An rises to the challenge

A couple of years ago, I wrote an entry in which I said that Cary's An restaurant still had a long way to go.  I noted that Executive Chef Steven Devereaux Greene had taken over the place but that little had changed to make it more than ordinary.  I also pointed out that he had controlled the kitchen for only a short time, so perhaps he had not yet been able to turn it around.

A few days ago, Chef Greene contacted me after reading that entry and suggested that he had indeed remade An and I should check it out.  Though it was only two days ahead, I suggested Saturday night, and he agreed.

So, last night a group of us showed up at An to try a special tasting menu that he had prepared for us.  With so little notice, the menu was largely dishes from the current or next menu, but that was fine by me; we'd taste the best of what he had on offer.

After a delightful eight-course meal, which you can see here,

Click an image to see a larger version.

I am extremely happy to report that, under Chef Greene's leadership, An rose to the challenge and produced a wonderful, top-drawer meal.  Every single course was delicious and blended a variety of flavors into a delightful whole.

The salmon tartare, for example, was beautiful, subtle, and delicious.

I liked every single bite of every single dish, but I have to show you one more course because it was simply so much fun--and incredibly tasty. 

Called simply "Pork & Bun," this delightful offering will appear on the upcoming spring menu.  Inside the tiny steamer was an absolutely perfect steamed bun.  You opened it, added the sous-vided pork belly and the bits of veggies, and made your own little pork bun.  Fun, and so very tasty. 

It's always a treat to eat such a top-drawer meal.  It's an additional gift to see a talented chef--and make no mistake, Steven Devereaux Greene is a very talented chef--raise a kitchen from ordinary to extraordinary.

I must also note the service team, which I had found sorely lacking in my earlier post.  The servers tonight turned in a very good performance despite our group's large size and three different menu versions (most of us eating anything on offer, but one going vegetarian and one pescetarian).  We may well have received special considerations given the nature of the meal, but regardless the service team demonstrated that An has improved dramatically in this area as well.

I will definitely be going back again and posing the kitchen another tasting menu challenge, next time with plenty of notice.

Well done, Chef Greene and the entire team at An.

An still has a long way to go

An, an Asian fusion restaurant in Cary, was the first big restaurant project of Jim and Ann Goodnight. Though first, it has stood for some time now in the shadow of its younger, much more polished brother, Herons at The Umstead Hotel. After eating a few times at An and finding the meals always good but not in any particular way outstanding or memorable, I crossed the place off my list.

Then, though, I heard that in mid February An had gained a new Executive Chef, Steven Devereaux Greene, who had moved over from Heron's. I've eaten tasting menus Greene had directed, and they were inventive and tasty, so I resolved to give An another shot.

Sadly, nothing much has changed.

I tried their tasting menu, to give the kitchen the chance to put its best foot forward. They skipped the amuse, which is unusual but acceptable. The first three courses, all seafood, were tasty, though relatively simple. The palate cleanser was both not very good and came on a metal spoon that had frost on it from sitting in the refrigerator. Surely they could have scooped a quenelle on the spot instead of delivering frozen spoons. The main course, some delicate duck slices, was quite good, though again somewhat simple.

Up to this point, the meal would have been just good enough to bring me back, but with one serious problem I'll discuss in a minute.

The dessert was simply terrible. Miso is not a good thing to put on sesame cake, as I learned the hard way. It alone was enough to make me not want to return.

The big issue was pacing. Time from sitting down to finishing paying the check, for five courses, with a five-minute wait on the check after I requested it: one hour and nine minutes. They were practically slinging out the courses. A gentler pace would be much, much better.

I'm going to choose to believe that Greene has not had time to put his stamp on An, and in a few months, I'll try it again. Right now, though, it's just another completely acceptable Asian fusion place. That's a good thing, but it's not, I believe, what An aspires to be.