Zanzabar

finally got to check them out last night. Really,really cool place, imo.
ate their mussels + fries and mac n cheese. the mussels were extremely tasty, cooked with bacon, poblanos, wine, and a little cream. i would never think 'poblanos with mussels'... but MAN, they were good. the fries were great too. couple of la fin du monde made for a delicious pairing. i consider myself kind of a mac n cheese afficianado. NOT an 'amateur expert' so much as an 'expert expert' ...their mac is sooper-solid. came out in an iron skillet with slices of bacon and tomato on top that had been broiled/baked in concert with them cheesy noodles underneath. little truffle oil to finish. was joking w/ Savannah, the bartender (who was friendly, informative, and awesome in general) about how i need to carry a vial of truffle oil on my person because... hey, you never know... she did not take it lightly and proclaimed that if i bring truffle oil into Zbar, it had better be enough for everyone. next time im in, i will bring enough to share with the whole class.
i also got to talk to a guy named Nick, who makes food there. he was VERY cool. friendly, gracious, and just an interesting dude.
i also learned that they do a spelling bee on tuesday nights. That is right up my 'nerd-fun' alley. i wasnt able to stick around for the abc shenanigans last night, but i will definitely return again and often for the bee.

thanks a bunch guys. had a great time

I'll tell you what...

Ryan Rogers, a burgeoning forumite and chef of this place has my attention. I have yet to get to Zanzabar, but plan on going very soon. I've had a few interactions with him and he effuses greatness...

It's easy to smell when you come across these personalities in our world. When he applied for a BOH position (right off the train from NYC,) he came equipped with a breifcase, filled with gear, ready for the snap-audition.

He's a young-garde- worked with Ethan and is ready to push the envelope as far as the consumer will let him. This can only be considered a huge boon for the local dining scene.

We're lucky we have him, I think.

On another occasion, he visited me at Majid's. Ate with a verocity and inquisitiveness that would make Batali blush. An absolute student of the game. I threw three of my most challenging cocktails at him and he got them (now whether he enjoyed them or not, he never let on- the point being he got them.)

It's like a foodie version of the 'thug-nod.' A sign of respect. You know, inherently, that person feels as passionately about the subject as you do.

(and that's the person I want cooking for me)

Matt, I so am glad to hear that you enjoyed your food last night. Hopefully we can count you as a regular in the future and you'll enjoy our new menu that we're currently ramping up for. Nick is a great kid and just starting his culinary journey; he's our resident vegan and comic book nerd as well as being a great recent addition to our team. Unfortunately the "Spleling Be" is only once a month, but the folks from The Idea Festival put it on and it is always a great event.

Stephen, thank you so much for the kind words and I can only hope to live up to such high standards. Fortunately I've been assembling myself a pretty solid team including Chip Hartley that I worked with at the Oakroom, whom also worked with our very good friend Ethan Ray.

There is a fantastic event coming up on April 9th benefitting the Louisville Visual Arts Association called the Bacon Ball that we will be presenting a dish in (with Proof on Main, Eiderdown, Hammerheads, and The Blind Pig) and we're going to be on Fox in the Morning tomorrow morning starting at 5am demo-ing our house cured bacon and a bacon dish or two. So if you're interested in some of the cuisine we're creating at Zanzabar set your DVR, as I expect no one to get up at that time unless they have to. I just found out about this an hour ago so I'm intrigued as to what kind of bacon dish I can pull together within the next 11 hours.

I have to chime in here and say that Zanzabar is on my short list of outstanding values and underrated spots to grab a bite in town. It's one of those places that I feel like the service staff must tell the kitchen that there's a food writer up front because I have a hard time ordering less than three entrees. I'm looking forward to the new menu.

I just have to say, I was at Zbar last night for a friend's show, and made it a point to arrive early so I could eat. Four words:

Fried
Bone
Marrow
Ravioli

That and two outstanding salads. As I sat at the bar and enjoyed my food, I wondered at how FEW plates of anything off the nightly specials were leaving the kitchen. People need to get in there and eat. For those of you who bemoaned the wait/seating service at Hammerheads, why not head over to Zbar, where you get the same level of execution and conception for elevated casual fare?

