Review: Araka in Clayton

Upon entering Araka – the sparkling gem of a restaurant in the new Crescent building in Clayton – for the first time, nearly everyone’s reaction is the same. People step through the door, look up quickly once and then, as the realization of what they have just seen sets in, they stop dead in their tracks, concentration slips, the phone slides away from their ear and they stare at the interior with a Keanu Reeves-esque “Whoa!” plastered on their face. I know this because this was what happened to me, and I watched it happen to oodles of other diners over the course of my visits.

It’s nothing to be ashamed of; the space is striking. Floor-to-ceiling windows line the front of the restaurant for about 50 yards, bathing the main dining room, with its 30- to 40-foot ceiling, in natural light. The bar is backed by a towering wall of what looks like ladders made of wine bottles and is rimmed on the right with some awesome people-watching booths. A private dining area overlooks the main dining hall and out the windows. Stonework covers all kinds of surfaces, and a cozier back dining room is full of warm wood. Even the restroom sinks, composed of angled glass that slides through a mirrored wall, are as cool as it gets.

Luckily, chef Mark Curran didn’t let the interior design steal the show. This was evident from my first dish, a sliced flat-iron steak with a purple interior and slightly salty crust drifting in a sea of silky, peppery Cognac sauce. It was served with a mountain of crisp, fluffy, aromatic truffle fries interspersed with just-beginning-to-melt Parmesan (lunch sandwiches are served with regular fries; it might be worth asking to upgrade).

My first dinner visit got off to a rocky start with a bad batch of mussels that had a faint, fishy funk. Fortunately, I had a big hunk of rich, buttery, perfectly seared foie gras paired with tart ruby grapefruit, a spicy black pepper honey and crunchy pistachios. The other diners also quickly moved on to big, sweet scallops paired with Fuji apples, currants and a nice little kicky, acidic vinaigrette.

And then came the duck: mouthwatering, perfectly cooked Liberty duck breast and leg confit so tender that some of the meat fell off the bone when my knife slipped and just brushed the leg. It was served on a bed of creamy, subtle black truffle risotto. As I put that first bite into my mouth, and the salty skin crackled and the meat exploded its rich fatty juice with truffle dancing at the fringe, all was gone, nothing left but me and my new life goal of doing nothing, ever, but eating this duck leg.

Somewhere else on the table were short ribs, a pork chop and butternut-squash ravioli, which were all very good, and I would definitely recommend them, but they didn’t stand a chance against the duck.

On another visit, a small, savory salmon fillet with a salty and piquant crust rested in a large bowl on top of a nicely bitter celery-root purée and earthy black lentils. The purée and celery leaves (served atop the salmon) proved a great contrast to the fish, spice and earth. I don’t know how you drown out truffles, a supposed ingredient, so I’ll just assume they were missing from this dish.

Desserts shouldn’t have surprised me, but they did. Specifically the chocolate-hazelnut bars. For some reason, I thought this would just be a throwaway dessert. I was a dummy. I can’t describe it better than a fellow diner, who said, “It’s like a Kit Kat, but inside out, with some of the parts melty.” I would have said Nutter Butter, because of the hazelnut, but otherwise, she nailed it.

As you may well discern, I like Araka, which was why I kept finding reasons to go for “just one more visit.” Except for one half-hour on one of those visits when the server vanished, I was treated to warm and friendly service, which means 96 percent of the time the service rocked. Now that’s a pretty good track record.