It has been months since I last reviewed Zinc, though you can see from our restaurant index that we’ve hardly been ignoring it.
Speculations abound still about its ability to outlast the curse of the failed businesses that preceded it, but I saw a very healthy crowd at Zinc on the evening I went.
Zinc’s menu is a fast read, so to speak. A salad of bibb lettuce and chevre. Steak frites. Salmon with lentils. A side of bread and salted butter. (There are more items, but the point is that each does not warrant a full paragraph of description.) I gravitate to menus with a lot going on in each dish, which is to say, many local menus. It struck me as ironic that Zinc’s menu was a departure from that. So is more really more?
Not necessarily. Where else in Charlottesville will I find blood sausage, mussels steamed in blue cheese, and ice wine? These are very unique delicacies that I would hate to see convoluted by contrived garnishes or sides. Also, the bread comes from the Albemarle Baking Company, which impresses me as much for being a show of local businesses supporting and showcasing each other as it does for taste. Zinc is unpretentious, but it still feels like a special occasion to be there. I like that. The fare is straightforward, honest, and carefully portioned, prepared, and cooked. It’s the idea of a simple pleasure done really, really well that is where I think its strength lies.
A couple of notes that don’t fit in with my flowery language for the review:
Popularity: 3% [?]
Tagged as: Charlottesville, Cocktails, Restaurants, Restaurants/Bars, Reviews
Lilith,
thanks for the vote of confidence , sorry no Ghostland Observatory on the music lineup but i checked their Myspace and they sounds pretty good. We are taking a break from live music until January but we are planning something for new years eve …..
on a side note here is an explanation about ice wine.
To make Icewine, the grapes are left on the vine until after the first frost hits. These grapes are harvested after being frozen in the vineyard and then, while still frozen, they are pressed. They must be picked early - before 10 a.m. During both of these processes the temperature cannot exceed -8 degrees C. At this temperature (-8 degrees C) the berries will freeze as hard as marbles. While the grape is still in its frozen state, it is pressed and the water is driven out as shards of ice. This leaves a highly concentrated juice, very high in acids, sugars and aromatics.
Merci,
T
I’m pretty sure you can find Ice Wine at C&O, and my cellar.
I buy the fake ice wine (flash frozen) from time to time. Not very good at sharing, when I do…
The real thing is drastically better of course.
I would love to have the next CVillain meet-and-greet at Zinc. A beaujolais not-quite-as-nouveau party? And if we could get Dj’s ESC and XSV to play some sets it would be extra-groovy. I’m in agreement with you guys on the quality of non-Anglo club music. I don’t give a fig what they’re sayin’ if it rocks the house. Gamay and ass-shaking for everyone!
Mintyfresh,
that could be arrange, as for the Beaujolais nouveau we are already out, 5 cases in three days, not bad.
I like Zinc, I really do, but here’s my question for it and other area restaurants:
What’s with the wine markups? 200% I can stomach, but 300% seems much more the norm.
I fully expect to have to drop $20 on a bottle of wine that retails for $8, but $30+ for that $8 bottle sticks in my craw, especially at a low key bistro.
Also, as long as I’m griping. Red wine at Charlottesville restaurants is seemingly always always always served too warm.
Dave: you’re right about the red wine temperature. Similarly for Belgian beers (here I go again…), they’re supposed to be about 50 degrees, not Busch Ice temperature. Cheap beer is served that cold to hide the cheap taste!
in response,
in terms of wine mark up our red are between $12 to $15 wholesales and to most we may apply is to sell it for $25 to $38 dollars a bottle. I admit some of them are marked up a little higher but on the reverse a wine that cost us around $28 to $30 to purchase will be only marked to $55 to $60 witch is barely double. Temperature could be an issue but very much like the beers it is difficult to afford financially and space wise equipment to regulate temperature for all types of wines.
Dave please point out witch item you are referring to in terms of mark up.
Lilith , as for the beers again same problem as wine we can”t have fridges set a different temps for all beverages and the health department is always requiring equipments to be set at 41 degrees so you understand the dilemma.
Oh, I wasn’t picking on you guys
I drink too-cold beer from my own fridge every time! And it’s not worth investing in those crazy-expensive fridges. Some wine investor friends in San Francisco lost thousands with an earthquake and subsequent power outtage.
lilith,
i am trying really hard to figure out who is behind the alias and it’s killing me
Troquet,
If what you say is indeed the case, then I will apologize for besmirching your markups!–but certainly you have seen evidence of outrage markups at other venues, around town, no?
Do you think we might see a $20 bottle of red on your menu in the future–given the relative high number of perfectly decent $7-$10 bottles of red in the world, surely there’s room for a cheapie on your menu?
Dave,
I indeed notice a few places with horrific markups, As for a $20 bottle of red , it’s quite complicated right now with the Euro being so strong all price for wholesale wines are up on average $1 to $3 .
we do have a couple of bottles in the low $20, a nice Barbera for $23 and a popular Syrah for $24. We always thrive to find the good bottle for an affordable price but we always want to keep integrity of our food/wine pairing.
get a few cases of 3 buck chuck - I’d go $6 a bottle at Zinc!
Props to William the bartender..
Yeah, the bartender is very, very good. Fast and fun to talk to.
lilith - thanks for giving Zinc the attention it deserves! i, for one, am a big fan and am happy to see folks discovering the fantastic stuff behind those garage doors! their fare is just divine. and man do i love that big TV - very much looking forward to watching some killer UVA hoops over civilized cocktails this winter - thank you Zinc!
seems the ny times has something to say about the resurgence of the classic french bistro, a la ZINC:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/dining/09french.html?ex=1365480000&en=09b1353b12195dec&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
whatthefrenchtoast?!
at your leisure, please expound…
Lilith… are you back in action?! ok back to topic… Zinc offers the best lunch for the buck around… I def had the “food coma” from menu items under ten bucks at lunch. Definitely worth the walk (or drive) from the food court… I mean the mall.