![]() If it’s a handheld lunch you want, select instead the not-at-all-gamey roasted leg of lamb sandwich for its lacquer of remarkable pomegranate-barbecue sauce. ![]() The grilled ribeye is a reliable steak that truthfully brings nothing new to the table, and the same can be said for a grilled chicken sandwich on ordinary ciabatta. The pasta also can be ordered with a more traditional tomato sauce, but this is one instance in which trying something new proves worth the risk. Another dish, the spinach fettuccine, comes glazed with tart orange-butter and laced with vibrant asparagus and eggplant. Instead of swimming in cheese or cream, as the popular side item typically does, thick Yukon gold slices rest comfortably in savory broth. Alongside the dish is the lightest potato gratin I’ve ever tasted. The pork loin main dish features a crust of perky pepitas, or pumpkin seeds, and blends perfectly in the accompanying puddle of corn jus. On a separate occasion, the fish that headlines the grilled salmon entrée salad arrives north of medium-rare yet again, but it doesn’t distract from the bright spinach, standard but perfectly prepared hard-boiled eggs, caramelized onions and hot-bacon dressing. I request my fish medium-rare, but it comes to the table a definite-but-still-moist medium. The salt-and-spice roasted salmon delivers a gorgeous piece of fish, its flesh dusted liberally with a seasoning blend the avid home cook can only hope to create, and it sits on a gratifying spinach risotto. But the tuna tartare it cradles - fish the color of grapefruit and peppered with white and black sesame seeds - is stunning, fresh and buttery.ĭespite these shortcomings on heat, an array of polished entrees helps prove the restaurant can live up to its name. Yet another protein-rich starter, the jerked chicken pockets, aren’t very spicy, as the menu proclaims - but they are filled with bold Caribbean flavors that find balance from a lovely pool of tangy mango sauce.Īlso missing the spicy mark is the creamy-soft wasabi avocado mousse that’s just a speck too light on the wasabi for an establishment named Zest. So, too, is the roasted corn blini, a sort of pancake partnered appropriately with plump barbecued shrimp. This dish is savory enough to make any Southerner salivate. The braised beef short ribs are smoky and tinged with cinnamon, and lush cheese grits intended as an accent could stand just fine on their own. Though it’s nicely charred, well-seasoned and perfectly tender, it doesn’t hold a candle to neighboring restaurant Cava’s squid hors d’oeuvre.īut there are several other enticing offerings on the appetizer list. Another popular appetizer, the grilled calamari, may not have quite the same luck, arriving slightly slimy on one occasion. It’s sophisticated enough to please a parental palate but still simple enough to satisfy a picky child. Luscious tomato soup with fluffy cheese croutons proves to be a solid starter. ![]() And there is something here for them all, especially from the restaurant’s interesting appetizer selection. One lively April evening found the comfortable bistro packed to the gills with a diverse bunch - yuppies, preppies, hipsters and families alike. And even when the house is full, it stops short of being unbearably loud. Though the dining room is dim, it isn’t dark. ![]() Zest is warm and small, cozy and inviting. Yet if the theory is to call oneself something until it becomes true, this particular establishment is well on its way. A few items may miss that mark as the young restaurant continues to find its rhythm. Zest American Bistro may soon call itself one of those few.Įastern Market’s newest addition is called Zest for a reason - if there’s one thing the bistro excels at, it’s packing punchy flavors into its offerings. More condensed culinary neighborhoods, like Penn Quarter or DupontĬircle. Select few spots merit a diner’s departure from one of Washington’s Row-Eastern Market area as bars are on Bourbon Street. Casual sit-down eateries have become as ubiquitous in the Barracks
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