CityZen, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel - 2008 James Beard Award Winner Eric Ziebold - Closed Dec 7, 2014

[Dave Pressley]

I dined at Cityzen three weeks ago with almost the same menu as jdl. We had sashimi of veal liver instead of the short ribs. It was a course I could not pass up as it was said "to only be offered by Chef Ziebold once or twice a year". I think they were playing with us when it was served with chopsticks, of all things! It was the damned slipperiest food I have ever tried to eat, much less without my trusty fork. The taste...well, let's just say I've had raw veal liver now and I don't need to try it again. (I couldn't really taste much, really. It was drowning in a soy-sesame sauce that overpowered the liver. The mouthfeel was exactly what you may think. It felt like I was French-kissing a tadpole.)

The rest of the meal was absolutely stunning. I could have eaten gallons of the olive oil custard (ours was topped with sevruga caviar) and the rabbit consomme. The monkfish was outstanding. The lamb was perfectly cooked and the lemongrass sorbet was certainly memorable. The SERVICE WAS PERFECT! All in all, it was a terrific evening and I can't wait to return.

Side Note: I took five servers from our restaurant group to dinner there as a reward for a 6-month-long contest in which they had all done extremely well. Four of them had NEVER eaten in a fine dining restaurant before and I think by their wide-eyed reactions to everything, that this dinner may have really created some life-long food lovers out of them. It was a pleasure to witness and be a part of.

[brr]

We had an absolutely wonderful meal at Cityzen on Saturday evening. This is one restaurant that absolutely lives up to expectations. Stellar service in lots of little different ways including a wonderful sommelier and you could tell they were really paying attention - based on my wifes request for one dish, they proactively came to her and offered to change a second dish, excellent food (and easily the best cheese cart in DC, stocked with lots of great cheese and served with knowledge and enthusiasm by our waiter). We went with the 5 course tasting menu and enjoyed (don't have the menu so these descriptions don't do full justice to all the ingredients) lightly seared tuna w/ crispy shitake mushrooms, shoat belly, soft shell crab on a bed of citrus fruits and rhubarb, beef tenderloin, the aforementioned cheese and AN AMAZING chocolate chip cookie dough souffle. And then add in two amuses at the beginning and at least two sweeter treats at the end.

Fantastic stuff. The only mild surprise was that such a well-stocked bar didn't have any cachaca as my wife wanted a Caipirinha for a pre-dinner cocktail (although they did offer to make one using rum).

Easily one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had in a DC restaurant in quite a while. And a beautiful room with soaring ceilings.

Now I get why people are so enthused about the $50 bar/lounge special!!

[Sthitch]

Now I get why people are so enthused about the $50 bar/lounge special!!

A little more than a week ago on the bar tasting menu they had Shout Terrine. The only way I can describe it is the way Spam should taste. It was served warm, with pickled lentils. This was an unbelievable way to start a meal.

As for the bar being well stocked, I must disagree, the selections of Scotch and Cognac are both great, but there are many other restaurant bars that puts Citi-Zen’s selection to shame (Dino quickly comes to mind).

[brr]

As for the bar being well stocked, I must disagree, the selections of Scotch and Cognac are both great, but there are many other restaurant bars that puts Citi-Zen’s selection to shame (Dino quickly comes to mind).

You're right, I guess I meant I would expect the bar at a restaurant like Cityzen to have cachaca.

[Poivrot Farci]

they had Shout Terrine.

Shoat Terrine. Does not oink as loudly as Spam.

[Sthitch]

You're right, I guess I meant I would expect the bar at a restaurant like Cityzen to have cachaca.

Even with the less than impressive selection they do put together some good cocktails. On my last visit the "Ala Minute" cocktail was house made pear syrup with Maker's. It was very nice drink, however, I wish that it came with an appropriate garnish.

[deangold]

Shoat Terrine. Does not oink as loudly as Spam.

If either are oinking at the table, however, you have had too much at the bar...

