OK, so Capitol Hill is my new fave neighborhood in DC. Great restaurant, cool bars/lounges, and diverse crowds. What's not to love! So when I heard about a new restaurant opening, clearly I had to try it ASAP.
Zest only opened in December '09, but they already have their thing down. My date and I sat down at 6pm on a Saturday (slightly before the dinner crowd) and our waiter came straight to the table and didn't just ask what we wanted to drink, but offered wine suggestions from the start! He asked my date, "Would you like to try a malbec this evening? Or perhaps a cabernet?" Impressed? Definitely! It also helped that his fav wine is malbec. The waiter turned to me and said I looked like I could use a zinfandel or a syrah. You know what, I could use a syrah...so I ordered one!!
We ordered the BBQ shrimp for an appetizer. I had lamb shank with polenta and roasted tomatoes for my meal which was PERFECT with the syrah. The grill of the tomatoes and the gamey-ness of the lamb were a great match with my rich, spicy shiraz. And that lamb was so tender! I put my fork in it so that I could cut it, the meat came right off the bone! I didn't want my meal to end...I saved a bit of it for a doggie bag to enjoy later :-)
After the dinner plates were cleared, the dessert menus arrived. My eyes went straight to the bread pudding. And what the heck, it's date night...2 glasses of 10-year tawny port! Sweet dessert, sweet drink, sweet goodness! The port with the caramel in my bread pudding, while sweet it was more creamy making the port a divine pairing. Besides, I totally believe it drinking and eating whatever I like.
I so cannot wait to return to Zest so I can eat up the rest of the menu. There was a tempting plate of grilled calamari walking by me on my way out.
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