On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Bars, Asian Fusion, Sushi Bars [Edit]
2800 Renaissance Park Pl
Loading...
Have gone here on several business dinners and have been pleasantly surprised both times. The sushi is fresh and the last time I went I had one of their specials which was quite flavorful and a little spicy.
The place does have an air of pretentiousness but its well decorated and while the lighting is a little subdued, it works.
The servers are all very well trained and somewhat versed in the wine menu but their table service is top notch.
If I lived in the area I would probably make this a "special occasion" place but since this is mainly a place that we take customer's who are in town we can deal with the prices from time to time with little griping.
Ok. This one confuses me.
Although the place is no where close to Slanted Door, it does remind me of certain flavor of the coveted restaurant.
Some evenings, I find this place to be just right with its taste; on others, its flavor too bland and the decor/service over-pretentious.
First of all, this is not a "bargain eatery." As soon as you walk in, you will notice the high ceiling, walnut (?) columns, and glass-walled wine cellars. Someone needs to pay for all those interior experiment, and, guess what, it's you :)
I had one of best sashimi here [Hamachi on Ice], but they do not have "real" sushi chef that you can converse and order sushi from. They do rotate deserts, and some of them are very good.
I have experienced the worst of this establishment when I came with a large group. The service was so-so, and three course meal we went through together was forgettable, especially the Entree.
However, I had wonderful time when I came here with my friend and ordered bunch of "small" dishes. I was able to taste variety of flavors, and so-so service didn't bother me as much. I particularly enjoyed the pot stickers (I know) and mussels. And the grilled oysters brought so much fond memory that I had to drive up to Bodega Bay when I came home.
My tip for this place: Order a lot of small dishes from Asian Bar Menu, and share them like "family style." None of their menu items pops out, but, sometimes, the sum of average is not a bad place to be.
"As Good As It Gets" might be a stretch but I'll give it FIVE STARS anyway because it really was better than a four star experience.
The SHORT: super excellent food, presentation, service and decor for a price that seemed appropriate if not slightly cheaper than it could be.
APPS: we had grilled oysters with some slivers of deep-fried ginger integrated into a light sauce and it was really inspiring- the best thing we had. Also, the Aparagus Bundle in a wasabi aioli was excellent. The Seaweed on Ice salad was a slight variation on the classic Wakame but not so thrilling and the Hydro Bibb Salad also borrowed from the typical soy/ginger asian salad with slightly better results, though I felt the dressing was a tad strong.
MAIN: We had the superb Carolina Roll (Fried Oyster, shrimp, avocado, etc) as well the tasty Farmer's Market Roll, which with its strikingly-layered avocado resembling a caterpillar was easily one of the most beautiful rolls I've ever seen. The various Nigiri we had were simple, unassuming and quite excellent. The Escolar sashimi was good enough to request two additional orders, which were presented to us in an exquisitely garnished bowl with green tea salt bordering the edges.
DESSERT: many tempting options on the menu but we went with the Pear Tart Tatin (?) which kind of blew my mind because it didn't seem complex at all- just a perfect amalgamation of pears, sugar and butter. The consistency of the big, plump pear halves still haunts me. Bonus: a side of pleasantly icy frozen yogurt in a crisp little pastry cup.
DRINKS: the sake and wine menu were solid, the draft beer selection was lacking and my Lemongrass Martini tasted more like margarita. Oh, well, we'll try again next time.
SERVICE: though we felt slightly abandoned in the beginning because our waiter was preoccupied with a private party he made up for it over the course of the evening.
DECOR: dark, tropical wood and a huge vaulted ceiling in the main dining room had a warm elegance but it was quite noisy when we first arrived. There are LOTS of cool little design details scattered throughout the restaurant and we look forward to coming back to experience the spacious, eye-catching sushi bar. There is also an outdoor patio, a full, separate bar near the entrance and private dining rooms.
This place rocked us (Cary-who knew?) and we are dying to go back...tonight?
I've been three or four times now and continue to love the food. Great sushi, and the specialty drinks are simply delicious. The service has always been good. Dinner is pricey, but the atmosphere is worth it. The interior is chic and gorgeous. Last time my sister's order (the hot and cold sampler) came with a live beta fish as decoration. :)
A great restaurant for a special night out. I'd choose this place over a steakhouse any night, and that's saying something.
In Cary area for a short visit with friends, and AN is supposed to be one of the best restaurants around the Triangle. (check out my reviews for Phoenix, if you ever want to dry out.) The entance is simple and nice. The hostess left her smile at home as did our waitress. We were only one of four tables, so they should have been happy to see us. Besides the mediocre food, attitude was our chief complaint.
We both ordered the obento lunch. A small salad was OK except that the dressing was very sweet. The box consisted of rice, green beans, fruit, tempura shrimp and curry beef.
In this class of restaurant, I would expect the fruit to be better. I'd expect sweet, local strawberries. It's May after all, the heart of strawberry season in NC. The berries were just like the ones I bought in the supermarket in Phoenix last week. The cantaloupe & pineapple were OK,
not especially sweet or juicy. The green beans were OK. The curry beef was tasty, soft & had lots of colored peppers in it. The tempura was unlike any tempura or fried shrimp I've ever had. The 1/4 inch thick coating was crisp on the outside and spongy on the inside. Yes, spongy!It came with a sweet sauce.
