Is This Dinner or a Down Payment?

There are restaurants where you look at the menu and think, Okay, this is a little expensive. Then there are restaurants where you look at the menu and immediately start mentally calculating how many direct deposits you have left…

Oriana is the latter.

The NYC restaurant has quickly become one of those reservations everyone seems to be trying to get, and after finally making our way in, I can understand why. The space is gorgeous, the hospitality is exceptional, and the food is unapologetically rich, smoky, buttery, meaty, and decadent.

Is everything worth the price?

No.

Would I go back?

Unfortunately, yes.

My bank account may be upset, but my taste buds are not.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE MARTINI

Gin, vermouth, pickled sweet peas. $25

I would like to formally nominate the Pickled Pea Gibson for one of the best martinis in the city.

At first glance, it sounds like a slightly strange combination. In reality, it is ridiculously elegant.

The martini is remarkably light and silky, then you get that little hit of pickled pea, bringing a bright and crisp profile and giving the drink some personality. It has that wonderful quality where you take a sip and think, Oh, this is refreshing.

Then you take another.

And another.

And suddenly you’re on your third martini…

Dangerous.

Oriana also offers a martini service that is, frankly, absurdly gorgeous. It’s theatrical, decadent, and beautifully executed, the kind of service designed to make you feel like a Rockefeller for 15 minutes.

It is also $148.

We admired it from afar.

Listen, I love a martini. But $148 is where I personally have to ask myself some difficult questions.

Would I love the experience?

Absolutely.

Would I pay for it?

No thank you.

THE BREAD & BUTTER THAT MADE ME EAT MY WORDS

I have a complicated relationship with $14 bread…Fourteen dollars for bread feels aggressive.

Then the grilled bread with yogurt butter arrived…

The bread itself is beautifully baked: a deeply toasted exterior with a crisp, almost crackling crust giving way to a soft, warm interior. It has enough char to make the grilled element actually matter, rather than simply being bread that briefly met a grill.

But the yogurt butter is the real reason you order it. Now I LOVE BUTTER, but this was light, airy, and complemented the bread perfectly.

It’s creamy and rich but carries a subtle tang that keeps it from becoming overwhelmingly heavy. That acidity is important because otherwise you’d be eating straight butter with grilled bread, which, while not necessarily a bad thing, does not feel all that special.

$14? Yes, steep.

Worth it? Annoyingly, yes.

Their pastry chef clearly knows what they’re doing.

THE DUCK HAS A DRESS CODE

The BBQ Duck is $165 and comes with smoked breast, foie, and duck neck sausage.

And before you add it to your mental order, remember: you have to pre-order it.

This is not a spontaneous duck situation.

The duck arrives feeling appropriately extravagant. The smoked breast has a deep, woodsy aroma and beautifully rendered skin, while the foie adds an unmistakable richness to the experience.

But my favorite component was the duck neck sausage.

The sausage was incredibly tender, with that wonderful balance of fat and meat that makes sausage so satisfying when it’s done properly. It had a juicy, almost silky texture, and the duck flavor came through without being buried under seasoning.

The breast was delicious, too. Smoky, juicy, well-cooked.

But if I’m being completely honest?

It was a really good duck breast.

That’s not an insult. A perfectly cooked duck breast is a beautiful thing.

But it didn’t exactly make me stand up and announce that I had seen God.

The sausage, however, had me going back for another bite.

THE PORK CHOP IS THE ONE

Now THIS is where Oriana really got me.

The axe-handle pork chop, with loin and belly and black mustard, is $68 and was easily my favorite dish of the night.

First of all, the cut is enormous and gloriously unapologetic. You get the leaner loin alongside the richer belly, so every bite has a slightly different balance of meat and fat.

And that fat is rendered beautifully.

The pork is so tender that the texture almost becomes buttery. The belly practically collapses under your fork, while the loin maintains enough structure to give you that satisfying bite you want from a proper pork chop.

Then comes the black mustard. This is what makes the dish, in my opinion.

The mustard brings heat, acidity, and a slightly earthy sharpness that slices straight through the richness of the pork. Instead of making the dish feel heavier and heavier with every bite, it gives the palate somewhere to go.