[DonRocks]

I detest cell phones in restaurants, even text messaging. Nevertheless, I was quietly sitting at CityZen last week when I felt a vibration in my pocket (get your minds out of the gutter; the food was extraordinary, but even world-class cuisine has limitations on what it can achieve).

Looking around to be sure I was unseen, with an armrest shielding my left side from anyones view, I snuck the phone out and peeked at it under the table. The message was from John Wabeck.

Jarad Slipp had just passed Level Three of the Master Sommelier exam, the message said, making him one of only a handful of people in the Washington, DC area to have done so (congratulations, Jarad!).

While continuing to enjoy my meal, I snuck a message back with my left thumb. "What's his number?" I typed, so stealthily that nobody would possibly know I had done this. I put the phone back in my pocket.

About two minutes later, another vibration. John had surely texted me back with the number, and I'd call Jarad after dinner to say congratulations.

Unable to resist looking, I snuck the phone out of my pocket again. When I looked at the message, this is what it said:

From: Eric Z

No text messages while you are eating

Received: Fri, Apr 27 8:36 pm

To the patrons dining at CityZen last Friday evening: I promise you that the person sitting by himself, on the side of the restaurant, in a laughing fit for five full minutes, complete with water coming out his nose, was not acting out of random lunacy.

Cheers,

Rocks

[Pete]

Paula and I had a very enjoyable dinner Friday night. From the moment we walked in the door to the end of the meal, we found the entire staff to be friendly and helpful. There were lots of thoughtful touches throughout, from the birthday card from the restaurant to our car waiting for us at the end of the night. Since Paula is pregnant, the staff went out of their way to make us aware of any raw/undercooked ingredients. They even have a non-alcoholic wine on their menu (which unfortunately tasted more like grape juice than wine, but was a nice touch nonetheless).

Our first amuse was the mushroom fritter with white truffle oil. We had this last year in the bar, but it is still very tasty.

The second amuse was a delicious Hiramasa carpaccio. For Paula, they prepared a custard (mushroom?), which she really enjoyed.

Since we could not decide on what to order, we opted for the tasting menu:

Purée Of Path Valley Farms Spring Garlic Soup with Roasted Sweet Pepper and Niçoise Olive Beignets

This soup was a lot subtler then what I was expecting. The garlic was not overpowering at all, and, if anything, could have been a little more assertive.

Cityzen Veal Oscar - Grilled Chapel Hill Farm Veal Sausage and Maryland Softshell Crab Tempura

This dish was very good, especially the veal sausage. Paula and I are probably the only 2 people on the planet that are not huge fans of softshell crabs. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed this dish.

Pan Seared Pacific Sablefish

Yukon Gold Potato Risotto, Watercress Purée, Hard Boiled Egg Mousse and an Applewood Smoked Bacon Chip

I really enjoyed this dish the more that I ate of it. In fact, I started analyzing this dish (and probably over-analyzed it) as I was eating it. Normally, when I get a dish at a restaurant I taste the main item first without any of the accompanying sauces/sides. So, I tried a bite of the sablefish without the egg mousse or the bacon and thought, “this fish needs salt”. Then I tried the sablefish with the egg mousse. Then I tried it with the bacon. Then I realized that I am an idiot. This dish was constructed such that you were supposed to eat the sablefish with the egg mousse or the bacon chip. Had the fish been salted properly, it would have been fine on its own; however, it would have tasted like licking a salt lick if eaten with the mousse or the bacon. Who knows, maybe I am over-analyzing this and Ziebold is laughing at me thinking “this guy is obsessing over an under-salted fish”.

Herb Roasted Martin Ranch Baby Lamb

Fricassée of English Peas, Morel Mushrooms and Garden Mint

This was cooked a perfect medium-rare for me, and they cooked it a little longer for Paula. I really enjoyed the lamb, as it had a smokey flavor that reminded me of pastrami (this is a good thing). Citronelle’s English Pea Soup and the English Peas served in this dish are the only peas that I have enjoyed since I was 5 years old. I have expensive taste in peas, I guess. Paula didn’t enjoy the peas, but she blames that on pregnancy.

