Please note: Zest Bar & Grill in Eagan had been open no more than 5 minutes when we walked through the door on December 26th, 2011. Feel free to take the following review with as much salt as you deem necessary following this completely unnecessary admission.
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After approximately three weeks of delay, Eagan’s newest restaurant, Zest Bar and Grill just opened at the corner of MN-3 and Diffley in a fairly crowded shopping center which used to house the now defunct and ridiculously named Cuqui’s Cafe. Lazy Lightning readers have been watching this one very closely and have been receiving mouth watering teasers from the GM for months on their menu items and beer list (see the comments below carried over from the teaser post).
With an interesting menu and what were assumed to be decent prices, The Wife and I were excited to head over there and check out the restaurant for lunch on its first day. We were greeted at the door and placed at a table in the restaurant side and a high chair was procured for The Rooster. Our server handed us the one page, two sided, menu and left us to make our choices.
As already mentioned, the menu is a bit different than other South Metro restaurants. While it has all the usual items such as appetizers, sandwiches, and entrees, they all include Zest’s own little spin. With “Grouper Sliders”, “Brie Curds”, and “Apple Bruschetta” adorning the 15+ deep starters menu, at a glance there is a little bit of something for even the most picky of eaters and with prices between $7 and $10 you won’t go broke enjoying a little bite of something while you sit at the bar and down a few beers. In addition to the appetizers there are a number of salads ($5 to $11), 9 different burgers ($7 to $12), 9 sandwiches ($8 to $12) and 10 entrees ($14 to to $21).
We were there for lunch and avoided the entree menu all together. While it’s not out of line to order one for lunch, I wasn’t really interested in ordering a $15 “Airline Chicken Breast” or $21 6oz Filet Mignon for lunch. While I’m sure the 6oz filet is great and all, I refuse to pay $21 for one and I don’t know about you but the name “Airline Chicken Breast” didn’t exactly conjure up “skin-on chicken breast pan-seared crispy, then based with butter and herbs,” however, “greasy, chewy, and microwaved,” came to mind instead. However, after much decision-making we went with the Brie Curds ($7), Half Sandwich and Soup (Avocado BLT and Chicken and Wild Rice) for $8, and Zest’s own expensive play on the traditional Juicy Lucy with fruit instead of fries for $11.
Our Brie Curds were up first. Described on the menu as, “Brie cheese coated in light coconut breading, fried & served with a blackberry compote,” these little morsels sounded just right for the holiday season. We ordered them because The Wife noted, “you just don’t see that anywhere else, definitely something we should try.” They arrived as explained with a little side of mixed salad greens. The blackberry compote was nice and flavorful and you could see full sized blackberries inside. The Wife noted, “they must have picked a good jar for this one!” However, even this nice blackberry compote wasn’t enough to save this poorly executed starter.
On our first attempt of two, 4 of the curds (50%) were missing brie and were just hollow shells. This minor issue was the least of the concerns coming out of the kitchen. While they were replaced with another full order, the brie just didn’t carry enough flavor to pull this one off. When people eat cheese curds they’re looking to taste melted cheese, not so much the breading or the dipping sauce. However in this case all you could taste was the blackberry compote. Even the coconut coating wasn’t providing much of anything except an interesting texture that could have just as easily been pulled off with some Panko. While really nice on paper, the Brie Curds just isn’t worth your time unless you’re fond of paying $7 for blackberry compote and another $15 for Lipitor because you insist on eating the glorified jam with fried dough. Clearly there’s a reason you don’t see this on other restaurant menus…
Eventually our sandwiches arrived. The Wife’s 1/2 Avocado BLT was of a decent size and appeared to have all the necessary ingredients. The Chicken and Wild Rice Soup was a bit on the smallish size but seemed hearty enough to make up for the difference. It also came with an order of fries (all sandwiches normally do) but our server noted this was only because there was a miscommunication as the half sandwich/soup is not supposed to (please note: nothing on the menu states this fact so you’ve been forewarned).
