10/09/09

Promotes Animal Toture by serving Fois Gras!

by Michelle Thielen

Please do not support anybody who has fois gras on the menu until they take it off. This "delicatessen" is geese that get a long pipe forced down their throat (ripping their throat apart) & forcefully pumped with grain until their liver is 10x their body weight and they literally explode but you eat their liver. If you walk out of any restaurant, kindly let them know why. This is horribe and so unnecessary in this day and age.

• Pros: Could be a great restaurant
• Cons: Has one star because "no star" is not an option

12/01/08

All-around disappointment during Dine Around Seattle

by nudibranch

Having heard great reviews of Zoe, I tried it out with some friends during the Dine Around Seattle 30 for $30 special. Dinner got off to a promising start with a nice glass of house wine, the large Garden Greens, the pleasant Celery-D?Anjou Pear Soup, and the rich, tasty Fresh Ricotta Gnudi.

Unfortunately, the meal took a turn for the worse when our entrees arrived. I received a plate of Butternut Squash Risotto that was so underdone as to be crunchy, and had to send it back. Even then, the arborio rice was inconsistently cooked (risotto requires constant attention to get a consistent texture), and the flavors were more overwrought than bold. One of my companions had the Local Arctic Char, which sat on a deliciously marinated bed of cauliflower, but the fish itself was of poor quality. The third member of our party had the Braised Beef Short Rib, which was the best of our entrees, though still somewhat overpowering to the palate.

Dessert should be the highlight of even a mediocre meal, but at Zoe our desserts turned out to be the nadir of our experience. My companions ordered the house-made Passion Fruit Sorbet, and Mint Cocoa Nib Ice Cream. Keeping with the theme of the night, the mint of the ice cream was too strong, blowing away what little remained of our palates. The cocoa nibs were a nice idea, but were either of poor quality or were poorly roasted -- they were far more bitter (unpleasantly so) than what you may have had at Theo or Fran's Chocolates. The passion fruit sorbet somehow managed to be even more overblown -- it was like eating frozen passion fruit juice concentrate. The upside being that the mint ice cream seemed subtle after a mouthful of the sorbet. I made the best choice with a wholly unremarkable (but refreshingly subdued) Maple Vanilla Panna Cotta.

This was far and away my worst dining experience of the seven 30 for $30 restaurants I patronized this year; perhaps it was an off-night for Zoe, but I will not be returning.

• Pros: Good house wine
• Cons: Completely unsubtle flavors

11/15/08

Wierd Service, High Prices, Small and Mediocre Servings

by JHoward88

The music isn't relaxing and the service is formal, but seems a bit awkwardly conducted; the decor is medocre - a sort of mix between a low-end downtown storefront restaurant and faux-luxury. That said, alot of nice, well-mannered people seem to enjoy the place, so I won't be too hard on it.

My biggest gripe is the price and menu; for $25 each, I and my dinner partner recieved bite-sized "meals" which, in my opinion, tasted only mediocre. The menu was very small and was filled with things that most people avoid - like octopus and tongue - and while I'm all for luxury and the high-end lifestyle, if you're expecting a normal-sized meal, don't go to Zoe; also, if you want a nice, quiet atmosphere, don't go.

Cheesecake Factory and Nordstrom may not be as high end, but as far as my experiences are concerned, they're both significantly more rewarding. That said, I do understand that there are some restaurant connoseours who may enjoy the place, and when you get done they do provide a pleasant little box of matches. As a matter of fact, in my opinion the matches were worth more than the meal. Synopsis? If you enjoy eating tiny helpings of octopus and tongue to the tune of wierd music, then by all means... check it out.

• Pros: Formal Staff
• Cons: Small Helpings, High Prices, Mediocre Atmosphere

11/09/08

Still at the top of the list

by res03hrk

One of the best resturants in town. Food is excellent. Try the gnudi appetizer. The celery/pear soup is well executed. Squash risotto fantastic. The dining room is small and inviting. Service was top notch and unobstrusive. Go for the food, relax and enjoy your dining experience.

