Restaurant Zoe (Seattle, WA)
Rating: 
Over the past few years, Restaurant Zoe has become my favorite mid-range restaurant in Seattle. The ambiance is perfect for both romantic dates as well as friendly dinner gatherings or birthday parties. The food is tasty and very consistent, the wait-staff , and the specialty drinks are awesome (which is why Lauren and I took Shawnie here for his first legal drink). Starting an evening at Zoe’s with a Siren (”vodka, sweet vermouth, fresh lemon & jalapeno. vigorously shaken.”) is a must.
Last night Mike and Erin joined us at Zoe’s. Being the proud parents of 2 adorable little ones, they are often unable to get away for an evening out. I wanted them to have a great night out, and Zoe delivered.
We started out with a round of cocktails (mojitos for the Arcuris, and the obligatory Sirens for Lauren and me). For appetizers, we shared a tuna tartare and a fresh ricotta raviolo. The tartare was tasty, though a little heavy on the horseradish. The raviolo is my favorite appetizer at Zoe’s. The thin pasta shell is soft and fresh, the ricotta has a smooth texture, and it’s topped off with a green herb-based sauce that complements the raviolo perfectly.
For the main course, I had the flounder (above), Lauren had the scallops (sans bacon of course), Erin had the seared tuna, and Mike the pork tenderloin. The fish were both delectible, perfectly cooked, with complementary sides. The flounder was nice and flaky, the tuna thick and gloriously rare inside. I didn’t get to try the pork, but Mike did clean his plate.
The scallops were perfectly seared, crispy on the outside, thick and juicy on the inside:
It’s good to be back in Seattle!
Restaurant Zoe
2137 Second Ave (at Blanchard)
Seattle, WA 98121
206-256-2060
Sun-Thurs 5:00PM-10:00PM
Fri-Sat 5:00PM-11:00PM
(Dinner only)
Update (3/30/2006, 10:45PM): 25 for 25 at Zoe was a pleasant contrast to last night’s experience at Ray’s Boathouse. Each part of the meal from appetizer to dessert was multiple notches higher. 25 for 25 introduced some fabulous new additions to the menu. The most innovative dish was a “gnudi” appetizer (basically ricotta filled gnocci) — silky texture and intricate flavors. We also enjoyed a crisp Strub Riesling and saved room for the new chocolate desert (paired with homemade vanilla ice cream).
January 16th, 2006 at 7:14 am
Kenny Wolf at Atlanta MS Professionals UG Tonight
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January 25th, 2006 at 8:40 pm
Wow - you’re doing quite a few restaurant reviews these days. I have to agree with this one. Zoe was great food, and very enjoyable overall.
February 13th, 2006 at 12:13 am
[…] We began with the special of the day, a seared scallop atop a pea-vine ravioli with white truffle sauce. A fantastic opener — the scallop was reminiscent of Zoe’s, the ravioli delicate, and a sauce you would love to bottle and take home with you: […]
April 7th, 2006 at 8:41 pm
[…] March almost passed me by without my noticing that it was a Twenty-Five for $25 month. We’re managing to slide into home in the last two days of the promotion at Ray’s and then tonight at Restaurant Zoe. […]