The Chicken and Wild Rice soup was fine. You couldn’t taste much other than cream, wild rice and potatoes and while I didn’t get to it right away and The Wife may have been able to chomp her way through all the chicken, I couldn’t see nor taste any chicken chunks. An acceptable soup with a nice crunch on the wild rice but honestly I’d much prefer something out of a can–and at $3/cup, that’s saying a lot.
Her Avocado BLT was large and came with plenty of bacon. However that was the best that could be said about it. It was almost too large and definitely messy making it difficult to keep together while you ate. The bacon was underdone for a BLT requiring a lot of tearing and chewing to get through it. Both the tomato and the avocado were miserably unripened. The tomato was not red and not even orange, think more of a creamsicle and the avocado was tasteless and hard. I don’t know who thought serving 75% of an Avocado BLT underdone was a good idea but The Wife certainly didn’t appreciate it much. However miserable her food was she did later note that she was “full”.
Zest’s own “Juicy Lucy” is, “stuffed with smoked gouda, topped with braised short ribs & caramelized onions,” and shows up on the menu for an astounding $11. While their restaurant menu doesn’t mention size, their terrible online flash version notes that the burgers are all two 4oz patties. Honestly, this one didn’t look to be a half pound but I couldn’t tell you for sure. The Juicy Lucy itself sounded great. Who doesn’t like smoked gouda and braised short ribs? Add it to a burger and this should have been a grand slam. Unfortunately, just like everything else, this is a big zero.
The burger itself comes slathered with their house “Zest mayo”. This particularly disturbing tidbit is missing from the menu but the server later described this special sauce as mayonnaise mixed with herbs and with a little bit of lemon juice. Another thing that sounds great in theory but fails miserably on the plate. Coming off very much like tartar sauce, this single little bit totally ruined what could have been an OK tasting burger. I don’t know who tasted this combination before and thought that lemon juice went well with braised short ribs, ground beef and gouda but either they have no tongue or don’t know what a good burger should taste like.
The rest of the burger was just OK. The meat was way undercooked for a traditional Juicy Lucy and while I am not squeamish about pink in my burger at all (in fact I welcome it with open arms), plenty of others–especially Lucy lovers–may very well be horrified. Aside from being undercooked, the melted gouda had a blowout on the side of the burger splitting the patties apart. This is a major faux pas in the Juicy Lucy world and to be perfectly honest, this disaster should never have come out of the kitchen and been delivered to my table. Like the Brie Curds, the smoked gouda didn’t have any punch may have just been outdone by the flavor of the rest of the burger. The burger patties tasted by themselves carried a decent meat flavor and while it’s no Nook burger, at $7 for a regular hamburger it would have been edible without the $4 in poorly chosen toppings. However what should have been the crown jewel of this Lucy was the braised short rib and caramelized onions. Lacking in depth, the braised short ribs were totally overpowered by the mostly burned onions. The burned onions were an oversight from the first day of being opening for sure, but coupled with the rest, I really don’t see how even world class short ribs would have been able to save this very poorly executed $11 pile that should have ended up in the trash and not on my plate. But because it did all I can say about this burger is exactly what it was: a piece of garbage.
Even though what came out of the kitchen was below average in every way, our server was excellent. Knowledgeable, confident, and friendly with The Rooster I was happy to give her a full 20% on the cost of the original bill. They took the $7 curds off our order which we didn’t ask for nor need especially after they replaced the entire order with properly filled ones and our bill came to $22+. It’s always disappointing for me to go someplace new and expect poor service due to the recency but find terrible food instead.
Overall I really do believe that Zest Bar and Grill in Eagan had great potential to be a nice little place in what is generally a barren area of town. However I fear that each and every single menu item may only sound good on the menu but in reality the kitchen lacks the depth and finesse required to put it together. A major disappointment to be sure and one I hope you don’t have to repeat yourselves.
