"Seaweed" appetizer at Sinema
In this week's issue of the Scene,
restaurant critic Carrington Fox visits Sinema, the high-profile dining spot in the former Melrose Theater, under the direction of marquee chef Dale Levitski.
The restaurant's swanky Art Decor glamour is unique, whether you dine downstairs (with a view of Levitski and his team at work in the open kitchen) or snack upstairs in the lounge with clever cocktails.
From the valet drop-off at the vintage marquee to the grand staircase rising from lobby to mezzanine, a night at Sinema is an opulent affair, positively baroque in its see-and-be-seen splendor. It's hard to think of a local venue that places such a premium on its decor, which includes countless groupings of plush furniture, black-and-white portraits of Hollywood stars, and a constellation of elegant low lighting reflected off smoky gold mirror ceiling tiles.
Fox says the stars of the menu were the appetizers, like the cryptically named Seaweed, which "combined elements of earth and ocean with a dramatic flourish":
The server delivered a deep bowl bearing a colorful and delicate arrangement of beef carpaccio, lump crab, shaved lotus wheels, shiitake mushrooms and herbs, then proceeded to tip a teapot of golden seaweed broth over the composition. It yielded a soup that was simultaneously warm and cool, crisp and comforting, marine and meadow.Read on
to hear Fox's thoughts on the entrees, the bar bites, and a pretty distinctive night on the town.
Sinema, at 2600 Franklin Pike (615-942-7746) serves dinner Monday through Saturday, with the lounge opening at 4:30 p.m. Sunday brunch will start this fall.
Bites folks: Anybody been to Sinema? Want to share experiences?