If you don’t like fatty meat, however, do not order this and then write me an angry email. This is not a lean little pork chop. This is fat-forward, juicy, rich, fall-apart pork, and I personally loved every second of it.

THE SALAD I DIDN’T EXPECT TO LOVE

Normally, I am not spending restaurant money on salad…

I’m sorry. I simply refuse.

But Oriana’s Waldorf salad actually earned its place at the table.

The endive provides a crisp, slightly bitter crunch that cuts beautifully against the richness of the rest of the meal. The blue cheese brings salt, funk, and creaminess, while the combination of textures keeps every bite interesting. And this is where the salad becomes more than just “something green.”

It acts as a palate cleanser.

When ordering the smoked duck, foie, sausage, pork belly, butter, and bone marrow, you need something with acidity and crunch to reset your mouth.

Was it pretty?

Yes.

Was it delicious?

Yes.

Did I willingly eat salad?

Character development.

THE POTATO I CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT

And then there was the coal-baked potato with smoked bone marrow — $20, which I fear has permanently altered my expectations for a side dish.

This was not a sad little potato sitting next to the main event. This was the main event’s extremely glamorous best friend. Coal-baked until the outside had that gorgeous, deeply roasted quality, the potato was rich, smoky, buttery, and completely decadent. Then came the smoked bone marrow, adding even more richness and that unmistakable savory depth that makes you immediately forget you were ever planning to “just have a bite.”

It was the kind of side dish that makes you pause halfway through eating and think, Wait. Why is this side better than some entire entrées I've paid for?

At $20, it is absolutely a splurge for a potato. But honestly? I am still thinking about this potato. And when I’m still thinking about a side dish days later, I’m going to take that as evidence that it did its job. Also, look how gorgeous this thing was.

THE SCALLOP CONTROVERSY

Now, I know everyone is talking about the scallop. I’m sure it is phenomenal. I am not questioning the scallop. I am questioning $26 for one scallop.

ONE.

Singular.

Scallop.

$26 dollars.

I know this is NYC. I know restaurants are fighting for their lives. But I personally looked at that menu item and thought:

She’ll be fine without me.

Maybe it’s the greatest scallop Manhattan has ever seen. I simply wasn’t willing to conduct that research for $26.

STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING: MY PERSONAL HEARTBREAK

If you know me, you know sticky toffee pudding is one of my favorite desserts of all time. So obviously, I ordered Oriana’s sticky toffee pudding with smoked caramel and pecans.

And unfortunately…

We were not compatible.

The pudding itself has that dense, moist texture you want from a sticky toffee pudding, and the smoked caramel brings a lovely depth and bitterness that works nicely with the sweetness. The pecans add crunch against the softness of the cake, which is always welcome.

But Oriana takes the dessert in a much more ginger- and spice-forward direction.

And while I appreciate the interpretation, it gives a classic dessert a much more complex, almost warming profile; it simply wasn’t my favorite version of sticky toffee pudding.

This is a personal preference, not a culinary crime.

SO, IS ORIANA WORTH IT?

Oriana is expensive. There is no editorial spin that can change that.

$14 bread. $25 martinis. $68 pork chops. $165 duck. $26 scallops.

And if you’re feeling particularly wealthy, $148 martini service.

New York, you are getting bold.

But there is something undeniably special about the experience.

The cooking shows restraint in places where it could easily become overwhelming. Rich dishes are balanced with acidity, bitterness, crunch, and spice. The smoked elements add depth rather than simply screaming “WE SMOKED THIS.” And the hospitality is genuinely outstanding.

For me, the Pickled Pea Gibson, yogurt butter, pork chop, duck sausage, and Waldorf salad were the standouts.

Would I go back for a casual dinner?

Probably not.

Would I go back for a birthday, anniversary, celebration, or one of those nights when you decide financial responsibility is tomorrow’s problem?

Absolutely.

Oriana is a splurge. But it’s the kind of splurge that actually gives you something to remember. Just maybe check your bank account after dessert.