Silo

This was not my best idea lol. I have to be fair and say that the customer service was excellent. We were quickly seated with no reservation and the atmosphere (aside from the large party celebrating a birthday) was superb. The drinks were ...well they were drinks/wine. This is where the fun ends.... I started with truffle frites (fancy fries but ok), attempted to order steak , chicken and a few sides. They didn’t have 2-3 items that we wanted but no big deal right? Ok cool. The fries.... as expected. The braised beef was created based on a hospital menu. Zero flavor but beautiful. And why grits???? The chicken, although beautiful was inedible. The texture was perfect but it was not actually seasoned at all. They did cover it in cayenne pepper to create a “Nashville Hot Chicken” -ish type of deal but STOP! This was no comparison. It was unbearable imo and I enjoy hot chicken. You can’t skip flavor and overdo the heat and expect natives to not notice. It was garbage, But a beautiful presentation. I tried to manage another bite thinking another section would deliver but I was severely disappointed. The slaw was awkward. They included more fries... I probably could have requested fresh pepper but I didn’t want to offend the kitchen (although they offended me with this massacre of a meal). The Mac and cheese was good but overcooked by a few minutes and a tad mushy. Maybe we came on a bad night but save yourself $150-$200. Much better options elsewhere. This place just throws anything together and it’s likely due to the crowd that they cater to... they don’t prioritize enjoyment of the food. These people are usually focused on drinks and enjoying each other’s company. I get that but I could not recommend this place with confidence.

I have been wanting to visit Silo for quite some time. It is amazing how simply having the right location keeps revenue flowing. My wife & I stopped in to try dessert as we had already eaten dinner. The Lemon mousse was delicious but the Brown butter pound cake would have been better less the strawberry sauce or perhaps a better sauce or a coulis and fresher basil. We also tried a couple of appetizers. While I have to give points for the attempt, peaches combined with deviled eggs was a poor choice. The eggs themselves also did not seem fresh, possibly like the filling was made that morning (we visited around 21:00) or the day before and then toppings were just added so they could call them by a different name. The beer-battered hush puppies were not as airy as they could have been. Their density required more sauce than was provided. The only plus for me was the selection of whiskey and our bartender was great!

Verdict: solid 4 stars. Food was delicious and it's just down the street, but the drinks were just meh. My wife and I decided to stop in on a Sunday around noon for brunch. We made a reservation online, but got there about 15 minutes early. Our table supposedly wasn't ready yet (even though it wasn't that busy), so we grabbed a stool at the bar and ordered some drinks. The table was ready pretty much as soon as we got our drinks though, so we headed outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. My wife has recently gotten into Bloody Mary's and tried to get her fix but she really didn't like it (if anyone from Silo reads this, try the Charleston pre-made mix; it's great). I got some drink that I can't remember the name of, but it was okay (it was supposed to be spicy, but it wasn't really). Maybe we should have gotten the bottomless mimosas, but we weren't in that kind of mood. The food, on the other hand, was amazing. Wife got the spicy chicken sliders (more open faced tiny sandwiches than sliders, but whatever), which were finger-licking good. The chicken was tender with just enough kick to get you going and the rest of the accouterments fit together well. They were kind of small though. I got the SILO skillet which was basically a breakfast poutine, but, guess what, I freaking love poutine! Really, it was fantastic and filling. We'll probably be back since the food was delish and it's so close.

More places should serve their food as well prepared as Silo. Not to sound like a Whole Food ad, but the food is served honest and natural, not hidden under an over abundance of sauces or glazes. Both main plates and small plates are all unique versions of otherwise common fare, and yet they are layered full of flavor. This is a return trip to this location for me and I love it. Really really good food, warm and comfortable atmosphere, with friendly and knowledge servers. A bit more pricey, but most definitely worth it ... BTW, try the Deviled Eggs small plate, so good.