Assorted Artisanal Cheeses

Cityzen has one of the best cheese carts in the area. They had at least 15 different cheeses available. Our waiter did a terrific job in explaining all of the cheeses, and made a point of picking out only pasteurized cheeses for Paula. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the individual cheeses that I got, but I did enjoy them all.

Cookies and Cream

My memory is a bit hazy but I think that it was white chocolate mousse/ice cream on top of a cookie covered in “magic shell”. It looked like a Hostess Ring Ding. Paula could not stop laughing when she saw it, which she also attributes to pregnancy . We would have enjoyed this dessert a lot more if we weren’t so stuffed at this point.

Maybe next time (post birth of child) we will do the wine pairings; however, I did enjoy my glass of Cava (1+1=3) and a Grenache/Mourvedre/Syrah blend (name escapes me but I have it written down at home). Paula was jealous of the beer pairings with the cheese course at the table next to us.

Overall, this was a wonderful evening from start to finish. I would not hesitate to return for the bar menu, and would also welcome a return to the main dining room.

[DonRocks]

Who knows, maybe I am over-analyzing this and Ziebold is laughing at me thinking “this guy is obsessing over an under-salted fish”.

You're not over-analyzing it; you nailed the dish.

[DonRocks]

Happy Birthday Rachael!

[Pool Boy]

My wife is treating me by taking me here for my birthday, my 40th. We'll be staying in the hotel as well, so all we have to do after the meal is roll ourselves upstairs.

Sweet!

I am eagerly counting the days down. heh heh heh

[jpschust]

OK, I'm going to be completely honest here. I don't get the hype over CityZen. We ate there last night, and a number of the courses were very good to excellent, though the baby lamb fell very short. Dinner was extremely expensive, moreso than our bills for the full tasting menus at Restaurant Eve and Komi and the quality of the wine, service or interaction with staff was nowhere near as high. What really got me was the wine pairings, which I will note were reduced in price for us based on the really bad lamb dish. Even so, 5 courses of wine pairings from bottles that retail for no more than 15-20 bucks, with 2-3 oz pours, where one of the wines isn't even a wine (it's Rogue Shakespeare Stout retailing at a whopping 6 bucks a bottle or so) makes me feel like I was taken for a ride.

[Pool Boy]

OK, I'm going to be completely honest here. I don't get the hype over CityZen. We ate there last night, and a number of the courses were very good to excellent, though the baby lamb fell very short. Dinner was extremely expensive, moreso than our bills for the full tasting menus at Restaurant Eve and Komi and the quality of the wine, service or interaction with staff was nowhere near as high. What really got me was the wine pairings, which I will note were reduced in price for us based on the really bad lamb dish. Even so, 5 courses of wine pairings from bottles that retail for no more than 15-20 bucks, with 2-3 oz pours, where one of the wines isn't even a wine (it's Rogue Shakespeare Stout retailing at a whopping 6 bucks a bottle or so) makes me feel like I was taken for a ride.

I rarely go with wine pairings at restaurants, jpschust. I have done it a few times, perhaps with the most success at Babbo. Komi did pretty darn good at a sparkling wine dinner, too. Did a sake pairing thing once and I think I am just not a sake person. This is why I either BYOW and happily pay a corkage fee and supplement with a half bottle off the list or a glass here and there.

As for the food and service, I hope for a great experience. I'll report back after we go. I kind of expect a lot since the chef is a TFL alum, as our server at TFL noted when we finally made it there earlier this year.

