Astor Center

We had a wonderful overall experience with the Astor Center. Donna and her team were wonderful to work with. They were kind and very efficient communicators. We had over 100 people for a two day event, and all that attended LOVED the venue. My only suggestion for improvement would be the AV equipment. The microphones had evidently been dropped numerous times prior to our event which resulted in their not working consistently during our event. Thankfully, they had more than one available. All in all, my team highly recommends the Astor Centre.

This place is quickly becoming my second home. I was lucky enough to get involved with Astor as a volunteer a few months and have been able to attend a great variety of their classes and events! So far I’ve attended the following:
Bacon & Bourbon 2015
The 11^th Annual Natural Wine Event
Southern Italy: Wine, Cheese and Charcuterie
Whiskey 101
Tiki Time Cocktails
Cruising California
The Elements of Wine
The Winemaker Invitational
The walk around events (Bacon & Bourbon, the Natural Wine Event and the Invitational) are held in the Gallery and/​or the Lounge, which are big open spaces that are conducive to tipsy meanderings and conversations with the wine and spirit makers that present at the event.
The classes are held in the kitchen (so cool) or the totally state of the art study which is set up like a college classroom with elevated seating. All of the instructors I’ve attended class with so far are SUPER engaging and knowledgeable and more often than not highly respected in their field — I took a California wine class with Kristina Sazama who used to be the sommelier at the Momofuku restaurants — IMPRESSIVE stuff!
I’ve been privileged to see behind the scenes and these classes and events are totally worth the money — you always get great snacks in addition to the generous pours of wine/​spirts/​cocktails and the environment is laid back but you still learn a ton. I highly recommend checking one out if you get the chance!

I surprised my man on valentines day with VIP tickets to a Bourbon and Bacon event at the Astor Center. He loves whiskey and bacon, so he was really excited. The event started with a one hour educational lecture on whiskeys, with whiskey tastings and a whiskey cocktail. My man and i werent really paying attention to the educational part and were there more for the drinking. Haha then, there was a whiskey tasting event that took place in two rooms, with pork inspired hor dourves. There was even bacon ice cream!
This event would be great for people who truly love whiskey, but it was also great for people who just like to eat and drink :-) would definitely want to come back to the Astor Center for more events

Although i never booked an event with astor center, i would definitely want to in the future. Fatima, the events coordinator gave me a tour of the space for a potential event that i wanted to do. She was very professional, informative and sent me the paperwork and inventory the same day. I would recommend this venue for dinner parties, bridal showers and birthdays!

Just came here tonight for Luckyrice’s Slurpfest! It was basically a ramen tasting festival and just awesome in general. The layout of the place was split into two halves – the left half of the area we were in was for drinks and general mingling, and then the right half of the center was split into four major sections with different vendors. Pretty sizable area in general. My friend tells me that they host a ton of culinary events in the area. From the standpoint of an event-​holding center, I really enjoyed this place – nice and spacious

Best wine shop in Manhattan, you cannot beat their prices and they are constantly having great sales on quality wine. Their wine events are pretty good too. I purchased tickets to their Mother’s Day Rose event and had a great time with my sister. We tried tons of Rose and nibbled on a spread of cheese, meats and crackers.

Astor center is a great alcohol oasis. The wine and liquor store has a great variety at fair prices, and the events offered are always interesting and enjoyable — from wine tastings to shucking oysters. I also appreciate the «employee recommendations» on the wines. You can always find something whatever your price range.

Love what the Astor Center has to offer, with fun and relaxed education all around food and beverage. It s a gem in the city for sure, and of course connected to one of the best supplied speciality liquor stores in Manhattan.
We attended a Creating Your Own Cocktails event (not sure the exact name, but you get the gist). It was a great concept to learn about how liquors and flavors and the like all come together and make a cocktail work. Unfortunately the execution wasn’t exactly what we expected. At least 50% of the 2 or so hours was a history of cocktails, and the rest of the time we were left to mix drinks from a well stocked bar. Clearly the guys running it were knowledgable, its just a shame that they didn’t spend more time helping us understand how you create and balance a drink from scratch.
I would definitely go back to the Astor Center, just think that this course didn’t do much for me, but I am only one person.

I did the bourbon tasting this past Valentine’s Day (hey, I’ve been busy). There were two hundred gazillion people signed up and we waited in the cold. Leaving that aside, there were plenty of tastings and the pourers were passionate about what they were serving. It’s definitely a fun thing to do and the venue is pretty. For this particular event, the theme was «bourbon and bacon.» There were several types of bacon to try, but they were cold. I have just signed up for another event which is far less expensive. Curious to see how that compares. Long ago (3 years??), I did a pizza course and it was FANTASTIC! I still use the tips that I learned. It was pretty expensive, but it was «dinner/​theater» with the owner of Pizza Casa. I’ve taken a «course» at Whole Foods– no comparison. Then again, WF is way less expensive.

