I returned to Zocalo recently to see if its menu might have changed for the season, and it has slightly. I suggest going back to the restaurant always, because the food, atmosphere, and service really do warrant status as Charlottesville’s favorite in the C-VILLE best-of poll for a third consecutive year (following best new restaurant in 2004). The menu has changed only slightly– the decision to add a butternut squash soup with lump crab was a very good one, and the decision to keep the rest of the menu mostly intact is a good one as well. Have you had the pork with fois gras sauce yet?
A long “specialty martinis” selection caught my attention, but I do not know how new they are. I highly recommend the Parliament, a sweet basil and lime flavored martini.
The most refreshing sight was a packed bar. I’ve always enjoyed Zocalo but tend to see it as more of a hot spot in the patio season. Not so, by the looks of it this weekend– the singles were out.
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Tagged as: Bars, Charlottesville, Cocktails, Downtown Mall, Restaurants, Restaurants/Bars, Reviews, Singles Scene, Weekends, ZO.CA.LO
They need to man up and make a big change to that menu. We have stopped going completely because once you have had the 3-4 things that appeal to you then you are back to repeats.
About the only thing I am willing to order, AGAIN, from any joint has been the Spciy tempura tuna roll from BLue Light, and that might already be done in by the new chef.
For my money, Zocalo is the best fine-dining restaurant in town. I thought about saying so under the fine-dining thread yesterday, but just didn’t get to it. No time now, but I’ll say more about why I think it’s the best later.
The best dining-out meal I’ve had in Cville for the last few years was at Zocalo. Seems to be pretty consistent.
I enjoy seeing that I am so enmeshed in web culture that I wrote “site” not “sight.” Edited now.
I had the most enjoyable cocktail I’ve had in some time at Zocalo the other night. I forget the name, but it’s Maker’s Mark with chile-inflected blackberry lemonade.
Spicy, bourbony, delicious.
I dearly love their tuna tartare. Although, you have to remember to tell them to bring extra chips. Regardless, that is one of my absolute favorite items, anywhere in the city!
ZOCALOs tuna Tartare is the key to my heart as well.
I can’t agree more.. they need to change their menu big time.
I haven’t been to ZoCaLo in a long time, but I still think about their stuffed pepper. If that’s still on the menu, I’d go back for it.
Here’s my quick, disorganized thoughts on why Zocalo is the best food in town.
1) Really great service. Before opening Eppie’s I worked at Zocalo doing expo (keeping track of what food goes where), just so I could get a better feel for the restaurant business. Here’s some of the little things you might not have noticed, but that do happen at Zocalo (and I don’t recall seeing them anywhere else in this town).
- Women are served before men at the table. Even if you’re at a table of ten. The women’s food will be served first, which in my book is classy.
- The entree and soup plates come out to your table Hot. Next time you’re there, touch your entree plate. Also, look at how clean your plate is. Not literally, but look at the plating. There won’t be any stray sauce on the side of the plate, or food hanging over the edge. Granted, these are little things, but I think every detail counts in fine dining.
- When you order the mixed cheeses app., your server, whether it’s your waiter or just a runner, will explain the cheeses as well as their sauces.
2) The owners are in the kitchen. I think this is one big advantage Zocalo has over most local restaurants. Andrew and Ivan own Zocalo, and they are the chefs. And even though they own the joint, and it’s awesome, they’re still cool, laid back guys. Totally the type not to call themselves Chef, or to let anyone else call them Chef.
Back to the point, to make a generalization, I think a restaurant where the owner is the chef in the kitchen will have better food than when the owner is not in the kitchen. Certainly over the long run. Other examples of restaurants like this are Maya with Christian in the kitchen, or Zinc, with Thomas and Vu in the kitchen.
3) Lastly, I just love their menu. Mexican food is #1 for me, so their latin-inspired theme is perfect when I want something more upscale. Does the menu change a lot? No. And I know some people wish they changed the menu. But IMO, so many of the items on the menu are just right, I think they can’t be removed. Untouchable menu items in my opinion:
Basically every appetizer. The cheese plate, the tuna tar tare, and the cheese fritters (my favorite - fried cheese with a sweet spicy glaze, awesome). And can’t forget the Caesar with the fried polenta croutons. They have a soup, and I think it changes with the seasons. That leaves room for maybe one or two more apps.
