Green Zebra

About a month or two ago, Hillary and I bought a groupon for Green Zebra.   We've been DYING to try this place!  It's mostly vegetarian- we had the one seafood dish on the menu- and also offered many vegan options.  But most notably, it is DELICIOUS!  From the bread through the dessert, Hillary and I loved everything we ordered.  Plus, as you'll see in the pictures, the presentation was gorgeous, which made it even better!

I forgot to take pics of the first two things that came out.  First, we ordered a bottle of 2007 Charles Baur Pinot Blanc, which we both were just loving.  With our bread, we were brought tastes of what I think was parsley puree with lemon puree, but I'm not sure because I scribbled it down too fast, it was not legible! I think it was meant to be a refreshing palette cleanser before our meal. 

We each had a piece of multi grain bread with salted butter (I should actually say butter topped with salt, because you could see the course crystals on top).  This was great, as us Jones girls love our salt, but we laid low here because we knew a lot more food was in our future.  

For the first course, Hill and I ordered two dishes, but the kind chef kicked in another!  Thanks Chef! The three dishes:  Grilled Heart of Palm, Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Terrine, and Soft Boiled Farm Egg Salad.  ** Menu item descriptions are straight from the Green Zebra menu**

Grilled Heart of Palm, citrus, avocado, salty macadamia nuts, osaka greens.  

Of all three dishes this course, this was by far my favorite.  I loved this flavor combo! I kept trying to make these "perfect bites" of the heart of palm, citrus, avocado, and macadamia nuts (in that order haha).  We cleaned the plate on this one!

 

Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Terrine, hazelnuts, brown butter vinaigrette. 

I have to say that this was the only dish that I wasn't wowed by.  I think I wanted it to be more goat cheesy. This is probably just a personal preference.  I like beets, but I've always had them mixed in things and never the main ingredient and I think I like them better "in the mix."

Soft Boiled Farm Egg Salad, brioche, tarragon, gaufrette potatoes, malt vinegar. 

Coming from a girl who would NEVER order egg salad or even choose it on a buffet table at a party, I actually really liked it!  The flavors were great, not as heavy/mayonaisse-y/(gross) like the typical egg salad I usually run from when I see.   

The second course...

BBQ Black Eyed Pea Dumpling, hoisin, ginger, Chinese mustard, scallion. 

Yummy!  This definitely is something I wouldn't have ordered, but Hillary suggested it.  Soo happy she did, because I absolutely loved it.  The mustard was spicy and gave the perfect kick!  

Sunchoke Ravioli, grilled ramps, medjool dates, preserved lemon, quail egg.

This was an obvious choice for Hillary and I.  We both agreed on this one immediately.  The preserved lemon was like this special little afterthought that you notice last... so perfect! 

Smoked Mushroom Tortellini (Off chef's tasting menu so I don't have this description). 

After trying this, Hillary and I were trying to figure out what this flavor in it it reminded us of, and then we were like - oh duh!  The smokiness reminded us of bacon haha!  This was awesome!

The third course....

Creamed Spinach Filled Crepe, oyster mushrooms, confit artichoke, parmesan. 

 These two dishes were freaking amazing!  I haven't had a savory crepe since I studied abroad many years ago!  I bet you could guess from the description that this was right up my alley.  My kind of flavor combo! 

Marine Sea Scallops, braised wild mushrooms, yukon potatoes, pomegranate. 

Ok, yum yum yum! It's really hard to say, but I think looking back this was my favorite!  I would have licked the plate if no one else was in the room.  The pomegranate was perfect here.  I would've never thought to use it with mushrooms or any other vegetable for that matter.  This is one of the most memorable of the night!

Dessert...

Rhubarb Cheesecake, crumble, creme fraiche, ginger. 

Freaking fantastic!  What a great ending to such a delicious dinner!  I told Hillary that I would've been satisfied with a spoonful of the creme fraiche, so the fact that the cheesecake was so good was an extra bonus :) I don't find much rhubarb on menus too often so it was definitely a special treat!  

We had such a great experience at Green Zebra.  Not only was the food phenomenal, but the staff was incredibly warm and helpful and you can tell that they were also so into the restaurant! It was a tad on the expensive side for my budget, but not too over the top.  Let's just say, for me, I'd have to save my next trip for a special occasion. But I hope I won't have to wait too long!  I highly recommend this restaurant!