[Wine Guy 23]

OK, I'm going to be completely honest here. I don't get the hype over CityZen. We ate there last night, and a number of the courses were very good to excellent, though the baby lamb fell very short. Dinner was extremely expensive, moreso than our bills for the full tasting menus at Restaurant Eve and Komi and the quality of the wine, service or interaction with staff was nowhere near as high. What really got me was the wine pairings, which I will note were reduced in price for us based on the really bad lamb dish. Even so, 5 courses of wine pairings from bottles that retail for no more than 15-20 bucks, with 2-3 oz pours, where one of the wines isn't even a wine (it's Rogue Shakespeare Stout retailing at a whopping 6 bucks a bottle or so) makes me feel like I was taken for a ride.

guess this is where you look at the wine pairings and say, should i order or should i not,, or can i Upgrade??

upgrades are always fun, that makes teh Somm feel like you are actually interested

[jpschust]

guess this is where you look at the wine pairings and say, should i order or should i not,, or can i Upgrade??

upgrades are always fun, that makes teh Somm feel like you are actually interested

The pain is I don't even recall seeing the pairing list when we got a menu. My bad for sure, though no reason for a place of this calibur to take advantage of a patron.

[lackadaisi]

Even so, 5 courses of wine pairings from bottles that retail for no more than 15-20 bucks, with 2-3 oz pours, where one of the wines isn't even a wine (it's Rogue Shakespeare Stout retailing at a whopping 6 bucks a bottle or so) makes me feel like I was taken for a ride.

I believe the extremely poor quality of the wine pairings that I had at my meal a couple years ago is probably the main reason that I have never returned. It just left me with a very bad taste about the whole experience. Not a conscious decision to avoid the place for this, but it always comes to mind first when I think of my experience.

And, the pairings were not cheap at all; the pricing made it seem like getting the pairings was getting the upgrade. And, there was no further option to upgrade.

[synaesthesia]

And, the pairings were not cheap at all; the pricing made it seem like getting the pairings was getting the upgrade. And, there was no further option to upgrade.

I wonder, with respect to the pricing, is set by the hotel rather than the restaurant. Not to excuse the quality of the pairings themselves....

[Waitman]

Pairings are inherently suspect -- although ours were quite good when we ate there -- because they're based on a flawed premise: that there's a perfect, objective, match to every course. In fact, wine pairings are a matter of individual palate, preference, experience and mood. I'm not saying that the pairings at CityZen are not a poor value, although my experience there would not lead me to believe that they are. I'm just saying that (given reasonable pricing) you have to accept the fact that sometimes (or maybe often, if your palate is radically different from the sommelier's) you're going to have a "why did they choose that wine" moment. If you're not willing to say "hmmm, not my first choice, but an interesting attempt," you should probably just order off the list.

Furthermore (he pontificated, as the firemen wound up their hoses in the alley behind his house and the smoke, steam and adrenaline lingered), I always assume that wine by the glass -- which is what pairings are -- is more expensive, because of the risk that part of the the bottle will have to poured down the drain. On the up side, you get to taste more wines.

[Mark Slater]

Riesling solves all problems. Word.

[DaveBVI]

Riesling solves all problems. Word.

I never met a reisling i didn't finish For the risk of pouring down the drain, while at corduroy, we attempted to pair 2-4 people with something from the 1/2 bottle list...so 2 people would be 2 full glasses, 4 would be 4 half glasses, etc. (yes, mom, I CAN do math!)

d

[Waitman]

Riesling solves all problems. Word.

Liar. You believe more than you believe in Peace, Justice and the American way, in Burgundy with the occasional white Rhone thrown in.

[Mark Slater]

Liar. You believe more than you believe in Peace, Justice and the American way, in Burgundy with the occasional white Rhone thrown in.

Trust me, grasshopper, riesling first, then Burgundy.

[Wine Guy 23]

Trust me, grasshopper, riesling first, then Burgundy.

riesling is delicious.. stil lhas its steriotyped role in manys minds.. but with the true at heart it has it s studded brand in the rest..

KUNSTLER is king.

[Mark Slater]

riesling is delicious.. stil lhas its steriotyped role in manys minds.. but with the true at heart it has it s studded brand in the rest..

KUNSTLER is king.

Just a question. Where are you from?

