Zealous: If Only the Chef Had Spent Some Time Cooking . .

I was at Zealous last night. I would avoid the place.

Frankly, I don't have the slighest clue why the place receives some of the reviews that it does.

The best part: The service. Our waiter was good. Attentive without being overbearing. However, he disappeared at the end of the meal. The desserts seemed to take about twenty minutes.

The worst: The chef. He apparently believes that he is a celebrity. He spent most of the time that we were there in the dining room chatting up diners. He should have spent more time in the kitchen teaching his staff the difference between "rare" and "medium rare."

It is a very nice looking room. The tables are well spaced. Parking is by valet at a cost of $8. Given the location, I assume cabs are rare [or medium rare, but I'm sure the cooks can't tell the difference], but I can't confirm.

The meal started with a glass of Champagne. They had only two by the glass, One was a brut by Moutondon (spelling?). I am familiar with that, and not all that fond of it. The other was a blanc de noir by Gruet (New Mexico). Given the choices, we elected to go with a half bottle of Veuve Cliquot.

The first food item was an amuse that was entirely forgettable. It was a small piece of orange fruit in a very light sauce. It tasted like a small piece of fruit. The sauce was completely overwhelmed. Not a great way to start.

My wife's first course was duck. It was described as a sort of salad which if done right would have made a decent first course. Instead, it looked like a main course with a big slab of duck. The duck almost seemed greasy. It was paired withs sliced apple among other things. It was supposed to be medium rare but instead was barely cooked at all.

It was at that point that we considered asking the chef to return to his kitchen.

My first course was scallops, with pancetta. Good, but not great.

I had ordered a glass of wine with the scallops. They suggested a Spanish white. It paired O.K. with the scallops. Oddly, it went better with the duck since it had hints of spice and also had some apple or pear flavors.

The main courses were also completely forgettable. I had venison. For what its worth, it was a lot of venison. It was supposed to be paired with a juniper sauce, but again the sauce was underwhelming. I have had similar dishes done much better.

It was paired with a red Zin which arrived almost warm. That tells me that the place doesn't care much about wine. Reds should be served cellar temp, which means very slightly cold. This seemed like it had been sitting out on a counter for a couple of hours.

For my wife's main course she had venison. Not great, but not bad. It was cooked nicely. It was the best thing that we had all night.

My dessert was O.K., but again entirely forgettable. My wife had a dessert that was described as a sort of combination of a key lime pie and a creme brulee. I thought it didn't work at all. It was an interesting combination of flavors on their own, but really did not form a coherent dish. My wife did enjoy it.

My wife had ordered a tea to go with her dessert. It was not to be, as they ran out of it. For a place that allegedly changes the menu on a daily basis, it was not a good sign.

The bottom line: To get to this place, I need to drive past Naha, NoMi, Kevin, and others. No way.

I admit that part of my reaction to this place may have been that we had an incredible meal at Kevin one week before. There is absolutely no comparison between the two. Kevin is about as good as dining gets now. Interesting, well prepared, and we never saw a chef the entire night. Based on our meal that night, it was clear that he was busy cooking (or at least had worked hard to train his staff). At Zealous, we saw the chef but we didn't see much real cooking.

Edited to add: I looked a this review two years later and note that the main course descriptions are off. My wife and I had different items.

The orginal location was in Elmhurst about a block from where I lived at the time. The guy was an absolute jackass in the paper, his attitude was "you don't deserve me, but I'm here, so come partake in my brilliance."

Ummmm, no.

Word from people I knew who tried it was that he was just as arrogant in person.

We ate there a while ago, but had a similar experience (didn't see or meet the chef, though). It was clear that if you weren't ordering the tasting menu, you didn't matter.

I've had the same experience there! I was wondering if I was the crazy one because I thought I was the only one posting a less-than-perfect review. The time we were there, the chef was definitely out chatting diners - ones that ordered something other than off the menu, apparently. We ordered a skate wing for the appetizer - soggy, fried tasting and no other discernable flavor. My entree was obviously fine but forgettable because I don't remember it. My DC ordered some kind of eggplant - worst I've ever tried. How something can be dry tasting but oozing oil is beyond me. Terrible. Never again. Especially since we could have gone to fifty other places for the same price and had a much better meal.