Took a great wines of Spain class here with a Groupon certificate. Fun, informative, and while I felt we were hob-​nobbing it, everything was quite down to earth. Fun time!

My boyfriend & I just had our commitment party & celebration at the Astor Center Gallery space this weekend I can’t say enough wonderful things about my experience. The welcoming venue was perfect for what we were looking for, and I was impressed with the entire staff at the Astor Center Gallery Space, Fatima, Josh, Allison, but most of all Ross.
Ross went above and beyond to help make sure that our event went off without a hitch. He fielded my random questions leading up to the event, advised me of what I needed to consider, provided contacts for preferred vendors and all without ever making me feel like a pest.
On the day of the event he not only worked with me, but with all my friends who arrived early to set up. He was patient and kind, and he was fun. He makes it seem so easy. He showed us how to work the awesome AV equipment, he and Allison showed us where we could find the platters & dishes (included in rental fee btw) and they let us create the exact vibe that we wanted for our family and friends.
So if you’re considering the space for a wedding or event, I would highly recommend it!

I came here for an Israeli food event and thought it was a beautiful space with the exposed brick walls, coming from a catering background, I definitely could have seen things done way better.
The space is a nice size, but the layout for the event was not the best use of the space. The drink and the spice mixing section were on the same end so there was a crowd at one and and an empty area where the live music was.
Also I understand that it was a cheaper event, but to give people a tastings worth of wine in the glass was just tacky. Especially so early on in the event.
Finally the line to get spice mixes made was just unruly. Spent an hour on that line and people were trying to cut from various directions.
Other than that, the food was lovely and the live music was a wonderful touch. I would definitely come here for another event, but hopefully they plan the space a bit better next time.

Came here for a New York Drinks New York wine tasting event. It’s a beautiful location to host an event, kind of small but the facilities are nice.

The stadium seating for their tasting events is fantastic. There is not a bad seat in the house. They give generous pours of the alcohol and you really do learn quite a bit. For instance, I learned that tasting scotch is ridiculous. After your first sniff you have burned off all of your smell receptors and you then can’t taste anything. (I learned this from the experience.) But they still made you feel quite educated as you were slowly getting sloshed on delicious single malts.
The cooking classes are great too. My wife and I did a Do-​It-​Yourself Brunch class that was a lot of fun. You get matched up with strangers and everyone learns how to do the meal but is responsible for one particular part. At the end of the class we had a fantastic multi course brunch. They also had a mixologist come to create the perfect cocktail to accompany the meal we had made.
I am excited to go to more classes at Astor and will definitely keep my eye’s wide open for the opportunities. (I recommend you do too!)

Came here for a series of Asti Italian wine and Brindiamo! tv show private events. Great location, state of the art kitchen equipment. Simply beautiful space.
The events consisted of:
— A «Sensory Perception» experience through an exhibition created by Pasrons students.
— A mini-​cooking class using Asti with Chef Vito Polosa — Onwer of Aroma Kitchen & Wine bar:
. Did I mentioned I volunteer to get up there and cook? Well I did. I will own a kitchen like this one day.
— A cocktail mixing class using Asti
— An a demonstration of glass designs for ultimate enjoyment of food and beverages.
Thank you Asti! and Astor Center you are without a doubt forever in my dreams.

This space is phenomenal! This is what I call a multifunctional space where there is an event hall, an educational classroom filled with state of the art equipment fit for the most and least sophisticated wine student/​connoiseur and a great selection of beverages at their store below with wonderful discounts! Just amazing! I loved spending 4 hours here @ the Annual Natural Wine Event tasting, eating, and mingling with wine makers from all over the world!

Eric and I went here for Metro Mix’s Hot Plates foodie event last week and it was a really great space. I liked the way it was laid out with the two rooms and it was tasteful and understated. I could definitely see going to a class or two here.