• Pros: Food, Service, Cocktails
• Cons: Parking in Beltown

09/19/08

Absolutely a knockout!

by sweetkoshka

My wife and I heard about Zoe from a couple at another of our favorite restaurants (Divine up on Roosevelt). They spoke very highly of it, and they're weren't kidding - it's fantastic. We finally got around to eating there last night.

We had the ricotta gnudi appetizer, the beef short ribs and a pork dish called "The Whole Hog", followed by a dessert called "Thyme for Peaches". Everything was spectacular. Zoe's is one of those rare restaurants where everything you put in your mouth elicits a reflex reaction in which you automatically close your eyes, hold the food in your mouth, and just moan at the sheer pleasure of the flavors.

The peach tart came with "olive oil gelato", which initially had me wondering whether this was yet another example of some pretentious yuppie restaurant throwing together things that didn't work. I mean, ice cream made from olive oil?? But the combination of the gelato and the peach tart was unbelievably good, especially paired with a Pacific Rim late-harvest riesling.

Service was wonderful and very friendly. Zoe's is a little loud, though not unbearably so; and if you go after 830 pm on a weekday it calms down quite a bit.

All in all, we were both hugely impressed with this place: it's definitely a beacon of creativity and good taste in Seattle.

• Pros: Spectacular food, great service
• Cons: A little loud, but not unbearably so

09/12/08

Charming service and food!

by ssb07

Dining at Zoe is a lovely way to spend an evening. Though we had a to wait a few minutes for our table, the bar is not a bad place to have to sit for a while. The bartender was very knowledgeable about wines and pointed us towards a fantastic Washington state wine we wouldn't have selected on our own. The food was delicious (the chanterelle mushroom appetizer is really amazing) and the service was spot on. The space is really interesting- very elegant yet a bit edgy/industrial- impressive to be able to pull that off. All in all, a wonderful evening and we will certainly return.

• Pros: Lovely space, great service and food
• Cons: A little loud, crowded

08/24/08

Great service and atmosphere, horrible, salty food

by lt7

I'd heard great things about this place so I was excited to try it for dinner. We shared the beet & wild mushroom salad and were disappointed from the start. This was extremely salty and the flavors did not taste good together. Couldn't even finish it, and we were splitting it, and the meal just went downhill from there. I ordered the fried chicken which again was WAY too salty, it just didn't have good flavor and was basically just a chicken breast fried in a pan that I could have made myself. My mom had the sea scallops and those were decent but the same saltiness overpowered her meal as well. The wine list was limited and they didn't even have a pinot grigio - what classy restaurant doesn't carry pinot grigio? We tried to cap off the meal on a good note with the $6 homemade peach sorbet - even this wasn't good. It was chunky and tasteless and we didn't even finish the small two scoops. Unfortunately this meal came to over $100 and the whole thing was a huge disappointment.

07/24/08

Excellent service and amazing food

by nwmp82

I've been to Zoe three times and every time I am blown away by their exceptional service. From the waitstaff to the bartenders to the hosts, they are all friendly, knowledgeable (but never snooty), and attentive. And then there's the food...oh how I long for the delicious food from Zoe. I love the ricotta gnudi as an appetizer and every entree I've tried has been to die for. Each dish is inventive and the menu selection will please any taste. This is by far one of my favorite Seattle restaurants.

• Pros: everything

07/01/08

Average on all levels

by annemariec

I recently ate here with a group of women friends and found the whole experience average at best. The front desk host was cold, rude and unhelpful with chip on his shoulder and I was an imposition by asking if my party had already arrived. The service timing was off, which compromised our dining experience.

There are so many other great places, I would not go back here.

06/03/08

wonderful food, vibe and great service

by claudiaarana

My boyfriend and I went for my birthday. the service was warm and friendly, the food was delicious, and we had a wonderful time. very romantic and intimate.