Restaurant Zoe
We had the most lovely meal at Restaurant Zoe in Belltown (Seattle) this evening. The restaurant is lively, urban and cozy. The staff is professional yet warm and uber friendly. Chef Scott Staples creates simple, straightforward dishes that reflect seasonal and local ingredients....what more can you ask for?
They have this fabulous house focaccia bread that is crusty on top and perfectly spongy in the middle. It is topped with flaky sea salt and a hint of rosemary. They serve it alongside a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, and spices.
They feature a well-composed cocktail and wine list. We started with cocktails, a sage margarita (sauza hornitos, cointreau, shaken with lime and fresh sage) and a "ruby, my dear" (house made cranberry-orange syrup topped with sparkling wine, served with a sunken jewel). The drinks were balanced and delicious. The "sunken jewel" in my cocktail was a liquor infused cranberry - very clever. With dinner we enjoyed a couple glasses of 2007 Murphy-Goode California Cabernet Sauvignon (lots of blackberry, cherry, and a hint of thyme) which paired great with our entrees.
We started with a bowl of winter squash soup that was topped with some creme fraiche and one of their house specialities, fresh ricotta gnudi. The ricotta gnudi are these little bites of melt-in-your-mouth pillow-like heaven that are basically like eating ravioli without the starch. They are topped with red beet puree, truffle salt, and crispy sage leaves.
For the entree course we ordered the crispy skin chicken breast that was served with potatoes, bacon lardon, parsley pistou, and whole grain mustard jus and the evening's special, giant raviolis stuffed with short ribs, foir gras, and tomato confit and then topped with brown butter sauce and chanterelle mushrooms. The raviolis were awesome...rich and earthy.
For dessert we split a salted caramel chocolate bar served with curry caramel sauce and milk chocolate gelato. I loved the mixture of salty and sweet... so decadent.
2137 Second Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
Sarah Simms