Restaurant Week -- Summer 2009

For Restaurant Week this summer, I decided to join two friends from home for dinner at Zoë, the contemporary American eatery in SoHo.

Yes, I was certainly looking forward to my meal, but my initial impression of the restaurant made me question our restaurant week selection. I have always heard good things about Zoë, but as soon as I entered the restaurant, I felt like I was in an upscale California Pizza Kitchen. There was a type of faux-elegance about the whole space. At the same time, as soon as I sat down, the wait staff was overly friendly in an obnoxious and uncomfortable way. For example, after I finished my first glass of wine, the waiter asked if I wanted another every 2 or 3 minutes.

But I didn't want to judge the restaurant too quickly, so I waited for our $35.00 three-course meal...

I was quite pleased with the first course: a watermelon gazpacho, with jicama and crab meat. It was incredibly refreshing, as any gazpacho is, but at the same time it had a very interesting flavor. On one end it tasted like your average spicy gazpacho filled with crab meat, but on the other end, the taste of watermelon was clearly present, adding a truly summery feel. We all gave the gazpacho two enthusiastic thumbs up!

Next, for my entree, I ordered the marinated grilled hanger steak, which was placed on top of a warm salad of string beans, roasted new potatoes, which was then topped with a blue cheese and balsamic reduction sauce. While the steak was a little tough, it was in general, quite good, and with the blue cheese and balsamic, it was even better.

I was quite jealous of my one dining companion, who ordered the grilled mahi mahi, which was served with a coconut-saffron risotto and pineapple mango salsa: excellent and refreshing.

Now on to dessert: we decided to share two desserts. First was a white chocolate pudding, served with bing cherries and caramelized pistachios. I was a little concerned that the bing cherries would overpower the remaining flavors; however, they were cut in such tiny pieces that they added to the flavor without destroying the creaminess of the pudding and the saltiness of the pistachios. Our second dessert was very good but too generic in my opinion: an Illy espresso layer cake served with a heavy dark chocolate sorbet.

Overall, it was a very nice experience. The food was good, but not exceptional. And the service was okay. Everyone was kind, but they certainly enjoyed taking their time. Between our appetizer and our entree, we waited for more than half an hour. If it hadn't have been for the company, I think that my time at Zoë would have not been nearly as enjoyable.


ZOË
90 Prince Street
(between Broadway and Mercer)
(212) 966-0644