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Art Events and Celebrations This Weekend in Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Frenchtown, New Jersey, USA
There are two events being staged in Frenchtown New Jersey this weekend
Fri, 07-11-2008 16:47 -0600
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Store in Frenchtown Announces Huge Sale
Frenchtown, New Jersey, USA
Room, a new home store in Frenchtown New Jersey is having a sale through the end of December
Fri, 07-11-2008 16:34 -0600
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New Weddings Website
Frenchtown, New Jersey, USA
Frenchtowner.com is proud to announce our new website which is a subdomain of our main site
Sat, 01-11-2008 14:02 -0500
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Rent This Space . Advertising on Frenchtowner.com
Frenchtown, New Jersey, USA
Frenchtowner.com is a website that reaches thousands of people in the Delaware and Lehigh Valleys
Fri, 31-10-2008 14:04 -0500
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The Christmas Trains of Union County
Union, New Jersey, USA
Union County New Jersey hosts world-class HO scale layout for the holidays
Fri, 31-10-2008 12:37 -0500
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Frenchtown Artist Moves to New Location
Frenchtown, New Jersey, USA
Cathy Smith Designs Sets Frenchtown Grand Opening in New Race Street Location
Sun, 19-10-2008 21:20 -0500
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Basil Bandwagon Natural Market
Flemington, New Jersey, USA
Basil Bandwagon Natural Market - Organic Juice Bar and Deli
Thu, 09-10-2008 10:51 -0500
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About Us
Frenchtown, New Jersey, USA
Frenchtowner.com is one of the best sources for information on travel and restaurants in eastern
Wed, 01-10-2008 11:11 -0500
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Local Poetry Festival Returns October 24th and 25th
Frenchtown, New Jersey, USA
The dates and times are: Friday, October 24, 7:30 pm at the Prallsville Mills, Stockton, NJ and
Wed, 01-10-2008 08:46 -0500
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NY . NJ . PA Skyscraper Ads
Port Jervis, New York, USA
Highlight your New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania business on Frenchtowner.com
Tue, 30-09-2008 12:29 -0500
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Restaurant Reviews . Zoota . Phillipsburg . Chef Michael Perselay
Braised beef brightens ravioli and hits its max with a posse of hot peppers, tomatoes and olives. Asian overtones make pork taquitas rock with smoked
cheese and a brilliant fresh tomato water chestnut salsa. Even salads are composed with panache.
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On hundreds of our pages for $200.00 per year. This is a great bargain. Get noticed today!
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Icon/Primetime A&E Magazine review by Robert Gordon: May 2007
Our party had finally settled into comfortable chairs at Zoota. “It feels like we stepped out of Phillipsburg and into a restaurant someplace in Soho,” Trina said. I couldn’t disagree with the observation — given the almost palpable air of sophisticated détente this high-ceilinged, candlelit old-city row house emanates. Gentrification is creeping through this little coin of the old canal town. If Zoota is the standard-bearer of this neighborhood’s potential, the gentrification process should instead be galloping.
Before I elaborate, let me first address the subject of location, or more precisely “locating.” Locating Zoota can be a challenge. Up above, I wrote that we “finally settled in.” Admittedly, we did make a few forays along South Main Street scouring neighborhood facades for a Zoota sign or a sign of Zoota. Finally we realized that the beckoningly funky little pad with the cactus-forest in the window and the hip, stylized blue ornament near the door was our destination. So here’s the hint.When you visit (as well you should, but more on that bye and bye) simply look for the clearly visible Delahanty’s sign. Zoota is next door. You’ll find that convenient street parking is normally available. There’s also a parking lot across the street with free evening parking after 5:00 and on weekends. And while we’re touching on the topic of cruising, the Free Bridge that feeds Easton traffic into South Main Street is an eventide feast for the eyes.With abutments capped by delicate steeples and gentle, yet spectacular illumination of the entire impressive structure, the bridge serves as a dramatic centerpiece for two towns in the process of repackaging themselves.
With restaurants like Easton’s Sette Luna (reviewed previously in the October 2006 issue of Primetime) and Phillipsburg’s Zoota, at least the crucial gastronomic facet of the repackaging is in good shape. By any reckoning, these two restaurants merit destination status. Zoota is the creation of talented Chef Michael Perselay. Few touches of casual sophistication are lacking in his tidy restaurant. Candlelit and high-ceilinged, the room is filled with white tablecloths dressed with starched white napkins and votive candles. Gray-hued wallpaper with an understated dappled pattern atop wainscoting painted a muted olive green wrap the two petite dining rooms. A fireplace beams with the glow of a battalion of tea lights. The upscale touch doesn’t diminish an unmistakable café vibe. That vibe is buttressed by down-to-earth, informed servers who appreciate how outstanding the food is here.
