Foodie News
Wild things: A night of eating dangerously at Hotel ZaZa
Anyone who complains hotel restaurants are ghost towns hasn't been to the Monarch at Hotel ZaZa lately.
By 6 p.m. the bar is already buzzing — it's neighborhood night, when drinks and appetizers are $5 — and people are taking advantage of what might be the last night of warmth for some spaceheater-fueled patio time.
But new executive chef Adam West isn't satisfied. He spent two years at Dragonfly, Monarch's Dallas counterpart, convincing the equally chic clientele to venture past the Texas standards — steak, chicken and lots of seafood — to try the alternative proteins he champions.
"It took two years in Dallas to get people to order different things. It's been two months here, so it's a process. We're trying to find a balance between giving people want they want and expect and doing things that are a little different," West says.
I started with the prime beef carpaccio and the Niman ranch pork belly. The carpaccio is an easy sell and tastes fabulous — the beef is sliced ultra thin and seared on both sides, then topped with red onion, cilantro, queso fresco and lime vinaigrette, offering a perfect combination of fresh crunch and rich beef flavor. I could eat it every day.
Slightly less impressive was the Niman Ranch pork belly, served in a big cube with chicharones. Compared to the version perfected by Catalan's Chris Shepherd, it's a nice flavor but a little chewy.
I take West's advice and try the antelope, sserved sliced over a sweet potato puree mixed with marshmallows — West calls it candied yams. The antelope is nothing short of a revelation. It's tender and flavorful, with not even a hint of gamey texture.
West explains that's because Monarch sources it from Broken Arrow Ranch, where they desanguinate the animal immediately after it's killed in the field, allowing no time for the meat to harden. The candied yams are a little too sweet for my taste (I'm not a big fan of the Thanksgiving version either), but it's a perfect foil when combined with the bitter turnips and microgreen salad on the plate.
I was also a fan of the pheasant breast. Infinetely more interesting than chicken, it practically falls off the bone. The truffle mashed potatoes on the side complemented it well and resisted that overly sweet truffle flavor. (Those not into truffles could try it out on another day, as the flavor rotates daily.)
For dessert I can't resist a ZaZa favorite — the slice of ice, a version of cookies and cream ice cream on steroids, with a crumbly chocolate cookie crust and just enough chocolate and caramel sauce drawn on the plate. The ice cream tastes light and actually icy — no cloying sweetness here — for the perfect end to a meal.