Address:
Zest Bar and Grill
525 Diffley Rd
Eagan, MN 55123
Phone:
651-468-9053
Hours:
Sunday to Wednesday: 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Thursday to Saturday: 11:00 AM – 2:00 AM
See all the pictures from Zest Bar and Grill in Eagan on Flickr here.
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July 27th, 2011 at 9:31 am
how ’bout a name the new restaurant in eagan contest? the rules will be simple.
open to all listers including mspd.
must contain at least two bold punctuation marks.
be one or two descriptive words that would get the prospective customer in the door or at least drive by slowly.
and NOT be located within 3.5 nautical miles from ququi’s!
bb
July 27th, 2011 at 9:41 am
Anyone else like Dominick’s in that neck of the woods?
July 27th, 2011 at 10:16 am
I hope Zest! is good! I agree that it is annoying! The exclamation marks! I mean!
Too bad there is not much more to know just yet!
Maybe one of the owners will stop over here! Let us know what type of place they are!
I hope the name is because they use fresh things! Like lemon zest! For example! Not because they add a pinch of cayenne pepper to a sauce or something! Or because they have a Zest! for life or something!
I can’t wait to go there!
July 27th, 2011 at 10:49 am
A bit ambivalent about the name other than if I was naming a place, it wouldn’t have an exclamation point in the name. Too silly for me and doesn’t make me curious about anything regarding the place.
Location? I dunno. I assume they have some studies for the area that indicates a need for whatever it is they plan on selling. Is there a need for another bar and grill? It maybe interesting to see if this new place will have some originality or just roll out another generic bar and grill.
July 27th, 2011 at 11:19 am
Is Coopers still open over there?
Always like to try new places, but I have to say the name is a bit of a put off for me.
July 27th, 2011 at 12:40 pm
The martial arts place moved over by Cub. The new restaurant has to be going in the spot they vacated. I would think it’s the only spot big enough to hold 120 people. Not sure where they’re going to put a patio, unless they’re going to do like Cuqui’s and have a little space behind the strip mall overlooking the pond or maybe build into some of the parking lot. What would be really cool would be a big deck over the hill out back, but I’m guessing that’s not the plan.
They originally wanted a restaurant where the auto place went in as an anchor for the strip mall. But there was some neighborhood opposition over cooking smells if I am remembering correctly. I guess they must have overcome that hurdle if they’re going to be a bar and grill.
I am a fan of Dominick’s. The new owners seem very excited to be doing what they’re doing. I ordered a cheese steak, imagining them pulling the meat out of a bag subway style, but when I walked in the door they were cooking up a steak on the griddle. It was very tasty. If you’re a lighter eater or have other food with it you could probably share it. I was starving and ate the whole thing. I’d be curious what the New York style connoisseurs think of their pizza. I like it, but I’m no devotee of the style, so I’m probably not the best judge.
Coopers is there. I’ve never been in there.
July 27th, 2011 at 1:57 pm
We used to go to Coopers years ago. There was a great big guy, sort of looked like Mike Morris that was running the place, and he took great care of us. Loved it as a little hole in the wall. Had a few down visits and did not see him around there, moved a little farther away, and have not been back for years.
July 27th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
JTL-
I agree with the cheese steak being tasty as well. We tried the place out for the first time last week and were pleased. Funny about the pizza, as I was thinking the same thing on what the New York styler’s here thought.
July 27th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
Is Dominick’s a sit down place?
July 27th, 2011 at 3:40 pm
I believe Dominick’s is order and pay at the counter. It has the ambiance of a garage stall but the new owners did add some tables and a TV. I have always called ahead and taken my stuff to go. I would eat there with my kids if I didn’t feel like cleaning up at home, but it’s not really a date place. :)
July 27th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
Zest! is not the greatest name but still a thousand times better than Cuqui’s, although it reminds me of the soap commercials.