[synaesthesia]

riesling is delicious.. stil lhas its steriotyped role in manys minds.. but with the true at heart it has it s studded brand in the rest..

KUNSTLER is king.

Yo man. Stop triple spacing! It offendeth mine eyes!

[Waitman]

Yo man. Stop triple spacing! It offendeth mine eyes!

Brown-noser!

[synaesthesia]

Brown-noser!

That's not even necessary with this hot body!

[brettashley01]

I see on the Mandarin website that CityZen is hiring a Hostess. Wondering if this is a salaried position... And just what type of personality Mr. Ziebold would be looking for...

[StephenB]

I see on the Mandarin website that CityZen is hiring a Hostess. Wondering if this is a salaried position... And just what type of personality Mr. Ziebold would be looking for...

A cheerful disposition, a memory for faces and names, a fashion sense, and an epicanthic fold.

[Pool Boy]

Riesling solves all problems. Word.

TFL made me a believer in this.

We'll be going soon and I see the corkage fee is $50. Ouch. I'll probably bring a couple of great bottles and then check out the list and decide from there to pop one of mine or go with a list choice. Anyone know much about the list? Is it more US-centric? French? Italian? Mongolian? Even? And is it crazy overpriced (say 3X, 4X or worse, or just the usual markup of 2 to 2.5X? Any good easter eggs on the list?

[Mark Slater]

The OMG food of the moment:

Rabbit rillettes on Parker House rolls with a dab of mashed potato. Holy Moly!

[Wine Guy 23]

TFL made me a believer in this.

We'll be going soon and I see the corkage fee is $50. Ouch. I'll probably bring a couple of great bottles and then check out the list and decide from there to pop one of mine or go with a list choice. Anyone know much about the list? Is it more US-centric? French? Italian? Mongolian? Even? And is it crazy overpriced (say 3X, 4X or worse, or just the usual markup of 2 to 2.5X? Any good easter eggs on the list?

andy has a few Gems on the list for sure. Depends on your range of price, there are a few steals in the Grand Cru Burgundy area, with some age that look very tempting. He is pretty reasonable in his pricing, unless it is just some overly popular wine, that needs to be exploited in price just to get people to order something else. Went there for dinner last night and it was KILLER!!! Thanks to Andy and Chase (good luck man in CA), Michael and Eric. Great evening!!

[jpschust]

andy has a few Gems on the list for sure. Depends on your range of price, there are a few steals in the Grand Cru Burgundy area, with some age that look very tempting. He is pretty reasonable in his pricing, unless it is just some overly popular wine, that needs to be exploited in price just to get people to order something else. Went there for dinner last night and it was KILLER!!! Thanks to Andy and Chase (good luck man in CA), Michael and Eric. Great evening!!

Are you kidding me? This is far and away the most overpriced list in the DC area, along with being the biggest rip off for pairings I've ever had. This is based on my visit from about 2-3 months ago, but their wine list was overpriced even for being located in a top tier hotel. The only list more marked up than this might be the Everest list in Chicago.

[synaesthesia]

Are you kidding me? This is far and away the most overpriced list in the DC area, along with being the biggest rip off for pairings I've ever had. This is based on my visit from about 2-3 months ago, but their wine list was overpriced even for being located in a top tier hotel.

Please let it go. I'm guessing this was ONE experience, and you've posted the same comment five or six times. I went and looked. Plus you two have had this conversation before.

[jpschust]

Please let it go. I'm guessing this was ONE experience, and you've posted the same comment five or six times. I went and looked. Plus you two have had this conversation before.

It's in direct reference to a current quote, and additionally it references the wine list as a whole, thus it's relevant.

[synaesthesia]

It's in direct reference to a current quote, and additionally it references the wine list as a whole, thus it's relevant.

It's another thing to go out of your way to bad mouth the wine list EVERY SINGLE TIME it comes up from one experience. I believe one restaurant owner has referred to comments like that as being stalked.