Totally agree - I went to Zealous about a year ago after hearing really good reviews and left completely disappointed. We went on a Friday night and arrived for an 8pm reservation to an almost empty restaurant - not a good sign! We thought this would lend itself to better service, but were wrong. We requested a table closer to the back of the restaurant because they initially seated us at the table closest to the front door, which couldn't stay fully shut. After a bit of attitude, we were finally moved. Our entrees were either over-salted or completely average. There are really so many better restaurants not far from here, that I'm surprised they're still open!

Wasn't Michael Taus a protege of Charlie Trotter?

This would probably explain how learned such special people skills and attitude.

Zealous is no better than ok. It's been a year or so since we were there, but I pretty much concur with the review, including re: good service.

I'll also agree that Kevin has been absolutely outstanding lately. We only went for the first time about six months ago, but have been a total of four times and every single thing, every single time, has been great. It's also my favorite wine list in the city. Hopefully it doesn't go downhill too much when the new place opens.

threadkiller wrote:The orginal location was in Elmhurst about a block from where I lived at the time. The guy was an absolute jackass in the paper, his attitude was "you don't deserve me, but I'm here, so come partake in my brilliance."

Ummmm, no.

Word from people I knew who tried it was that he was just as arrogant in person.

I ate at the Elmhurst location several times, and found Taus odd but strangely interesting.

A neighbor of mine, a chef for Levy, said that Taus had a reputation for being "crazy, you know, like really crazy." He seemed okay to me, but as further evidence of his mercurial nature, he was chef at Saltaus for less than two months.

I hate to pile on, but...

My wife and I moved to Chicago two years ago. Zealous was the first "nice" place we ventured out to once the boxes were unpacked. Arriving to an empty restaurant at 7:00 P.M. on a Saturday night, we just thought that maybe Chicago is one of those cities where the hip crowd doesn't eat until 9ish. During our 2 hours there, approximately 4 other couples showed up. There were many, many smartly dressed gentlemen and ladies posing in various locations of the restaurant. It would have been great if one of them provided us with decent service.

The service was sloooooooooooooow. The server had no personality. We seriously thought the place must be ready to close its doors and the staff was going through the motions. I can’t recall a thing about what we had but do remember saying to my wife in the cab home that the place is mis-named…no one was Zealous…at all!

We have not been back.

DMChicago wrote:place is mis-named…no one was Zealous…at all!

Zeal-less. Heh.

Of course, DML is assuming that things would be better if the chef had been cooking-I'm not sure. Went about 7 years ago with chefs who knew the chef-he did cook to the best of my recollection, and the experience was, at best, lackluster. Lots of stuff scattered on the plates-no cohesion, and poor execution. A "hopelessly destitute, homeless, and pie-eyed man's Trotter's" would be lavishing praise on the place.

stewed coot wrote:Of course, DML is assuming that things would be better if the chef had been cooking-I'm not sure. Went about 7 years ago with chefs who knew the chef-he did cook to the best of my recollection, and the experience was, at best, lackluster. Lots of stuff scattered on the plates-no cohesion, and poor execution. A "hopelessly destitute, homeless, and pie-eyed man's Trotter's" would be lavishing praise on the place.

"Lots of stuff scattered on the plates" is a very good description.

I spent some time asking things like "This is a fine piece of pancetta, but what is it doing on a plate with scallops"?

The words I would use to describe my experience are:

1. Snooty attitude
2. Slow service
3. Very expensive
4. Nothing on the menu I really wanted
5. Uncrowded

Do I need to paint a picture?

When I wanted to try Zealous last summer, I had a really hard time finding info about the place, and now I guess I understand why. Apparently nobody goes.

I'm pretty much on the same page as everybody else. Our dinner was merely good, if entirely forgettable, though we didn't have any service issues. Presentations were beautiful, but that's putting the cart before the horse. I thought the biggest issue was price performance. Poor. Incidentally, there's an earlier thread that perhaps this should be merged with?