Cooper’s is still there, they actually draw a good sized crowd on the weekends. Ate there once and it wasn’t bad. Really just bar food. The bar is okay, and the patio is just alright. Kind of run down looking but looks to be a popular hangout for some bikers. They were friendly when we were there though.
July 28th, 2011 at 9:43 am
That shopping center is only two or three years old, and could stand to have a decent restaurant in there. I don’t know if this will fill the bill, though I do find the explanation point annoying! As for competing with Cuqui’s, it appears to occupy a different market space.
I was at Coopers, once. I saw in the “not bar” area, and it had something of the feel of a cafeteria but with wooden tables.
July 28th, 2011 at 10:47 am
Regarding the exclamation point. Here is how I sort of picture what it does in my strange brain:
Zest! = Campy, loud, not serious, atmosphere driven, focusing on people drinking and sharing some fries or potato skins after work, and maybe some chicken tenders for lunch. Generic service and large menu of items, most of which share ingredients.
Zest = Menu driven, good beer and wine list solid service, owner inspired and run. Creative and quieter than the ! place.
Actually I think there is room for either one of those in Eagan. Since it is walking distance from my house, I won’t always have to watch my alcohol intake!
July 28th, 2011 at 11:04 am
If they have a nice patio and at least one good beer on tap it’s not going to matter to me and my bike what they call themselves.
July 28th, 2011 at 11:03 pm
It’s doomed. Not enough traffic. Too many cornfields around. Maybe if they have a SPECTACULAR menu, AND dirt cheap rent they may make it. Sorry, but I don’t see that happening. Speaking from experience, it’s amazing how much traffic you need to make a business…especially a food business…a viable going concern.
July 29th, 2011 at 12:06 am
Sean – Many said the same thing about Blondie’s in Farmington, but it’s still there.. Cooper’s draws a good crowd and it was nothing special when I was there many years ago. With a good atmosphere and good drink specials they could make a go of it.
July 29th, 2011 at 1:04 pm
Its not a horrible location. Lots of traffic on highway 3. Lots of people who work at Thompson West and UPS that have noplace closer to go.
July 29th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
Since most businesses close eventually I think you have to give a timeline to be considered right or wrong in this case. What’s doomed? Closed in less than one year?
Doomed < 1 year
Failed < 3 years
Didn't make it < 5 years
Moved on < 10 years
Retired 10+ years
July 29th, 2011 at 2:51 pm
I love the time frames from JTL. Great summary.
July 30th, 2011 at 11:11 am
Where does Soul Daddy fit on that time frame??
< 3 months = joke
July 31st, 2011 at 3:51 pm
Menu looks good here:
http://www.zestexcitingfood.com/menus.html
Doubt it’s related to the one opening here, though.
August 1st, 2011 at 9:17 am
i don’t know if i’d go so far as to call it a ‘shopping center’ per se. the problem i’ve had with it is visibility. if i’m going up/down 3, and paying attention to the traffic light on diffley, the ‘shopping center’ is below grade level and i’m not checking for any stores that may flash by. i do see coopers sign tho, right at eye level! if i wanted to go to the ‘shopping center’, then i have to go out of my way and turn off of 3. they only have one way in/out. as far as i’m concerned it’s too inconvenient to access.
bb
August 1st, 2011 at 1:09 pm
It looks like the owner shares the same name as the owner of the Supermercado Olmeca in Burnsville. I don’t know if that means this is going to be a Mexican restaurant or not, but at least we might have an idea of the plan.
August 1st, 2011 at 1:28 pm
I could get on board with an upscale mexican place.
August 1st, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Say it’s the owner of Tacolmeca. Do you think that they’d be able to pull of upscale?
August 1st, 2011 at 1:59 pm
I don’t see where it is alleged to be upscale. I doubt that location could support a 120 seat upscale restaurant. I have no problem if it is a good value and reasonably tasty.
