so when you lick your lips the seasoning pops the flavors of the drink. I would have never thought of combining ravioli with a wrap, but the smoothness of the ravioli with the crispness from the tortilla seems like a match made in heaven. So inspiring. Jessica also (as recommended) ordered the mac and cheese as her side dish. The smoked gouda and bacon make this mac and cheese out-standing!!!! Not to mention I could not be bothered with elbow macaroni, therefore I especially appreciated the use of rotini for this dish. Smooth, smooth, yes SMooth texture (even 20 minutes into dinner..still smooth. No congealed cheese in sight)! If you ever choose to visit AuRant’s, an order of the mac and cheese is just not even a discussion.

I would also highly recommend the blue crab grilled cheese, which Rose ordered. Who would have thought…blue crab in grilled cheese? Well my friends, it’s amazing. The bread stood up to the cheese, the cheese stood up to the crab, and I almost stood up, leaped over the table to Rose’s plate to take another bite! Wowee. She had an order of garlic-mashed potatoes as her side dish. Garnished with none other than…a whole garlic clove. Needless to say, I was in love.

What’s unique about AuRant’s is not just their unbelievably innovative flavor combinations, but also their theme nights. We visited AuRant’s on a Tuesday, Tuna Tuesday. Wednesday is “wheats-n-wings” and Thursday is “tapas Thursday.” Each night featuring new dishes true to the particular theme. Candice and I decided to try two different tuna specials on this particular Tuesday. Candice ordered the Santa Fe Ceviche, which included marinated ahi tuna and tofu, served with a baked jalapeno cheese tortilla cup filled with santa fe style corn salsa. I ordered the crab and sushi lobster roll. The combination of lobster, crab, seasonings, with a layer of tuna, all wrapped in delicate rice paper was absolutely delightful.

We DID enjoy quite the dessert as well: peanut butter truffles (as shown in the photo), and white chocolate raspberry crème Brule. The truffles were made with a mixture of peanut butter, cream cheese, and confectioner’s sugar, rolled in whole peanuts. Oh yes, yes they did. Reminded us of a mini peanut butter pie. The crème Brule had a strong raspberry flavor, which seemed to pair nicely with the peanut butter truffles. As Rose stated “it’s like we ordered peanut butter and jelly…only, not.”

As I continue to describe the different dishes we experienced while at AuRant’s it becomes more apparent to me how ‘fusion’ cuisine is extremely broad. From the clearly Mediterranean influences in the meatball/ravioli wrap, to the all American mac & cheese. From Asian influenced crab & sushi lobster roll, to mid-western ceviche – to me, this is what cooking is about. Not honing in on one particular style or type of cooking, rather creating each dish individual from itself. The flavors we experienced were loud, therefore I felt slightly out of my element because of my natural inclination gravitate toward pure simple flavors. Each dish was well seasoned, balanced, and looked as beautiful as it tasted. Now…Tapas Thursday - sounds like it will be in my near future.

Aurants

941 Main St.
Duryea, PA 18642

Hours:

Tuesday-Thursday 11AM-12AM

Friday 11AM-2AM

Saturday 5PM-2AM

Sunday 5PM-12AM