I’d been trying on Resy to get a reservation at Silver Apricot, the new hot American-Chinese restaurant serving small plates since I started reading rave reviews about it. Lucky me, I was able to grab a res as it popped up as I must have looked just as someone canceled.

It was worth the wait. Silver Apricot is led by Simone Tong and Emmeline Zhao (Little Tong, fame) plus a team of alumni of wd~50, Eleven Madison Park and Per Se.  First, we ordered from their beverage menu featuring an all-domestic wine list opting for an Analemma Godello/Albarino ($98) from Mosier Hills Blanco 2018, Columbia Gorge, OR. Unusually good with notes of tree fruits and citrus.

As a sesame-like aroma arrived from the table next to us, I had to inquire what were those wonderfully smelling dishes those at our next-table mate were eating. We wanted to be sure to order them. The man mentioned that he comes all the time and always at least order the duck and the crispy sausage and fried rice. Hence the first dishes we ordered were the crispy fried Japanese Kokuho Rose rice with garlic scapes ($17) and sliced Chinese sausage and the duck breast slices with grilled pineapple ($24) in duck jus.

Our watermelon ($15) and pineapple salad with salted kohlrabi in a black sesame and plum powder (Li hing mui) sauce arrived first along with the crab & potato salad ($29), containing long thin shreds of potato resembling spaghetti with chunks of crab drizzled with chive oil and topped Keluga caviar (from one of the biggest of the sturgeon family).  I recommend both.

Also good are the large shrimp in a honey walnut sauce on skewers ($18), their sauteed pea shoots ($14) in a miso-garlic rice wine sauce and the grass-fed skirt steak ($28) with a relish of pieces of cruciferous veggies.

I highly recommend a visit to Silver Apricot if you can get a res.

Silver Apricot
West Villiage
20 Cornelia St
New York, NY 10014
silverapricot.nyc/