In any case, the sheer emptiness of the place was something that drove me to distraction then, and I find it no less confounding now. We did, admittedly, eat insanely early. However, it was after 7:30 on a Thursday evening when we left, and we were the only table in the house. At the time, I assumed they were in their death throes, but here it is, nearly a year later, and apparently they're still kicking. If the place is always empty, how are these guys hanging on?

2 Good things about zealous.

1) Always easy to find free street parking (no need for valet)

2) If you want a quiet place where you can have a conversation and not worry about it being too busy, this is your place!

FoodSnob77 wrote:2 Good things about zealous.

1) Always easy to find free street parking (no need for valet)

2) If you want a quiet place where you can have a conversation and not worry about it being too busy, this is your place!

Kind of like the Oak Park Public Library on a weekday morning.

David Hammond wrote:

FoodSnob77 wrote:2 Good things about zealous.

1) Always easy to find free street parking (no need for valet)

2) If you want a quiet place where you can have a conversation and not worry about it being too busy, this is your place!

Kind of like the Oak Park Public Library on a weekday morning.

D,

How are the portions?

Flip

I actually have had Zealous on a sort of personal list of places I thought I might like to try for years (a lot of years). But I never quite made it, in part because, as noted, no one else ever seemed to go or post about it.

That is all taken care of now - much thanks to all of you. It is always nice to cross things off my to-do list.

dicksond wrote:I actually have had Zealous on a sort of personal list of places I thought I might like to try for years (a lot of years). But I never quite made it, in part because, as noted, no one else ever seemed to go or post about it.

That is all taken care of now - much thanks to all of you. It is always nice to cross things off my to-do list.

funny...I have a similar list that had "Zealous (pricey)" noted on it with no further detail. Due to this thread, I too crossed it off a few days ago.

Gosh, I almost feel I should defend it, but I can't, quite. I had a nice meal there several years ago, they were very friendly about accommodating a couple of different food allergies/pickinesses, no sign of the 'tude others report, but it was one of those meals like Pluton or Crofton on Wells that all seemed at a pretty high level but didn't wow me enough to leave me thinking about any part of it six months later-- hell, even Spring, which I actively disliked, managed that with a hail Mary pass of a dessert at the end of an otherwise aggravating meal*-- and even at my kindliest-disposed toward it, I couldn't say it was worth the cost.

* My old writeup was too kind. That meal really irritated me.

Speak of the frickin' devil; from tonight's Dish:

Throughout May, Zealous (419 W. Superior St.; 312-475-9112) celebrates its 14th birthday (six years in Elmhurst, eight in River North) with a special menu (five courses, $85). . . .

Mike G wrote:Gosh, I almost feel I should defend it, but I can't, quite. I had a nice meal there several years ago, they were very friendly about accommodating a couple of different food allergies/pickinesses, no sign of the 'tude others report, but it was one of those meals like Pluton or Crofton on Wells that all seemed at a pretty high level but didn't wow me enough to leave me thinking about any part of it six months later-- hell, even Spring, which I actively disliked, managed that with a hail Mary pass of a dessert at the end of an otherwise aggravating meal*-- and even at my kindliest-disposed toward it, I couldn't say it was worth the cost.

* My old writeup was too kind. That meal really irritated me.

Pluton or Crofton on Wells -- EXACTLY.

They all go for the same type of food, and all somehow miss the mark.

Pluton for me was like Spring for you -- I was actually irritated by it. It was a beautiful room with miserable food.

Despite the raves that Crofton got, I just thought the menu ended up aiming low. There was nothing that interesting. I can handle boring if it is exceptionally prepared -- a steak at Keefer's --but boring food prepared in an average way? That's a wasted evening for me. And now that I need to pay a babysitter when I go out, it really annoys me.

I bought a Groupon for Zealous ($35 for a $75 certificate) a few months ago, and picked last night to use it. To sum up: food not very imaginative and poorly executed, like a poor cousin of MK.

