|
|
|
Cilantro Akron, Ohio Date of Visit: 01/23/10 http://www.cilantrothai.com Tried a new place to celebrate a birthday. Located right in downtown Akron, which appears to be hoppin’ by the way, Cilantro promises Sushi and Thai Cuisine right in Akron. The interior is bright and cleanly appointed with warm colors and attractive lighting. Quiet when we sat at 6:30, the place really started to pick up during our service. First the
service. Our server was a very nice young man, but he had little to
no training in his current profession. Working hard, he was
nonetheless inefficient and tragically uninformed. He struggled to
describe anything on the menu, other than to say he didn’t really
like sushi. I doubt it is his fault, but he could really use some
guidance. |
 |
|
|
We shared five appetizers, a seaweed salad, spring rolls, spicy tuna rolls, the Cilantro special roll, and the tuna tataki. This was the real highlight of the evening, although not all of them hit the mark. The salad didn’t have any zing, which is unfortunate. The spicy tuna rolls were exactly what we were looking for and the spring rolls were hot, crispy, and delicious, served with a sweet vinegary sauce. The tuna tataki was a real find, sliced with a razor, these strips of sushi grade tuna were just frightened by the thought of heat and laid in a complimentary ponzu sauce. The house special roll was my favorite, spicy mayo with a real kick played off the tuna and spicy tuna, all topped with a special sauce and crunchy panko topping. These two offerings are defiantly worth a return trip to downtown Akron. |
 Seaweed Salad |
 Spicy Tuna Roll |
 Tuna Tataki |
| Unfortunately, we had already hit
the high point of our evening. We followed up with a Shrimp Pad Thai
that not only lacked in complexity, but lacked any flavor at all.
This should be a signature dish but if they are wise they will sign
John Doe in any autograph book for this one. A yellow curry
highlighted one particular benefit at Cilantro as you can order
several items with your choice of protein and then signify the
amount of heat you would prefer from 1 – 5. Just a note, the 2 has a
warm and substantial kick for my palate. The highlight of the
entrees was actually chicken satay from the app menu, simple but
tasty, with a superbly limey peanut sauce and a new to me cucumber
sauce. |
 Pad Thai |
 Inside the Special Roll |
 Yellow Curry |
|
My Duck Basil
started with a taste of a promising peppery sauce and quite the pile
of duck breast, but everything was cold and the duck appallingly
overcooked. Full of flavor, the execution of the dish itself spoiled
what might have been something memorable for much better reasons. I
decided against desserts as my entrée included a surprise, bones and
bones. About five bites of the duck proved the menu wrong, in
stating the breast was boneless. Big mistake. All in all, I would
return anytime for the sushi or other appetizers, but would be sure
to fill the table with small plates before risking another
specialty, I can’t afford the orthodonture. |
|
|
One last note, the sushi was every bit as good as our trip to Parallax and we got out the door over $100 less, for those who are considering a drive to Cleveland for sushi, give this place a try. Just don't expect too much from the servers and rub down your entree for physical hazards, or stick to the first two pages of the menu.
|
|
| Ratings | |||||||
 Food |
 Service |
 Ambiance |
 What's Best |
 What's Worst |
 Overall |
||
| C- | D+ | A | A | D- | D+ | ||
| Sushi/Apps | Crunchy Duck Skeleton | ||||||
