Siti — eat you out/eat you in

Before it was Siti, it was Poeta. And before that it was Uncle Nicky’s. Is the restaurant space attached to The Frances Modern Inn cursed (click bait title intending to mislead) or just expensive to have to rent? Who knows, in this opinion piece that is all speculation and very little research.

I can’t give an opinion on Uncle Nicky’s when it was at the 11th street location, as I never ate there, but my husband had to bring up that he had into the conversation when we were talking about it recently as an even more “I was there” one up when I mentioned that my sister and I decided to give Siti a try during the holiday season. Which I am sure is for the best since I have crazy people opinions on what is acceptable when it comes to bread sogginess, who knows how hard I would have dug into the theory of cursedness if I tried a sub and waited to long to consume it before it sogged to the point of no return for me.

A couple of years ago, we did attempt a date night there when it was one of the original locations for Poeta. I remember that it was not crowded at all, the reason why we selected it as I am sure it was on the way to another spot we were heading in that area. Was the food too salty? Was the food worth the price? Did I leave satisfied? All those details are lost in time, one that makes me think that it was not the worst, it was just not memorable enough. All I can recall was the design of the space.

And that it is divine.

And unchanged as it went from an upscale Italian eatery to an upscale Southeast Asian concept.

The inside is the type of picturesque space that you hope to find for your social media snaps, one that would make you the envy of the world as its beauty and allure passes off onto you. There is a beautiful circular room to the left of the host stand. To the right is the dining room and a long bar running parallel to the glass windows and doors that leads to outdoor seating. The outdoor space gives a prime view of the 11th street walking traffic but it also a considerable amount of the restaurant seating that will be available; its perfection will be dependent on the weather.

The tile design, matches the wood tones, and the whisper screams luxury.

I think this is a space that dictates the pricing of the food, inflating more often than elevating.

In its current iteration, Siti takes concepts that I love and prices the shit out of it.

Fragrant rice cooked in a banana leaf, they have it and it tastes so good. But is it worth eight dollars?

The cocktail (Galangal Grove) was refreshing and not a drink that I typically see at other places in town, except for the price. It is far too common to pay sixteen dollars for a drink that will come in a ridge glass (beautiful but a trap for my lipstick). With no straws (because of the sea turtles and how they are getting trapped in their nose) all I could think about how hard it must be to clean the glass and ensure the next patron is not getting a kiss from the last. My glass was clean, but when has that ever stopped my anxiety?

My sister and I split the braised oxtails they were offering at that time. It was delicious, with a peanut sauce. But the price point was hard to process knowing that it is mostly bones with small pulls of tender fatty meat and connective tissue. It was not nearly enough collagen to make me feel like it was worth what I paid for.

For the more financially secure, the proving ground that is this restaurant space may be a favorite space for new discoveries, but for me I think it is just a trap. I will try it out because it is there, but then I will regret how I spent my money when I realize that it just offers my favorite ingredients at unsustainable prices.

Help me I am poor, so the curse may be that the restaurant that starts there will be successful but in a monkeys pay kind of way, by being overhyped. Which I am sure is a real tragedy to the chefs and business owners involved.

This may be a situation where the pricing of whatever food in there will always be inflated because of the space