Unilocal Events For Adults
i am not here to describe the cooking classes at Astor Center, which have been quite well reviewed by others already (although the one i took, «A Lobster Primer: Hands On,» was indeed a solid primer and very much hands on, led by a fisherman’s daughter turned chef who instructed the 20 of us, including a writer, a wine expert, a musician, and one from the NYC Ballet believe it or not, on the choosing, humane killing (yes hands on!), cooking, cleaning and eating of lobsters, shove that knife in there, crack that, pull that, three recipes — make your own lobster roll, lobster fritter — and at the end, six glasses of wine for tasting and matching with the three-​course meal that we had just prepared, satiated, drunk, and knowledgeable…); no i’m not here to talk about that…
aside from classes and tastings, there are Events at Astor Center, and these resemble more than anything else Unilocal Events, except the attendees are not entirely made up of post-​adolescents clinging to the remnants of childhood and pop culture, pretending to be tv-​fabulous; rather, the demographic is a fair sampling from nyc’s educated, literate and art-​aware, maybe more resembling an audience at the Papp Theater down the block. from young to old, dressed up or less costumed, multiethnic, food aware — oh for sure, food aware.
this particular event was called «Harvest to Heat: Celebrating America’s Best Chefs, Farmers and Artisans,» which is the title of the book around which the event was organized, ie, a book launch. Astor Center Events take place sometimes upstairs in those fantastic kitchens, but this was not a class. it was held right above the store, in what was once a very fine and elegant restaurant whose name escapes me, a large open space, sweet lighting, dark hues, 80 people, even a few kids. $ 40 apiece, which would have barely covered the drinks. so, good deal.
along the far wall is a bar, and next to the bar several food stations with serving tables in front. along the opposite wall is a sort of two-​step-​up mezzanine with windows overlooking Lafayette st, and a banquet running under them, a nice place to hang out and view the outside world. otherwise, there were small tables with chairs bunched together, taller round bar tables for standing around, and lots of open space for grazing and browsing.
but the food!!!
well, first the drink (s). whiskey was featured, provided by Tuthilltown Distillery, you know them, those small squat bottles with the brown paper labels that say HUDSON WHISKEY in big letters. they make extremely fine artisanal spirits, bourbons and such. tonight they offered a corn whiskey (corn whiskey?!!) called White Dog. it was CLEAR. it was delicious. the drink was Manhattans, later switched to some sort of apple-​related thing also using this corn whiskey. fantastic! just laid out there on the bar, come and grab one, sure. how about three?
this being astor, there were wines also, but i did not touch them tonight. capacity filled.
ok, food: the best was a pork belly, with maple syrup, grits, matsutake mushrooms and tons of roasted garlic, prepared by Brian Lewis of his self-​styled Kitchen. pork bellies can really rock, and these were exquisite. i had two plates.
there was an oyster table by Rappahannock River Oysters from Virginia, yes they drove up here 14 hours they said to be part of the book launch, and they were offering an endless supply of three kinds of raw oysters. three tastes from sweet to salty, depending on how close to the ocean the source waters were. these were exquisite as well. i had two sets.
there were hors d’oeuvres being passed around by caterers with trays. there were so many that eventually i just let them pass with full trays. that never happens at Unilocal events and i don’t think that requires elaboration.
chilled cucumber crab soup in little teacup bowls with tiny metal spoons, with candied fennel and lemon gelee. you stir it up well to activate it, and then drink it like the green tea it resembles, then spoon out the chunks of crab meat. exquisite. i had two.
mini blt’s, although that is an understatement. like a slider, but with house-​made sesame buns, heirloom tomatoes, artisanal bacon and pickled shallots, courtesy of Chef Lee Chizmar of Bolete. exquisite. i had three. i think.
roasted trout, basically a thick slab of trout on toast with vinaigrette, courtesy of Chef Waldy Malouf of Beacon. exquisite. i had two.
there was a large table up on the mezzanine with a tray filled with piles of four kinds of chocolate from Theo, including two truffles and two kinds of dark chocolate chunks, and another tray with four kinds of aged cheese from Jasper Hill Cellars, plus a basket piled high with sliced baguette. i don’t recall how many times i went back. cheese rocks better than pork.
and finally, pumpkin ginger spice ice cream, from Blue Pig, Croton-​on-​Hudson. exquisite. but i only had one. need i explain?
i hearby quit Unilocal

«Anyone can cook.»
— Chef Gusteau, «Ratatouille»
Within the kitchen area of Astor Center, several transformations occur. Vegetables and fruits, poultry and meat, grains and starches becomes transformed through heat into delectable dishes. And rank-​and-​file professionals, from various walks of life, in several hours time, become transformed into actual cooks.
What’s remarkable is that the instructors for each course can marshal 10 – 12 amateur chefs, of grossly varying skill levels, get them to work as sous chefs in a kitchen full of sharp knives and hot grilling stations, and coordinate them to produce a flight of courses in less than 4 hours.
The instructors may not run 3-​star Michelin restaurants, but they are all great teachers that impart a set of skills to their students that last a lifetime. Each instructor is like a Patton of a brigade of raw culinary recruits, waging war against inexperience and time, with fine knife skills and the expert handling of a hot sauté pan.
Seafood has always intimidated me: it’s not the eating, per se, but the skill involved in its proper selection, preparation, and fabrication. In taking Chef Carl Raymond’s «Fundamentals of Cooking: Fish» class, I hoped to make the art of preparing seafood less daunting and have it become something that I could competently prepare for friends, family, and the romantic interest.
In Fundamentals, we tackled 3 recipes: Scallops Provencale, Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette, and Cape Cod Clam Chowder. We also learned two ways to prepare fish: Sauteeing and En Papillotte (in parchment paper). I was astounded that after several quick demonstrations, Chef would let us tackle the preparation of these delicate and expensive proteins: heating shrimp, searing scallops, shucking clams, filleting red snapper, and sauteing fish on the line.
Chef Raymond works very well with the students, answering questions, making recommendations, and approaching his demonstrations with a passion that I can only achieve after imbibing a double espresso at Starbucks. Beside thoroughly explaining and demonstrating basics of cooking skills, he made the process of cooking less mystifying and even imparted a joie d’vivre for preparing food.
When you watch food programming on the Food Network or Bravo, cooking is an art that seems magical. In reality, cooking is very mundane, involving repetition and precise execution of a series of small tasks under significant time pressure. For example, I spent part of Chef Raymond’s class learning how to dice an onion. Very ordinary steps: cut off the stem; slice it lengthwise through the root; lay each onion-​half flat; make several cuts into the onion parallel to the cutting board; make several incisions orthogonal to these cuts. When you finally slice the onion, out pops out perfectly-​brunoised bits of vegetable.
And then you have an transformational moment. Astor Center makes you aware how — in the most simple execution of cutting an onion — magical the mundane can be.

