Elephant sparkles and delights

Thursday, March 20, 2008
By Yolanda Wright
Contributing writer

If elephants never forget, neither will diners who enjoy creative food and outstanding service at the new Bistro Elephant in Armory Square.

After a classy makeover of the former 238 Bistro, which joined chef-owner Max Chutinthranond's popular 14-year-old Lemon Grass in 1996, his renamed bistro opened in January with a new menu featuring a variety of Asian, Euro-Asian and American dishes on tapas-style small and large plates.

On a recent week-day evening at Bistro Elephant, we admired the restyled dining room and bar with upholstered banquettes and multi-colored pillows filling two walls, a row of antique teak panels below windows handsomely etched with elephant heads. Tables are topped with white cloths and napkins, candlelight and shiny silver, and food is delivered on stylish white china in a variety of sizes and shapes.

Our around-the-world adventure began with a simple annotated menu of five small bowls ($4 to $6), seven small plates ($5.50 to $10) and nine large plates ($14 to $26). Sides and soups are also offered.

A bottle of Black Peak Pinot Noir from Romania ($25) was presented with a small "nut cocktail," the bistro's tasty signature opener of sauteed cashews, peanuts, almonds, macadamias and thinly sliced colorful chilies and herbs.

The bowl of nuts, served with a spoon and ready to be self-served onto square bread plates set the tone for the bistro's friendly atmosphere, and surprises continued from warm, crusty bread through blood-orange sorbet that was a perfect partner for bittersweet chocolate mousse.

Appetizers challenged their small-bowl category. A generous bowl of homemade squash soup ($8.50) was thick, rich and delicious, and topped with a pair of large fried shrimp crusted with sweet coconut and full-flavored yellow curry spiked with chili tamarind.

Two fresh-tasting crab spring rolls ($9) shared an elongated, rectangular platter and were wrapped in paper-thin pastry stuffed with Peekytoe crabmeat, fresh vegetables and seasoned brown tofu. Mustard vinaigrette made a zesty sidekick.

Other small-plate offerings included mozzarella Napoleon, "Max's wings," iceberg salad and P.E.I. mussels.

For entrees, we opted for beef dishes, and they lived up to their large-plate promises. Bistro Elephant Steak ($18) appeared in thin slices of medium-rare New York strip, tightly rolled and served with forest mushrooms in a rich red-wine demi-glace. Seared squares of polenta starred on their own beneath the tender steak rolls.

Green-curry beef tenderloin ($14) arrived in a small red casserole filled with sliced filet mignon sauteed with hot and spicy green curry and simmered in coconut sauce with cinnamon basil. A large bowl of jasmine rice accompanied the self-serve casserole and provided a turn-off-the-heat base for the marinated meat and broth.

Other large plates included flying shrimp for two ($18), Spanish curry chicken breast ($14), pan-roasted New York strip ($20), crispy roast duck ($22), rack of lamb ($26) and Chinese noodle with Thai curry and shrimp tempura ($16) or chicken ($14).

Chutinthranond's wife, Pook, is the pastry chef creating desserts ($7.50 each) that taste as good as they look. Some of our favorites are still on the menu, and her Can-Can and Lost Slipper have ended memorable meals at Lemon Grass and 238 Bistro for years.

This time we ventured into a terrific creme brulee and a fudge-like chocolate mousse on a decorated plate with a blood-orange-sorbet oval garnished with raspberries and chocolate. We were not disappointed.

Little things at Bistro Elephant also make it special: Warm hospitality at the door and someone to hang guests' coats in a closet and retrieve them later; A friendly, knowledgeable waiter who replaces silver, removes dishes and replaces them, pours wine and water refills, all without being asked; reservations for any number.

This bistro is no white elephant. This one is here to stay.

Yolanda Wright's weekly Dining Out review is based on an unannounced, anonymous visit. Recent reviews are available at www.syracuse.com/dining