Zoot

Zoot has officially closed it’s doors and unofficially opened as the new BC Tavern. Smart Move! It has more of an upscale, yet laid back hill country feel. Gone are the pretentious waiters we’d experienced in the past and the staff couldn’t be more hospitable and welcoming.
We devoured a wonderful and refreshing watermelon salad and shared the pot roast and brook trout. The pot roast was tender and served with baby carrots, cipollini onions and creamy mashed potatoes served in a warm little pool of «pot liquor» jus. The trout was labeled «crispy», which could be misleading as it was actually served as a grilled skin on fillet and topped with roasted tomato confit and crisp green beans and had a very subtle but complimentary smoky flavor. A light and flavorful dish perfect for the current hot weather.
Other tasty finds on the menu included their mac n’ cheese in which you can add a protein, house made sausage corn dogs, three different gourmet burgers, duck confit-​n-​dumplins with gravy (yum), shrimp n’ grits, salads, baby back ribs, scallops and ribeye. They also have a full bar, beers on tap (Brooklyn lager– good choice) and have added flat screens for those who want to pop in for a quality happy hour while watching the game in the bar area.
The outside patio tables have been replaced with cute picnic style tables and benches and lends a much more relaxing environment. I’m looking forward to seeing what BC Tavern has in store and think this was a smart business move considering the times and economy and will entice locals to join them every night of the week, versus special occasions. Oh yeah, and come August, they will be doing brunch and FRIED CHICKEN on Sundays. I can’t help but be reminded of Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc concept in Napa– which is pretty fab. If you want to try something new this weekend, give them a shot– everything is half off so you can sample several dishes at a terrific price.

Decided to give Zoot a second chance after being disappointed by their Chef’s five-​course tasting menu, back in February.
The verdict? Well, the meal was redeeming, but not astounding.
Based on recent reviews on Unilocal,I opted to avoid the current Chef’s Tasting Menu (lest it be a Strike Two for that menu). Instead, my family and I chose to pick our own dishes for the 3 Course Menu. I ordered the Beef Tartare to start, followed by Mixed Greens with Texas Fig, «Fresh Cheese,» Ham, Pistachios and Cherry Vinaigrette, and finished with the entrée of Braised Lamb Shank.
The Beef Tartare was decent, but a little disappointing. It came served in a bowl of Spring Onion Soup, topped with Fennel-​Basil Salad and Tomato Aioli, and it was paired with a handful of water crackers. I think I was mostly disappointed at the fact that the beef tartare was in soup! Sure, the flavor of the soup was nice, but it completely overwhelmed the beef! Call me traditional, but when I think of beef tartare, I think: a nice serving of cold, raw beef, with a raw egg yolk, chopped onions, a dollop of mustard, maybe some capers, and Worcestershire Sauce — all separate on the plate, for me to mix together. But, if you enjoy a new twist on the traditional, then you might like the Zoot take on the dish. Eating a little bit of all the ingredients together in one bite helped to balance out the flavors a little better.
The Mixed Greens was the most disappointing, because it literally was a small plate of mixed greens. Oh, and with one small fig with a small smudge of soft cheese on half of it, along with a tiny piece of ham (that was smaller than my thumb). Apparently, the items I thought were going to be main ingredients in the dish were merely garnishes! There were also a few pieces of pistachio on the bottom of the greens, resting on top of a thick swirl of Cherry Vinaigrette (which should have been more accurately called cherry sauce instead of a vinaigrette).
The Braised Lamb Shank was the star of the night! The meat was so tender and juicy, it pulled away from and practically fell off the bone! It sat on top of a couple roasted onion rings, and it was paired with nicely seasoned endive and green beans, as well as a light and creamy cucumber yogurt. Everything on the dish was delicious on its own, but also complemented each other perfectly. I believe my choice in entrée was the best at the table, as my husband ordered the NY Strip (meat itself was cooked perfectly, but it was paired with a German Potato Salad that was way too mustardy), my Mother-​in-​Law had a over-​cooked and dry Seared Halibut, and my Father-​in-​Law had a straight-​foward Grilled Yellowfin Tuna.
One other dish to mention is the Sweet and Sour Duck. Now, it’s not the breaded and fried kinds that are found in American-​Chinese restaurants. This duck rested on some creamy paprika risotto and was paired with cherry tomatoes and duck cracklings (fried duck skin). Very yum! I wished I had ordered the duck instead of my beef tartare. Oh well.
The servers were very courteous and friendly. We didn’t make reservations for a Friday night dinner (oops, my bad!), but they were very accommodating and setup a table for us. The one qualm I have with the service is that we waited almost an hour for our third course to arrive, and the server didn’t address the wait at all. At least she refilled our drinks while we waited…
Overall, I’m sorry, but Zoot was only «A-​Ok» for me. Perhaps I went in with grander expectations than was realistic. The menu sounds delicious and appetizing, but the reality of the dishes were mostly just average. Plus, waiting for an hour between a second and third course is not crowd-​pleasing. Zoot, I gave you another chance, and I wished you were more, but… unfortunately, it looks like you and I must go our separate ways.