**This review is for the class: Elements of Wine: Wine Tasting, Wine Pairing and More at Astor Center**
Always curious to expand my knowledge of ways to enjoy wine, my better-​half and I signed up for the Elements of Wine class that takes place twice a month at the Astor Center, the education annex of Astor Wines & Spirits (my review for Astor Wines & Spirits here:
)
Sure, I’ve attended wine tastings before at various wine shops and taken wine classes to further my knowledge of vino, but what attracted me to take this class in particular was to learn more about what to look for when pairing wines with food. Also I heard it was an interactive discussion and any questions you might have on wine would be answered in plain English.
Upon entering the class room, or the Study as they call it – I was impressed by the high-​tech touches of the room: spanking-​new Viking appliances, 50″ flat-​screen TVs over the kitchen, stadium-​style seating with ultra-​comfortable chairs, individual sinks and light boxes (to observe the clarity, colors and «legs» of each wine). The class room design is based on the Rudd Center at CIA’s Napa Valley campus and it’s absolutely beautiful and flawless!
But the piece de resistance was the 7 Riedel glasses neatly lined at each seat. As part of the Elements of Wine class, we would be sampling 6 wines from around the world (in this class, we sampled wines from Argentina, Portugal, France).
Wait, six wines and seven wine glasses you ask? The seventh glass was used first as an icebreaker. As soon as every one was settled in their seat, Astor Center staff started pouring a delightful sparkling malbec for everyone to enjoy before the class started.
There’s only so much I can write about in under 5000 words (the Unilocal review limit), so I’ll sum it up to 3-​reasons why this class rocked so hard that I’m giving it 5-​STARS:
3) The presenter Andy Fisher. Andy’s day job is being president of Astor Wines & Astor Center. He’s helped run this family business for over 40 years and his dedication and passion for wine clearly shows in this entertaining 2-​hour class.
His presentation covered the basics of wine tasting in a fun, interactive and informative way. This wasn’t a class where some instructor was trying to teach or preach. Rather, I felt it was more like you were invited into someone’s home and Andy Fisher was showing you first-​hand how you’ll enjoy wine even more by understanding and applying the concepts of terroir, swirling, smell, taste, mouthfeel and tannins — plus his view on the current wine situation: new world vs. old world, big-​corporate wineries vs. boutique wine makers, price vs. quality, etc.
2) First-​hand wine & food tasting: Along with the wines, there were small tastes of various You will quickly grasp the concepts so you too will be choosing wines based on the taste of the food — and how flavors can accentuate, or diminish the taste of wine. For example, the experience of a cask oak-​barrelled Malbec gets heightened by the saltiness of prosciutto, a charred steak or an affinaged comte.
1) Generous pours from the seven wines they select for each class. In no time I was getting the hang of the 5-​steps of tasting: Pour. Swirl. Smell. Taste. Process. Repeat. (My favorite step being *REPEAT*)
I highly recommend this class for wine lovers and foodies alike. Not only will you have the chance to drink seven quality wines, understand what to look for when pairing wine with food, but you will be surprised to learn by the end of the class that drinking good wine doesn’t have to be narrowed down to regions in France or California or spending $ 50+ a bottle at a wine retailer.
Also, check out the Astor Center website for other classes continuously being offered
, including:
* whisk (e)y tastings.
* beer, sake and mixology classes.
* Culinary Institute of America continuing education classes.
In fact, this place would be the perfect venue for a Unilocal Elite event as they do have a beautiful and spacious rental space called «The Gallery»
, adjacent to the Study (hint hint Unilocal HQ!) :-)