August 1st, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Re: Olmeca…who the hell cares if it’s upscale as long as they continue to bake their own bread and serve the best torta within 300 miles.
August 1st, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Now that I actually read the linked doc I see there’s a full description of everything that’s going to be happening there. Pretty cool. I guess we won’t have to wait long.
August 1st, 2011 at 3:54 pm
JTL, I don’t link to the docs for my health you know ;-)
August 1st, 2011 at 4:11 pm
I went to the city website to see if I could find other stuff like this, i.e., what’s going in where blockbuster used to be and I couldn’t find them.
August 1st, 2011 at 4:14 pm
In my defense the first link to the agenda doesn’t work for me, and I think I didn’t bother clicking on the other ones the first time I read the post.
August 1st, 2011 at 4:31 pm
I’ve removed the now broken link. Thanks for the heads up.
August 1st, 2011 at 7:27 pm
I was thinking upscale based on the name, reported size, and outdoor patio.
August 1st, 2011 at 8:54 pm
Qdoba is going into the old Blockbuster.
August 2nd, 2011 at 8:01 am
Chipotle is going in at the old Blockbuster on Cliff Rd. I guess the Mexican chains like failed Blockbuster sites.
August 2nd, 2011 at 8:45 am
If you had to pin me down on a specific lifespan, I would describe “doomed” as less than 2 years.
Hard to put a solid timeline on something like this as there are so many moving parts. The primary one being the lease.
The first aspect of the lease I would look at is what they are paying for base rent. If it is “going rate”, i.e. not a discount to reflect current commercial space realities, then the demise of the business will be hastened.
Tied in with that is what the developer will charge for CAMs and triple nets. Most newer strips have had outrageously high CAMs and NNNs. I have seen businesses put out of business just from these charges alone. For instance, I know of one strip that billed out CAM/NNN at around $25,000 for a corner tenant, and around $8,000 for a standard 20×60 space in the first year. Subsequent years saw no decrease in CAM/NNN. Businesses were dropping like flies.
Lastly, the rent issue hinges upon how reasonable the landlord is. I have seen instances where struggling businesses could have made it with a small rent reduction, however, the landlord was intransigent and let the businesses go belly up and the space sit vacant. To this day, I still cannot fathom this. Maybe someone else can shed light on this bizarre “strategy”?
Conversely, I have seen landlords really work well with tenants and try to retain renters. One example is Suzie’s kitchen in Rosemeount. After Dunn Bros. went belly up, the landlord rolled out the red carpet for Suzie. I saw him in helping set up the business when they first got going. Brief conversation revealed that the rent was fluid and the landlord recognized a little of something was better than 100% of nothing.
At any rate, what all this says is that even if a business is really struggling, a good landlord and/or favorable rent can string a terminally ill business along for a few years. A lousy landlord will hasten their demise.
Remember, this is only ONE aspect of the businesses costs. We haven’t even scratched the surface of food, labor, utilities, equipment, insurance, licensing, shrinkage/theft, economic issues, demographics, traffic flow, parking etc..
Once again, sorry for the forensic analysis, but that’s just the way my brain is wired. :)
August 2nd, 2011 at 8:45 am
Great to hear that we are adding such new and different diversity to the Eagan fast casual food market. (rolls eyes).
If Zest! is 75% as good as MSPD’s glowing review of Olmeca, that would be fine with me.
August 2nd, 2011 at 12:40 pm
I suppose Qdoba will do well there and it’s better than the building sitting empty. Not someplace I’m going to get excited about, though.
August 3rd, 2011 at 9:04 am
I stopped in to Dominick’s last night and took home a cheese steak sandwich. I have to agree that it was very good. The bread was perfect for that type of sandwich and every bite had a nice taste of cheese, beef and veggies. I have no inkling that they are using the finest and freshest ingredients, but I don’t know that you need to with that type of sandwich.