And basically half the entrees too. The chile relleno, the strip steak with asparagus and polenta fries, the scallops with the pyramid of tortilla strips, and the salmon with green chili goat cheese grits. Man I love those grits.
A couple more quick points, b/c it’s late and I’m tired. 1) I’ve worked in a lot of restaurants, and Zocalo more than any other was I excited to get to take home some leftovers at the end of the night b/c they were garbage. And 2) The longer I worked there, the more amazed I became at all the little details that went into menu items. The mini chips (tostones) served with tuna tar tare? They are hand cut out of corn tortillas, and then fried to make chips. Same for the tortilla strips with the scallops. And I could go on.
Perhaps all this is par for fine dining, but from what I’ve seen, Zocalo is doing it the best in town.
Dan, I agree with you that a lot of this is exemplary, and I join your applaud of Zocalo.
But in defense of the other guys… I’ve come to expect some of the examples you brought up from restaurants no matter what they charge. For example, “homemade” is an expectation I have not only because they’re restaurants and it’s their charge but because it costs them less. Tortilla chips are probably the best example. Cutting blue corn tortillas into small circles instead of triangles is something Zocalo has done to go the extra mile, but whether a restaurant mixes its own flour, salt, and water or orders them, it’s still pretty easy to cut up the product and drop it in a fryer. A lot of places even mix honey and mustard to make dip for fries, which are hand-cut.
I expect to see a chef/owner in the kitchen, too. Sean cooks at Cassis, Brian cooks at Fleurie, the last time I went was a while ago but Vincent and Tim cooked at Bizou, and the same is true in big cities, too. Gordon Ramsay excluded.
Servers had better know what they’re serving people! This is why I don’t trust vegetarian servers at fine restaurants. Slate recently ran a good piece reviewing Service Included, a new release about serving based on first-hand experience at NYC’s Per Se. One server on a trip I made last year made up something about the dish when she didn’t know the answer. There is a HUGE difference between braised and lightly grilled, and she killed my rabbit.
I do want to back you up on the chefs being laid-back. I’ve often been one or dined with one who wanted something done differently from the menu, and from the server to the kitchen to the bar, the request is accommodated without question or snide look every time!
And, of course, their tuna tartare is heavenly.
Ooh dissing the vegetarian servers. I think you should not trust bad servers who don’t pay attention at pre-meal. I’m veg and I used to serve and I certainly know the difference between braising and grilling. The former involves liquid.
Veggie ranting continued, I wish Zocalo would not just stick with the one vegetarian entree of chile rellano. I don’t like peppers so I have to always get soup or salad.
Nay - you’re a veg AND you’re picky - let me guess, you have food alergies, too? ; )
My beef is with the veg waiters who pull the whole “I wouldn’t know because I don’t eat meat” card. If I cared about your life choices, well, I don’t and I can’t imagine doing so, so keep it to yourself. But then again, when I waited tables I hated it when people asked my name - the mark of a good server is that they are helpful and prompt when you need them, but that they otherwise do not interfer with your dining experience. The whole “hello my name is…” bit is grating, even at an airport Chili’s
No food allergies. Sorry I don’t fit into your stereotype. I just don’t wanna eat a big pepper for dinner. And what?
Back when I worked in the kitchen at Eastern Standard (yes, the dark ages, people), we had a veg chef. I always thought that a bit odd. But the food always turned out very nicely. One doesn’t always have to eat meat to know how to cook or serve it. As a card-carrying omnivore, though, I do think it helps. Chefs really should be able to taste and evaluate what they cook. Either that, or they had better have a very trusted sous chef capable of covering the bases on that one.
Dan, thanks for all your insight into the workings of Zocalo. Only makes me love the place more.
Lilith, purely by chance, I was reading an essay in Anthony Bourdain’s “The Nasty Bits” which addressed the whole “I spent a lot of money on this food, so I expect to see the Big Celebrity Chef in there cooking it!” issue. Naturally, it was very much in Tony’s tongue-in-cheek style, but it really was funny to think that people (in this case, food writers, who should absolutely know better) would show up at Per Se in New York or Emeril’s in New Orleans and all but demand that Keller or Emeril personally cook their meals and be available to say hello. As you say, different world once you get into that level of name chef. Locally, I really do presume that the chef should be in the kitchen, barring a conflict (planned or otherwise). I’m not saying that I expect him or her to always be there, but I do hope to have the chef there the great majority of the time.