Four words
ewww
are
you
serious

I just have to say, I was at Zbar last night for a friend's show, and made it a point to arrive early so I could eat. Four words:

Fried
Bone
Marrow
Ravioli

That and two outstanding salads. As I sat at the bar and enjoyed my food, I wondered at how FEW plates of anything off the nightly specials were leaving the kitchen. People need to get in there and eat. For those of you who bemoaned the wait/seating service at Hammerheads, why not head over to Zbar, where you get the same level of execution and conception for elevated casual fare?

Four words
ewww
are
you
serious

I
Sure
Hope
So!

Seriously. Bone marrow. It's good.

I
Sure
Hope
So!

Seriously. Bone marrow. It's good.

THIS!

ive been fawning over the description of the bone marrow ravioli w/poached duck egg for a few days, myself. also the chicken liver tacos sounded pretty amazing.
i feel that every day i miss one of their daily additions is an opportunity thats passed me by

What does bone marrow taste like?, what is the consistency? What animals bone marrow is it? I don't think I would ever try it, bit squemish. Just interested to know though..

It tastes pretty meaty, more or less the flavor of whatever meat it comes from, but the texture is not. Raw bone marrow is kind of greasy/pasty, but cooked it acts pretty much like fat. Heated enough it becomes liquid. Beef marrow bones are the most common. Proof has had them on their menu in the past, perhaps also currently - straight oven roasted marrow bones are typically served with good bread or toast, which you spread it on like butter, or if you've ever had it, lardo. In the case of this ravioli, the frying completely liquified the marrow, so when you cut or bit into them, it mixed very nicely with the herby/very garlicky gremolata they were dressed with.

We finally got over to Zanzabar last night - wow. The food was really, really good. We shared the frites + 3 condiments (chipotle crema, horseradish, and BBQ) and the Greg's Grateful Greens salad to start. The fries were great, as were the dipping sauces, and the salad was quite good - the greens, of course, were the all-star.

I had the chorizo hash and my wife the mac n' cheese, and we both were very happy with our orders. The hash contained a generous amount of nicely browned chorizo, potatoes, pickled onions, a fried egg (easy), and the chipotle crema. The combination of the chorizo and the crema gave the dish some heat that paired perfectly with the pickled onions. My wife was very pleased with her dish.

Zanzabar is definitely on our rotation now. I had high expectations after all the praise I've read here, and I was not disappointed.

I had the chorizo hash and my wife the mac n' cheese, and we both were very happy with our orders. The hash contained a generous amount of nicely browned chorizo, potatoes, pickled onions, a fried egg (easy), and the chipotle crema. The combination of the chorizo and the crema gave the dish some heat that paired perfectly with the pickled onions.

Hmm, why does this sound familiar?

I had the chorizo hash and my wife the mac n' cheese, and we both were very happy with our orders. The hash contained a generous amount of nicely browned chorizo, potatoes, pickled onions, a fried egg (easy), and the chipotle crema. The combination of the chorizo and the crema gave the dish some heat that paired perfectly with the pickled onions.

Hmm, why does this sound familiar?

If you're referring to the hash at Bank Street, the Zanzabar version seemed different to me, but perhaps I'm wrong? Both are very good.

I would be remiss not to mention the fact that the "Steam Table" lunch specials have always been very good as well. I thinks it's great that they have continued this tradition from the Brown Bag.
I have lunch there a lot and it's always been right up my alley. I had the "House Smoked Turkey" a couple of weeks ago and found it to be outstanding.

I would be remiss not to mention the fact that the "Steam Table" lunch specials have always been very good as well. I thinks it's great that they have continued this tradition from the Brown Bag.
I have lunch there a lot and it's always been right up my alley. I had the "House Smoked Turkey" a couple of weeks ago and found it to be outstanding.

did that a couple weeks ago. $7.50 for REALLY good meatloaf, mac n cheese, & peach cobbler that was enough to feed 2 people.

also... stopped in tonight and had the $1k grilled cheese. was AWESOME.
got to try the fried bone marrow ravioli as well. man oh man, was it good. the gremolata was out of sight and i loved the addition of fresh radish and micro-radish. the pickled tomatillos were good too.

Thanks, Chef!