So, we’ve arrived at the heart of the matter: the food. The food is truly outstanding. I’ll confess that I had not visited Zoota previously — a clear breach of standard process. At Primetime we highlight only restaurants we’ve visited on more than a few occasions — restaurants that have proved their mettle to us over time. But I had received such enthusiastic feedback about Zoota from reliable foodie sources who insisted this place is one must-visit eatery They were right.
When I studied the menu prior to trekking up, its creativity and singularity intrigued me. Dishes like Spaghetti Squash Baklava with Parmesan Crusted Walnuts and Parsley Syrup and Red Hubbard (squash) and Brown Sugar Cannelloni with Manchego Cheese, Mashed Apple Potatoes and Sherry Drizzle made me arch a brow. They’re hardly mainstays on area menus. These dishes, as I discovered, serve somewhat as a flagship for the brand of exciting cuisine that Michael Perselay cooks up. His dishes are bright and daring without tumbling into exotica and excess. What’s even more compelling is that complex dishes don’t monopolize the menu. The calamari are coated with sesame seeds and crisped to crunchy perfection. Served with savory wasabi honey, the calamari is irresistible, as good an interpretation as I’ve tasted.
Braised beef brightens ravioli and hits its max with a posse of hot peppers, tomatoes and olives. Asian overtones make pork taquitas rock with smoked cheese and a brilliant fresh tomato water chestnut salsa. Even salads are composed with panache. Fried warm green tomatoes and eggplant team in a goat cheese salad slicked with black olive oil. It’s a winner that once again, isn’t your, well, garden variety of salad. Zoota’s appetizer menu is perhaps the most appealing and unusual we’ve seen this year. It may also be the best. The entrées measure up to the same standard. The vegetarian dish (though it’s not vegan) is the best vegetarian dish you'll find outside of Horizon’s Café. (Our old friends have relocated. They’re now the toast of Center City, Philadelphia having recently been named the Best Vegan Restaurant in the country). Interstices of pears and acorn squash bedeck three plump puffy “Johnnycakes,” whose pancake-like taste and appearance adds equal measures of yum and fun. The Johnnycakes are equally delightful to the carnivore and vegan.
Getting more into the carnivore’s domain, there’s a couple of outstanding braised meat dishes. Braised lamb shank towers lustily above hearty mushroom polenta. The entire dish is aswim in spaghetti squash, rosemary, bacon, and puckery medjool dates. Braised short ribs with brown sugar roasted squash and creamed potatoes are the finest of the genre this side of Lambertville’s No. 9. Seared duck breast, served precisely as I ordered it (the delight is in the details once you get the devil out) is the piéce de résistance. The duck pyramids atop a sweet but gutsy roasted chestnut purée that’s sluiced in ginger and reduced bacon demi. Organic lentil salad along with braised apples crests on grilled salmon to enhance the depth of the fish taste. Creamy white truffle butter adds silky succulence.
House-made desserts also measure up to the high bar set by the earlier courses. Pumpkin mascarpone torte soars on vivid, clean flavors.
Chocolate walnut cake with hot fudge sauce packs sufficient chocolate punch to soothe your inner chocoholic. Chocolate caramel tres leches cake is wickedly wet and yummy. Awesome ice creams and sorbets are also made in the kitchen. Call ahead before you visit. Ask Michael to whip up some rosemary cracked peppercorn ice cream. It’s the bomb.
Those house-made ice creams, sorbets, and desserts add the finishing touches to a superb dining experience that doesn’t empty your wallet. Those touches flow. They start with your entrance, continue as delectable crusty bread is delivered tableside along with lusty firstpress herb-infused olive oil for dipping. Special touches distinguish the entire evening and make for memorable dining. You don’t forget dishes like Zoota’s. That’s good. Next time, finding this place will be a piece of cake.
Note, Zoota has closed, but Chef Michael Perselay has moved onto The Fox and the Hound Tavern in Lebanon NJ, read this review here on the Icon Magazine site.
Categories . Keywords . Tags:
Restaurant Guide
Restaurant Guide » New Jersey
Tags . Keywords » Icon Primetime Magazine Restaurant Reviews
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60 South Main
Phillipsburg New Jersey 08865
USA
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