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| Silk; A Pan-Asian Delight by Christine Woodhouse From the moment I heard about the new Asian steak and seafood restaurant occupying the corner spot in Midtown’s Metropolis building, I was tantalized but cautious. The tall, shiny building seemed a bit garish for the neighborhood and I feared any retailers within would lack substance. Silk’s range of sushi, steak and full seafood offering (lobster, crab and oysters – oh my!) was too tempting to resist for long. And once I got over my personal distrust for all things sleek and modern, I discovered yet another great new eatery in Atlanta, the land of restaurants. Silk is a predictably sleek space with plenty of Plexiglas and steel adorning its interior. However, the literal use of silk (decorating the space from ceiling to walls to menus), as well as the bamboo floorboards and walnut accents counteracts the cooler elements. And if that isn’t enough to warm you up, just try one of their signature martinis. I ordered the Japanese Cherry Festival, a refreshing mix of Three Olives cherry vodka and Otokoyama sake. It’s a deliciously light drink with just enough cherry to scintillate. The overly sweet, syrupy taste of the popular martinis-come-lately is thankfully missing from Silk’s entire drink menu, which is more about subtle creativity than overpowering, obvious flavors. Thanks to the expertise of executive chef Kochi Chiba, Silk boasts a long list of Asian style tapas called kaiseki. At the time of my visit there were 16 tapas on the menu. So far, the calamari is my favorite. It should be noted, however, that I wasn’t able to try nearly as many appetizers as I would have liked. There were too many sushi rolls luring my hungry eye, and an entire list of entrees to negotiate. Nonetheless, the calamari is delicious. It’s wok-fried. In other words, it’s not your average breaded, deep fried chewy mangle of tentacles. Large pieces of delicate squid come mixed with mushrooms and fresh asparagus in a dark broth topped with crispy noodles. With an authentic Japanese executive chef in the kitchen, I couldn’t leave Silk without ravaging the sushi menu. I was immediately thrilled to see brown rice is an option on the roll menu. Call me earthy crunchy but I was raised on foods like whole wheat bread and homemade granola and I’ve retained a preference for foods unbleached. After spying the Out of Control roll and the Golden roll I ordered one of each. The Out of Control roll is a generous combination of spicy tuna, avocado and eel. Three of my favorite ingredients without any cheep filler – I’m impressed! The Golden roll was wonderfully crunchy due to a tasty little inclusion of mango in the middle. The main attraction is the smoked salmon but its description also notes tempura flakes and gold, which I never quite got to the bottom of but I enjoyed anyway. The sashimi is also very well done at Silk. My eyes bulged at the sight of the flush red tuna cut in large triangles but it was the hamachi that tasted particularly outstanding. I was flattered when my dining companion declared me adventurous so I decided to prove her right by trying some uni with my sashimi. I loved the rich, soft sea urchin. No wonder Anna Hsu, Silk’s co-owner, eats it by the boatload! Entrée choices at Silk are designed to please both seafood and steak lovers. Several cuts of steak are available with your choice of spice rub: miso garlic glaze, spicy apricot with szechwan chili, southeast Asian spicing or blue cheese wasabi root. I ordered filet mignon with southeast Asian spicing and was very happy with the slightly sweet, tart taste of the rub. The tender, rare bites of steak were perfectly matched with sides of kabocha squash and Asian pear. We also tried the duck, having exhausted our seafood allotment on sushi and kaiseki starters. The rather lean duck breast is marinated in a blend of yuzu orange, mirin and soy. I relished the medallions of dark meat, seared on the edge and tender in the middle, with their accompaniment of crisp apple and Korean sweet potato. For dessert I couldn’t resist the frushi. It’s a sponge cake layered with mascarpone and rolled into a cylinder with strawberry, mango and blackberries placed in the center. The sweet citrus flavors and the airy sponge cake are an excellent way to end an Asian inspired meal. Silk is located at 919 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30309. For reservations, call (678) 705-8888. Visit them online at www.silkrestaurant.com. Lunch: 11:30am – 3pm, M-F Dinner: 5pm – 11pm, M-F; Sat. midnight, Sun 11pm Validated parking in Metropolis garage. |
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| From top: Assorted rolls; Sashimi; Shanghai spring roll; Executive Chef Kochi Chiba; Fruishi; Asian Squashi & mixed berry cobbler. |
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