Zinc has been one of New Haven’s top restaurants for more than a decade. I have dined at Zinc a number of times over the years, but I was an even bigger fan of its quirky offspring, Chow, which was located down the alley behind its parent. Chow recently morphed into Kitchen Zinc, its short menu focused on artisan pizzas. Although I have heard good things about Kitchen Zinc, I haven’t tried it yet. I’m sure I’ll get around to reporting on it one of these days.
Here you see Zinc’s facade, and to the right, signage signaling Kitchen Zinc’s recondite presence.
Step inside, where you’ll be well received, regardless of who is “manning” the hostess station.
The bar is an ideal place to take a solo dinner.
There are comfortable dining areas front
and back,
but my preference at Zinc has always been for the middle.
Here you see my expectant wife, who was anticipating the arrival of our appetizers.
But the first item to arrive was complimentary corn-and-fennel-seeded flatbread, a lively roasted yellow pepper sambal sauce lurking in the background.
Zinc’s Restaurant Week menu included a choice of three starters, three entrées and three desserts. There were only two of us, so unfortunately, we couldn’t try everything. From the starters, we had to pass on a frisée and arugula salad in a sherry vinaigrette with Coach Farms goat’s milk cheese that undoubtedly would have shone, given Zinc chef Denise Appel’s legendary pursuit of premium ingredients from local markets and farms. But we enjoyed instead warm farro with shrimp and crab meat, radicchio and balsamic sauce, the chewy crunchy grains providing a textural treat.
Also pleasing was a spiced butternut squash soup garnished with pepitas, the toasted pumpkin seeds supplying textural contrast and a nutty flavor.
The entrée we had to pass up was cheese tortellini with a tomato concassé broth, Swiss chard, toasted walnut and a basil pesto aïoli crostini. But we were delighted with our seared wild salmon with a tomato chutney and a market vegetable paella,
as well as grilled Berkshire pork sausage with a Macoun apple chutney, sautéed spinach and perfect Yukon Gold mashed potatoes.
Dessert awaited us, and throughout its existence Zinc has always made intriguing desserts a top priority. We bypassed the most presumptively ordinary of the three, Tahitian vanilla crème brûlée, opting instead for a pumpkin parfait of pumpkin ice cream, roasted apple and whipped cream,
and a chocolate hazelnut torte with hazelnut foam.
Co-owner Donna Curran also sent us a wonderful cheese plate with Gouda, Kunik and Great Hill Blue cheeses, sliced green apple, an apple-and-raisin chutney, cranberry-walnut-raisin toasts, dried apricot and honey.
As you can see from this beautifully maintained chalkboard, Zinc has a first-rate selection of artisanal cheeses.
I wanted to highlight some of the hard-working individuals who made our Zinc lunch so rewarding. Our waitress, Joanna, did a great job seeing to our every need.
The highly capable kitchen staff was pushed hard by the Restaurant Week crowds.
And speaking of people pushed hard during Restaurant Week, I end with a photograph of the talented Appel in the middle of a busy lunch service.
Zinc, 964 Chapel Street, New Haven, 203-624-0507