I chatted a bit with what I assume was an owner guy and he seemed like a pretty good guy. I was surprised upon getting home to find that my younger child goes there quite often as it is apparently a place that Eagan teens like to frequent for that same sandwich.
I hope they do well. I am guessing the other guy working, who made the sandwich was the other owner and he was a very nice guy as well.
Note: Appearance wise, the place is exactly what you would expect of a gas station restaurant. Don’t expect white linen.
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:30 am
Is Olmeca still open? When I drove past recently it looked like the grocery store was closed and gutted. I was in a hurry so I didn’t pull in to check.
August 5th, 2011 at 6:07 pm
I think that old strip mall is being gutted in preparation for the new senior housing project.
August 7th, 2011 at 10:10 am
i drove by zest’s location yesterday. it looks like it’ll be in the two store fronts at the south end of the L shaped ‘mall’. plastic film over the windows and no signs of any sort. i then did a recon at the liquor store and they didn’t know much more than i did. picked up a 6 of (i won’t say what) and went on my way. their liquor was way overpriced and i was one of only two customers during the 10 minutes or so while i completed my mission.
bb
August 8th, 2011 at 8:59 am
Thanks for the “heads up” on Dominick’s. I probably never would have stopped in there unless someone let me know that it was good. I had the Philly and it was very good and I hope to go back and try their pizza sometime.
There is a new Pizza place opening in Rosemount on 145th & 3/Robert. It sounds like they will be offering a similar menu to Dominick’s with NY Style Pizza, Phillies, Gyros but a more expanded menu with other Mediterranean food. I will be interested to see how their food is.
August 8th, 2011 at 9:03 am
BY,
Another reader alerted me to that place on Friday and I’ll have a preview post up tomorrow about it. They haven’t yet responded to my e-mail asking for more information but I’m going to call them today and see if they’re there.
August 8th, 2011 at 9:54 am
I read somewhere (I think the Rosemount paper) that the owner of the new Bella pizza place on Hwy. 3 in Rosemount was part of Dominick’s, which would explain the similar menu.
August 8th, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Also Guiseppe’s is opening a spot in Rosemount near Cub Foods in the strip mall near Great Clips.
August 10th, 2011 at 8:32 am
I saw the “Coming Soon” on the door to “Guiseppe’s Pasta Al Forno” next to Great Clips in Rosemount and wondered if it was related to the other Guiseppe’s.
I didn’t take a long look inside to see what they were doing, but it still looked like they hadn’t changed much yet from the former “Pizza & Pasta” that was in that location previously.
I think it would be hard for them to take that single storefront and make it into a sit down restaraunt, but maybe I’m wrong. I would hope they could do something like Cafe Raisa did down the street and take two storefronts and make a nice sit down space.
August 10th, 2011 at 8:47 am
There is no way Zest! is going to be open by Sept. 1. If they were on track, there would be at least a dumpster or some sign of construction activity going on there. You can’t get a place up and running in less than 3 weeks. This makes me concerned about their resources, and that sucks.
August 18th, 2011 at 5:19 pm
I did take a closer look at “Guiseppe’s Pasta Alforno” last night and it does look like they are going to take both the former pizza place and the storefront next to it which had I think a tobacco shop in it last I remember. The walls in those two storefronts are painted the same, but the wall between the 2 spaces looked like it was still there. I didn’t spend too much time looking in but it looks like it will probably be a good month or two before they open unless they get moving.
August 19th, 2011 at 10:00 pm
After making my comment about how great it would be to have a bar & grill I could bike to I thought it would make sense to test out my theory on Coopers since they’re not more than 100 yards from where Zest! will (hopefully) be. We got a coupon in the paper so I figured why not.
We were obviously the outsiders. The other patrons did try to stop dropping F-bombs once they realized there was a two year old present. The food was typical bar stuff. We had burgers. They were mediocre at best.
Zest! could aim for mid-scale and easily be serving a completely different group of people, so competition between establishments shouldn’t be an issue.