We didn't stay for dessert. Perhaps the sushi is better. I probably won't return to find out.
Excellent Asian-French Fusion restaurant. This is my new go-to place when I travel to Raleigh for work. They also have a fine sushi menu, and plenty of different sakes to choose from. Definitely a good place to take a group and go family style.
Spent part of my Friday evening at the sushi bar at An which turned out to be quite enjoyable. An really draws the business crowd on weekdays so I find it nice to visit on the weekend when it is not as packed.
The full menu is available at the sushi bar but we stuck with the sushi. The interaction with the sushi chef let us experiment with a roll that was not on the menu - an inside-out spicy tuna roll - it was delicious. We also sampled the Japanese hamachi, yellow jack, otoro, and salmon as well as a farmer's market roll. The quality of the fish was matched by its presentation. To help wash it all down we enjoyed a few ginger mojitos - An makes some scrumptiously good looking food, so it was fun to sit in first row seats for the sushi creation.
For dessert we had a coconut plantain tapioca and some lemongrass sorbet along with coffee - they serve dark, French press which is my favorite. After the check came we got a small to go box from the pastry chef with some fruit and delicate cookies - yum! I'll be back.
If you go to An expect to find meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of the experience from your food to your waiter to the décor and atmosphere.
My server was probably the best I've ever had, with great conversation and what seemed to be an earnest desire to make sure I ordered something appropriate to my taste. I ended up trying the taster and I was just floored by the skill of the chef. The food was totally unique and rich, completely unlike anything I've ever tried.
When I heard that they were opening a five star restaurant in Cary, I thought it would probably just be expensive prices with tiny portions of strange food, but I was genuinely impressed by this place.
Make sure to make reservations and expect a high bill, but be ready to enjoy a lovely meal and tons of atmosphere.
A very trendy restaurant in Raleigh with some reasonable options for a "drinking vegetarian" to survive. Went there on a evening and waited out at the bar for my colleague to arrive. I ordered the raspberry mojito (special for the day) and found it to be quite interesting. The bar area is real nice with some live music activity. We got seated and I ordered a "classic Mojito" and a "saketini" . Both tasted pretty good. I also ordered the "Vegetarian Udon Noodles". The menu clearly states what is vegetarian and what can be ordered vegetarian - there are 3 dinner entrees- which is just fine by me.
The noodles arrived on time and were delicious. The service throughout was excellent ( i accidentally had knocked off my saketini and they filled it up for free!).
Overall a pretty good eating/drinking experience.
White tuna nigiri from heaven. This place rocks- (in Cary?). It is an asian fusion concept which ordinarily arouses my suspicions immediately, so I went in wearing my sushi snob hat. The service was outstanding, the prices while a little high for around here, were well worth it. Let me tell you, a remotely similar experience in NY or LA would cost you 4 times what you pay at An.
We ordered mostly all nigiri sushi, some tamago (sweet omelette sushi made from scratch, a true sign of a great sushi house, most places serve frozen stuff), a couple of rolls and some Viet wedding soup. The roll we ordered was not ideal, seems not to be their forte' but otherwise this meal was absolutely perfect. Out the door, with a few drinks and tip for $60. I would totally give 4.5 stars if I could, just knocking off a half because the rolls were not perfect.
Excellent uniques fusion dishes, it is a bit on pricey side but we need An like restaurants. I like their Singapore noodles and bento box! They have vegeterian options also.
While spendy, I felt this place was completely worth the $. Went here Friday night with some friends who were in from out of town and we were able to secure a Friday 7pm reservation easily on http://opentable.com. (Thanks for the suggestion Cristina!)
To start, we enjoyed some great drinks - a key lime martini which was delicious and I also tried a muddle blackberry tequila drink that also was quite tasty. My friend also enjoyed her berry martini. We followed these up with an appetizer assortment, which the four of us shared. It was a special, consisting of spring rolls, crab cakes, sashimi, and octopus seaweed salad. The items were delicious but the app had a high price at $36!
My entree was the sushi plate, which was deliciously fresh but somewhat standard as far as a sushi assortment goes. A california roll and an assortment of your choice of sashimi or nigiri. Glen ordered some special rolls, one of which was my favorite: The White Dragon roll - crab, torched white tuna, mango, and eel sauce. He also ordered a toro roll and An's rolls, which was a spicy tuna Vietnamese sushi fusion roll. The An's roll was interesting but I would have rather had a full sushi roll. Wendy ordered the walnut prawns dinner which was amazing. I can't really describe it any other way but I'll try - crunchy, sweet, but not too sweet - perfect!
We didn't end up trying any dessert but I'd love to go back one time and try the tasting menu ($60).
