Each time we passed in front of Zuni, located in the lower part of Hell's Kitchen, it was packed. So we thought that there must have been a reason for that! So, as it was cold outside, we decided to try it as we did not have enough courage to look around for a new place to try for this blog that would have tables available.
That time too, it was packed. They told us that the wait would be 10 minutes: not bad; so we stayed. The host was trying to persuade us to sit at a table near the window, where even a waiter told him that it was difficult to reach. We refused and said that we were ok to wait a little longer.
Don't be fooled like me: Zuni serves New American cuisine, not Italian...Yes, I should have checked the menu before entering!
The place has a decent size and an interesting decor, full of colorful paintings. They have few booths that I love; understand that in France we do not have booths and we only saw them in movies and TV series (you would be surprised how many American TV series I know!).
When we got the menu, I have to say that I had a bit of a hard time to pick, that is fairly exceptional for me...I do not know: nothing was very inspiring or appetizing. So I made a choice out of despair.
Before the food came, they brought us some olive bread and some muffins:
The olive bread was a bit too chewy, the blueberry muffins had a weird taste and the corn muffins were a bit too spicy...Started well!
Then came the appetizer: the corn fritters.
They were served with honey and a spicy chipotle mayonnaise. The fritters were fantastic: not greasy, they were not too heavy and very tasty, with some corn in it. I loved the idea of putting honey with it: it gave a delicious sweetness to it and, if mixed with the chipotle mayonnaise, it balanced the spiciness of it (although it was subtle).
Jodi ordered the Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Watercress, Belgium Endive and Radicchio, with Pear, Apple and Sun Dried Cranberries:
The goat cheese looked weird! It had a crust that did not look appetizing and tasted weird. The salad itself was ok.
On my side, I ordered the Pan-Roasted Mussels with Belgium Beer, Pommery Mustard, Potatoes and Scallions:
It was horrible! The mussels did not taste fresh and the potatoes were not cooked enough. The sauce was not good either, too diluted and salty (probably due to the mustard). I wanted some bread to dip in the sauce and they gave me some bread that tasted like frozen bread. It was definitely a miss! For me, if you want to make mussels, serve them with fries and bread and make a killer sauce!!!
So, it was definitely not a good experience there and on top of that, it was expensive for what we got. What is crazy is that it was packed, although it is Times Square and a lot of people only come to restaurants once. No need to mention that we skipped dessert....
Enjoy (...)!
If you like this post or the photos, feel free to share it using the toolbar below or to write a comment!
And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