I peek in the side windows whenever I drive by Zest! at night and there’s still unfinished drywall in there, so they’ve got a ways to go.
August 22nd, 2011 at 10:20 pm
JTL wrote “I peek in the side windows whenever I drive by Zest! at night and there’s still unfinished drywall in there, so they’ve got a ways to go.”
Hmmmm…..makes me wonder what type of local government hurdles Eagan has to “offer”. I have seen building inspectors and local health departments that are dispatched straight out of the bowels of Hell. I won’t name the suburbs, but their initials are BLOOMINGTON AND ST. LOUIS PARK. These Nazis can put you out of business before you even open the doors.
This could also be “issues” with the contractor. I always thought it was fascinating how irresponsible and incompetent some contractors could be. Your mind gets wrapped around the fact you are dropping an enormous amount of cash for a buildout, so you expect some sort of professional job done in a timely manner. What you frequently see is the contractors either don’t show up, install things incorrectly, forget things, never call back etc.. It is really eye opening to watch this circus in motion (or lack of motion).
Always include a liquidated damages clause in your contract. You will be sorry if you don’t.
August 26th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Zest! will be a full service bar and grill offering an American Eclectic menu from a scratch kitchen with our most expensive entree at around $25. Our menu will feature items such as blackened Grouper sliders, braised short rib quesadilla’s, apple bruschetta, flatbreads, fresh-seasonal salads, Juicy CHB burgers, sandwiches including but not limited to: Shrimp po boy’s, avocado blt’s, Monte Cristo’s, along with pastas and desserts infused with herbs.
We will also offer an impressive array of craft beer, cocktails made with fresh squeezed juices and fruits, and live music.
Open for lunch, dinner, and late night with two happy hours daily, half priced bottled wine specials, food specials, and social media coupons, we will have something to offer for everyone.
We plan to open mid to end of October (knocks on wood), and our website should be up in the next couple of weeks!
If you have any further question or inquiries please feel free to send me an email and I will respond as quickly as possible. We look forward to being part of your community,
Cheers!
Seth Wright, General Manager @ Zest! Bar and Grill
sethwright84 (at) gmail (dot) com
August 26th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Seth,
Give us a sneak preview of your craft beer selection!
Tip: Stay away from the Groupon and their like. Just offer good food at a fair price and keep the loser coupon crowd at the crappy places where they belong.
lefty
August 26th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
I have edited Seth’s comment above to alter the e-mail just a bit so he won’t get spammed too much by those crawling the site for e-mail addresses.
August 26th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
Lefty,
Fear not the Group-on coupon, we will have no part of it!
Still working on the beer and wine list. I hope to have 10-12 on tap, with only 3 being domestics. Possibilities on tap include: Delerium Tremmons, Surly, 21st amendment, Goose Island, Laguanitas, Left hand, Bells, Summit, Ace Cider, Dark Horse, Rush River, Peroni, Moretti…. let me know what you think!
Seth Wright, General Manager
August 26th, 2011 at 2:14 pm
Seth,
I think you have your eyes in the right place. Would love to see as many as 12 options, though I am hoping you are using the word “domestic” to describe Miller Lite, Coors and Bud plus nine of the many wonderful American and international craft beers companies that are in your list.
If you land Surly, that would be pretty cool and it would mean you have some sort of inside connection even better than Stunzeed has. If you don’t get Surly, be the first guy around here to offer Fulton. Your opening will coincide pretty well with them going full scale with their new brewhouse in downtown Minneapolis and they make some great beer. Stone also has some great stuff to offer.
If you get too busy with the other boring stuff like construction, feel free to have me come down and consult. I could ride my bike over any time!