The room was beautiful, and the banquettes were very comfortable (memory foam?). The restaurant was mostly empty except for one large party of businesspeople. I started with the pork belly and scallop - two of my favorite proteins! The pork belly was good - not a lot of sauce or flavor, but good texture and nicely cooked. The scallop, however, was nearly raw. I really don't know how the cook managed to get a crust on the outside without cooking the inside more. Not only was the scallop severely undercooked, it was also underseasoned. My husband had the sweetbreads, which he pronounced ok.

For our main courses, I had the duck with mushu and hoisin glaze and my husband had the venison loin with sauerkraut puree and apple empanadas. Both proteins were correctly cooked medium rare. I was disappointed that they had not pierced the skin of the duck to allow the fat to render and the skin to get all crispy, a la peking duck. I didn't get a lot of hoisin flavor out of the glaze, but it was fine.

Then I tried the mushu - it was the standard veggie mix, with mushrooms, wrapped in a mushu pancake. I took one bite, and my mouth stung from the salt. It was the saltiest bite I have had in a long time... possibly ever. I do not understand how someone could taste the mushu and send it out like that.

I also tried the venison - it was just ok. Not a lot of flavor there. My husband really liked the sauerkraut puree. The apple empanadas were disappointing. The dough was too thick, and soggy, and there wasn't enough apple. It also didn't go at all with the venison or sauerkraut.

The chef came out and chatted with us for a bit, promoted his other restaurant (Duchamp in Bucktown), told us about how he was going to judge the Bucktown apple pie contest this weekend, etc. I thought it was weird how he came to talk to us - it wasn't unpleasant, but it was just odd. I also thought it would be rude to say anything about the horribly underdone scallop and horribly oversalted mushu... at that point, I knew we would never be back, so it didn't seem worth the effort.

Anyways, if not for the Groupon, I would have been furious. As it was, I was merely irritated. The service was fine, although there was a huge lag between our apps and entrees. I really wonder how Zealous has lasted 10 years in this town.

s4shon,

Thanks for the inside scoop.

Sounds like I need to enter the Bucktown apple pie contest-I figure I'll enter a pie with a thick, soggy crust, and a few apple scraps-I should be a cinch to win!

I'm interested to see what happens to me...I too have a Groupon that I'm using tonight. I'll be sure to post the results and possibly photos! I can't decide between the veggie tasting menu or an app, entree and dessert. Guess I'll have to wait and see what's on the menu since they haven't updated their website since summer!

Zealous is on groupon today (http://www.groupon.com/chicago/) 3/15/2010. From the reviews here, though, I don't think I'll be purchasing .

I forgot to post about my dinner. It was good, but ultimately forgettable. If you go by yourself, though, you get a pity visit from Chef what's-his-name.

I bought the Groupon today, only because I live a block away and I have never been! We have always been curious about the place but did not want to pay full price especially after reading this thread. We'll see how this goes!

Please let us know what you thought of it!

The husband and I went to Zealous last night to celebrate the purchase of a new home. Using the Groupon of course!

Amuse Bouche - Pork Rilette on a dill toast (Tasteless)

Bread - Onion roll (Very nice. Had 2.)

Appetizers - Chilled Pea Soup with butter poached Tiger Shrimp and Greek Yogurt for me, Polynesian Salad with fried shrimp for him.
Pea soup was very "grassy" and thin. I thought the shrimp was just a boiled shrimp, certainly did not taste the butter-poach. The salad was pedestrian, so was the fried shrimp.

Mains - Filet with mushroom potato lasagna, which I thought was very well done. Filet was perfectly medium rare and tender. The highlight was definitely the mushroom potato lasagna, which had that fantastically savory layer of cheese on top. He had the chilean sea bass (tsk tsk), which I thought was meh... sweet and not over cooked, but the rice noodles it was served on was pretty gummy.

Service was good at the beginning, but as the night progressed it took a very long time to get dessert menus, etc. We decided to not get any dessert as it would have taken far longer than we wanted. Dinner ended up being $1.12... yes... a dollar after the $80 groupon was redeemed.