FINALLY got motivated to make reservations and the trip to Cary to check this restaurant out. I'm half Viet, and totally intrigued by any culinary offerings in that vein. So when I learned about the Viet chef with French culinary styling at An, I knew I was going to be a fan. Then a friend of mine who waited tables there raved about the dishes, and I was completely sold. And yet despite entering with those high expectations, I left even more impressed after my first visit there last night. The ambiance is to Die for. Seriously, if I ever make a whole boat-load of money (unlikely), I'm seeking out the architect and designer and commissioning them to build me a house. Hardwood floors and accents in thick columns and a tall tented ceiling, 'greige' walls, floating wall candles, tons of interesting recessed lighting, a ginormous glass cellar, a wall of block shelving. Beautiful, sleek, and totally chic. Service? Equally great. Our waitress offered guidance and made suggestions. And when I asked her the type of flower in the table centerpiece, she checked with the florist and wrote the name of the bud down for me. We did the featured appetizer which was steep ($38), but came out with a live beta in a fishbowl (I kid you not). "Not edible" the waitress told us. Points for the most interesting presentation I've seen in a while -- the live fish (Bob, I dubbed him) and his bowl were topped with a platter of cuttlefish salad, and banked by our shashimi and rolls. The rolls were good; the sushi was excellent. The dipping sauces, very authentic. We went whole hog and got a bottle of wine, two entrees, and French-pressed coffee. The leisurely dinner lasted around 3 hours, and I really enjoyed every minute. With entrees ranging from $20-30, this definitely falls into "date night" category for us, but you could dine in on the sushi menu for a more affordable evening. And even if you do decide to go for a full dinner, trust that it's money well worth it.
This is a fairly recent addition to the area and worth a try, however they are still working out the kinks. The restaurant is very nice and the interior design is enough to keep you interested. I am not sure why but they tell you there will be a wait even when tables are open ...??
Once you are seated the wait staff seems knowledgeable enough and was pleasant to help pick through some of the items on the menu. The food was excellent. The only part hard to swallow about this place is the bill, for the quality of restaurant/food/service it seems a bit full of itself but worth a try, heck I might even go back...
This place has become one of my very favorite spots to have some cocktails and something to eat. It is a large restaurant with a large bar, and a seperate sushi bar. It is very stylish and modern - I love being there, and they also have a pretty patio setting. The bar has an extensive list of incredibly intriquing Asian-inspired martinis. My goal is to work my way all the way through the list, and I'm off to a pretty good start. My favorite so far is the Chai-tini. They also have an extensive saki list, but i'm not a big fan of saki so I haven't tried any of that. Usually when we go for drinks we also get some items from the sushi bar, and they have some of the tastiest rolls around. I have also been here for dinner, which was extraordinarily tastey. My husband had the black angus filet and I had the taro crab cakes. Deeelish! And rarely have I ever experienced such consistancy in great service. For dinner we had no fewer than 3 waiters at our beck and call, and even the owner stopped by to say a few words and check in on us. Also, the last time we popped in for cocktails and sushi it was just at closing time. We offered to leave and come back another time but they wouldn't hear of it. Everyone on staff was extremely accomodating to make sure we were happy even though the kitchen was closed. We really only wanted sushi anyway, and they made sure the sushi chef stayed until we were satiated. And they did all of this with a friendly happy attitude. We left a fat tip.
UPDATE: The last time we were there, we did try some saki. The waiter suggested one he thought we would like and it was SO GOOD! I LOVE SAKI !! Who knew! It was served cold (waiter said it is traditionally drank this way, not warm) and it was extremely light and refreshing. And it was completely odorless, which is one of the problems I had with any saki I had ever tried before (I always thought it smelled like bad tequila). It also lacked that almost sickening sweet flavor other sakis have. And this was one of the more affordable saki selections too, not something rediculously expensive.
The atmosphere was nice, the service was good, and the appetizers were quite good (farmer's market sushi, white dragon sushi, & viet rolls), but we were shocked by how poor both entrees were. My friend had the red snapper, which was okay, and I had the miso sea bass, which was almost inedible (overcooked and the sauce was too sweet). I could only take 2 bites of the bass. Quite disappointing.
I was ready to hate this place because I can't stand anything that's Asian fusion. It means they either don't do the Asian part right, or the other part right. But I don't know if it was because of my low expectations or the fact that I had the best sake ever there, but I had to give this a five-star rating. First ever! I went there as a party of two and then held a large business dinner there for about 80 people in the outdoor area. The food was great on both occasions, the wait staff was friendly and attentive, the prawn coconut whatever dish was good even though I usually despise Americanized Asian food. We did almost get everything on the menu and all the sushi was fresh so I've had a chance to try everything and can say that everything was consistently good across the menu. Parking's easy, good atmosphere, and whether large or small group, they did a fabulous job. If I ever go back to Cary, or have a long enough layover at RDU airport, I would definitely hop over there for a quick meal since it's only 5 minutes from the airport off Harrison.
Cary, NC
Category: Hotels
Cary, NC
Category: Japanese
Cary, NC
Category: Sushi Bars
Cary, NC
Category: Sushi Bars
Cary, NC
Category: Asian Fusion
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
These are my current favorite eateries in the…