[Pool Boy]

Are you kidding me? This is far and away the most overpriced list in the DC area, along with being the biggest rip off for pairings I've ever had. This is based on my visit from about 2-3 months ago, but their wine list was overpriced even for being located in a top tier hotel. The only list more marked up than this might be the Everest list in Chicago.

I agree with jpschust, actually. The list, by and large, is overpriced to more of a degree than most restaurants even. That said, there were still a few easter eggs on the list (very few!). When my wife and I went in August, we had a nice meal. It was good, just not as good as Palena or Komi. And I opted to crack a 2002 Kistler Pinot Noir (Cuvee Elizabeth 2002) that was stellar (even if I had to pay a $50 corkage fee).

I'm not likely to head back to CityZen. It wasn't bad, it was just not as good as other places in the city. And the prices were higher too -- food and wine. The 'what you get for your dollar' value there is not nearly as good as other places. Who knows? Maybe I will try it in a year or two.

[alan7147]

It's another thing to go out of your way to bad mouth the wine list EVERY SINGLE TIME it comes up from one experience. I believe one restaurant owner has referred to comments like that as being stalked.

I think one experience is totally justifiable in determining if a wine list is overpriced or not.

[youngfood]

I think one experience is totally justifiable in determining if a wine list is overpriced or not.

I don't think that was synaesthesia's point. I read the objection to be that one need not voice their dislike for a particular wine list FIVE times. Certainly making the same comment a few times over the course of a few months is more than sufficient to hammer home one's opinion on a particular restaurant's wine cellar. Thereafter, it begins to approach piling on.

[alan7147]

I don't think that was synaesthesia's point. I read the objection to be that one need not voice their dislike for a particular wine list FIVE times. Certainly making the same comment a few times over the course of a few months is more than sufficient to hammer home one's opinion on a particular restaurant's wine cellar. Thereafter, it begins to approach piling on.

She stated "Please let it go. I'm guessing this was ONE experience" Thus, my point.

[DonRocks]

[Okay, everyone take a deep cleansing breath.

I think jpschust's comments from July were perfectly legitimate - even his second post was a response to a question directed at him.

I can see where synaesthesia sensed a pile-on with today's post, especially with the aggressive "Are you kidding me?" lead-in, and the beginning of the next sentence which says "This is far and away the most overpriced list in the DC area," which is just not true (that honor goes to Le Paradou).

I don't think anyone has done anything wrong here, but I think if I leave this discussion unmoderated, it will quickly spiral into the depths of Hell. I think the points have been made, everyone should give each other a nice, long hug, and we should continue to enjoy this lovely Indian Summer we're having.]

---

Speaking as a poster, not a moderator, I'll simply link to what I wrote for Washingtonian in January, 2006 and February, 2007.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[dcs]

. . . quick, somebody cue up "Kumbaya."

[Wine Guy 23]

Are you kidding me? This is far and away the most overpriced list in the DC area, along with being the biggest rip off for pairings I've ever had. This is based on my visit from about 2-3 months ago, but their wine list was overpriced even for being located in a top tier hotel. The only list more marked up than this might be the Everest list in Chicago.

WHAT!!! when i was there just two nights ago, he was pouring Pol Roger 98, pretty stellar, a Sorrel Hermitage 'Les Rocoules' 2003 (this bottle alone costs on a list three times as much as the price he is charging for the pairing) and Everest is about a few things, Mature Alsace (at a good price) and Mature Bordeaux ( at a fair price). got to let the grudgy- grudge go. $50 corkage is not bad, considering you go to PerSe or any place in NYC and it is 75$, and the fact that you are bringing in YOUR OWN WINE. Maybe they should just begin to charg you for the table instead like they do in Europe

[DonRocks]

[it's fine to continue this discussion, but at this point we need to debate specifics, not generalities. Let's also respect each other's opinions. Thanks, and carry on. Rocks.]

[deangold]

I think a couple of things are lost here.....

