Not Quite the Spice of Life

Name: Spice Street
Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Rating: 2 and ½ stars

I really wanted to like Spice Street. Perhaps because it has such great ambiance; perhaps because it is one of Giorgios Bakatsias’s restaurants which are usually excellent; perhaps because I like cooking with a lot of spices and the name speaks to me. Regardless, I had high hopes and left disappointed.

Spice Street is not particularly welcoming from the outside, existing as it does in an aging strip-mall. However, upon entry there is no denying you have arrived someplace special. The entire establishment is done in a pan-Asian style, and you are greeted by an enormous painting of a topless Goddess sprinkling spices unto a Chef’s creation – is this what Foodies mean when they talk about “food porn?” To the left is a small café area and sushi bar, to the right a beautiful bar area. Behind the bar is the dining room, and the décor is nothing short of striking, with dark wood tables and lighting elements that resemble massive down-turned horns.
My companions and I began our visit at the bar for an aperitif. In hind-sight, perhaps we should have stayed there. Our bartender was attentive, knowledgeable, and we were collectively impressed with the quality of wines by the glass and the selection of gourmet beers. The pinot noir and Chimay beer were served in their appropriate glasses, and the cosmo and vodka martinis were among the best I have sampled in the Triangle area. Our bartender also helped guide us on our menu choices, comparing and contrasting dishes.

Everything unraveled when we moved to our table. We were seated smack in the middle of the enormous dining room, and nearly every table around us was full of people who appeared to be having a great time. Slowly I noticed things were amiss: no one brought us water or menus; our waiter was nowhere to be seen; tables all around us were complaining to their wait staff, receiving food out of sequence or to the wrong person, incorrectly, or at only half the table. During the twenty minutes we waited for someone to notice us, I witnessed three tables send food back to the kitchen.

When we finally flagged someone down and ordered another round of drinks, it was a vastly different experience than we had moments before at the bar. We ordered another glass of the same pinot noir, but received a different red served in a white wine glass. Furthermore, it was filled to the rim – a practice usually seen only at chain restaurants serving white zin. The next gourmet beer ordered, a Duvel, was also not served in the proper glass, a similar faux pas to the wine.

Things did not improve when the food arrived. For an appetizer, I had the tuna tartar, which was one of the worst items I’ve ever been served in a restaurant. The tuna itself was excellent, but it was plated atop an onion relish overwhelmed with dill weed and smeared atop with dill cream cheese. I found it to be a vile combination. My companions each had the soup special, a so-called “Spanish Onion Soup.” It was tasty, but turned out to be French onion soup with a couple of soggy tortilla chips and cilantro on top: a weak effort at best.

The entrees also left much to be desired. I ordered “Spicy Lemongrass Shrimp, Lobster & Fish Broth with Thai Noodles,” which was not spicy, had very few shrimp, and the lobster was only used to make the stock. Despite the title, the dish contained a plethora of fish, mussels, and calamari, although it was overcooked resulting in the unique components tasting the same but with different textures. It was an altogether misrepresented and poorly executed dish.
My companions fared somewhat better. The lamb shank was tender and flavorful, although ordering did cause our waiter to abruptly dash back to the kitchen to see if one was still available. The seared ahi tuna had a nice flavor, although was undercooked based on the order of “done medium,” and had a dull pallor that made its plate look somehow sad. Fortunately, the fish of the day, a halibut prepared with beurre blanc and served with jasmine rice, was quite good.

Needless to say, we were disappointed in our experience at Spice Street. It is unfortunate that I do not have the opportunity to visit restaurants multiple times to draw my judgments (I self-fund all my dining), as I would like to determine if this was just an off-night for Spice Street. Upon speaking with others who have dined there multiple times, it would appear that inconsistency is consistent, so to speak. I do believe that on a good night, Spice Street could be a wonderful place to dine… but on a night like we had, disappointment will be the result.

Details:
Spice Street
201 South Estes Drive (in University Mall)
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-928-8200
http://ghgrestaurants.com/spice/spicestreet.html

Genre: Fusion of Asian and Mediterranean
Pricing: Entrees $14 – $28
Rating: 2 and ½ stars

Ratings Guide:
5 stars: Superlative. The best of the best.
4 stars: Excellent. Something to eagerly anticipate.
3 stars: Good. Solid and dependable.
2 stars: Mediocre. Barely tolerable.
1 star: Yuck.