Andy does a fine job with more than just French on his list. He has some hard to get, not typically found on big time list Italians as a for instance.

Secondly, Andy does not set the pricing in that, at a hotel, it is way-upper-management that sets the profit targets. He just has to hit them.

Lastly, I cannot speak to the pairings as I have ever had them.

[Pool Boy]

I just realized that I never wrote up about my single dining experience at CityZen that was about two months ago. Here you go --

My wife treated me to a 'Lost Weekend' for my 40th birthday in August of this year. We dined at CityZen and then indulged in massages the next day after room svc breakfast and a very late lunch at Cafe Mozu.

CityZen has a nice clean and modern space with still a bit of feeling to it. The kitchen is wide open and there's plenty of hustle and bustle going on. Just a tad noisy at times. The chairs were comfortable and we were not rushed. The service was good and the sommelier there handled my BYOW (2002 Kistler Pinot) very well and it was spectacular.

We didn't take pictures or even keep a menu like we usually try to do at most (nicer) meals. It was overall a good meal. Some courses were great (tomato tart), others very good (peaches & cream thing I think, and a chocolate malt thing, another fish course) and others were just good/average (pork belly I think, a fish (branzino?halibut?) and others disappointed (lamb with couscous was overly salty (and I like salt) and otherwise lacked in real flavor -- it was the dud of the evening). The biscuits serving as your bread, though, were absolutely delicious. Anyway, I am sorry I can't provide a lot more in details, but the fact of the matter is that very few of the courses really stand out in my mind as I kick back and think about it.

It wasn't like any of this food was inedible (well, the lamb was pretty bad), it just was not what I would have called top end food, which I think it tries to deliver to you. Paying the $50 corkage fee was OK with me as I thought most of the wine list there was overpriced, and like I said above, the Kistler Pinot was stellar.

I am not sure I would go back. Maybe I would try it again, but not do the whole tasting menu thing. Maybe just order a la carte and try it in a while to see if it confirms my thoughts on the place.

[jdl]

Three-course bar menu

Consommé, English pudding

Mmmmm, braised shoat shoulder!!!

[edited to transform this from a stupid one-line post that adds nothing to the conversation about CityZen to a stupid haiku that still adds nothing to the conversation about CityZen. but the creative process sure was delicious!]

Edited November 15, 2007 by jdl

[monsterriffs]

Mmmmm, braised shoat shoulder...

For a hot second there, I thought you wrote "braised Borat shoulder" and I was like "Why would go and do something like that?? It would probably taste like goat and fermented horse urine..."

[susantf]

I lost my money and I can't find it. Oh, that's right. I gave it all to CityZen. Now I knew that I was in for a pricey meal at Cityzen, but pricey is not quite the word for it. My situation is that I can't eat sugar (poor me), so a desert course is really not my thing. When I asked if I could order just two courses, instead of the prix fixe menu, I was told, no. When I asked about the desert, I was told they could make me a bowl of fruit. I'm thinking for what is effectively a $25 desert ($75 for a 3-course prix fixe), I want your pastry chef out back with the creme brule torch, making that fruit special. They did modify a desert and what I ended up with was 4 tiny pieces of pineapple in coconut juice. Yeah.

Then there was the bread in a box. Apparently, the brown and serve rolls served in a tiny box are very tasty. So when my table asked for another serving, we were told, "Well, we're not sure. We'll check." I'm thinking, for these prices, you should cover this table with bread in a box. We did get one more box of bread (like I said, it's tiny), but the bread episode only added to the Soup Nazi ambiance.

And then there's the food. To be honest, I've had about the same or better at Oya, Vidalia, and Charlie Palmers. The food is good at CityZen, but nothing to die for. So if the Soup Nazi attitude of CityZen is based on the sheer excellence of its menu, perhaps this attitude needs to be re-thought.

I certainly won't be going back to Cityzen. I do prefer my dining to be less controlled, with less attitude, and for that kind of money, the food to be of superior, superior quality. The food was just not worth this kind of money.