Thanks for stopping over and saying hello. You are going to get a lot of unsolicited feedback about your place on this thread in the coming months. Take a few minutes to read a bunch of the other restaurant threads if you want to know how not to screw things up. Getting a good relationship with this crowd, especially if you happen to miss the mark with one of us (and you will) can go a long way. Getting a bad relationship with this crowd can also go a long way. Ask Ex-Director Elbaum of the BPAC if he would agree.
lefty
August 26th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
lefty, Fulton is at many places around town including Celts in Rosemount and that astroturfing burger joint in Burnsville which I refuse to even mention.
August 26th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
I meant places I can walk to. :)
August 26th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
Lefty,
When I say domestic I am speaking of miller lt., coors, bud lt, ect. When I speak of craft beers I’m talking about both american and international beers., although I want to focus more on American craft beer vrs imports. My goal is 12 on tap, I just need to make sure I have enough room in my beer cooler, haha. I promise to deliver a respectable selction either way
August 26th, 2011 at 2:38 pm
But I’ll tell ya what, if having one line on Fulton is gonna get you parked at my bar a few days a week, consider it done sir!
August 26th, 2011 at 3:35 pm
Well, that was easy. Also, charge 50 cents per pint. :)
Just don’t get Lonely Blond. It is a nice beer in that category, but weak sauce among the lineup. Worthy Adversary and Sweet Child of Vine are excellent.
If you run out of room in your beer cooler, I can keep the overflow at my house no problem. I am pretty nice that way.
August 26th, 2011 at 4:37 pm
Ok, if I were going to stock 12 taps tomorrow:
1. Miller
2. Blue Moon
(I guess, if ya gotta have ‘em…)
3. Summit EPA
4. Lift Bridge Farm Girl – Saison
5. Fulton Sweet Child O’Vine – IPA (for Lefty)
6. Brau Brothers Ring Neck Braun – Brown Ale
7. Surly Furious (or Bell’s Two Hearted) – Big IPA
8. Deschutes Black Butte – Porter
9. Rush River Amber
10. Bell’s Oberon (Spring), Lake Superior Kayack Kolsch (Summer), Bell’s Single Track (Fall), Dark Horse Stout Series(Winter)
11. Surly Schadenfreude (I can dream) (Spring), Deschutes Twilight (Summer), Summit Oktoberfest (Fall), Left Hand Milk Stout (Winter)
12. Something different every time.
And Pilsner Urquel and whatever other imports you need in bottles.
And then I’d change up the regular lineup every once in a while. I’m a big fan of variety.
Sounds like it’s going to be a great place! Very good luck to you.
September 6th, 2011 at 3:35 pm
What is a CHB Burger? I have tried to figure it out.
Cheese Ham Burger Burger (redundant name for a cheeseburger)
Chili Habenero Brie Burger (that sounds pretty good)
Corn Hen Beak Burger (not appetizing)
Chicken Ham Bison Burger (meat lovers option)
Creamy Horseradish Bacon Burger (Yum!)
CHB is the head chef’s initials (most boring answer)
I am guessing one of these is right. If not, I think I just invented a couple of ways to make myself a burger at home! no Corn Hen Beak though, that’s just stupid.
September 6th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
The last 10 to 12 posts on this thread have interesting. Its almost like watching Lefty fall in love.
JTL, very impressive post. Was all that off the top of your head, or was there research involved? Either way, well done sir.
September 6th, 2011 at 4:31 pm
lefty, you freaking moron. How do you even find your way out of bed in the morning without instructions??? Do we really have to spell it out?!?
CHB = Mushroom Swiss
September 6th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
OK, Seth, you’ve peaked my curiosity. Of all the menu items mentioned in your post #52, I don’t see anything approaching a $25 price point. Can you tease us a bit more and talk about the pricier entrees. Also, are you hiring an ex-Navy fry cook, or some one with someone with some chops? :-)
September 7th, 2011 at 8:49 am
All,
CHB= Certified Heartford Beef (they take good care of their cows) … but I love the suggestions, Lefty!
Pork tenderloin with a ginger pomagranite glaze, Braised bone-in shortrib, Steak (tbd) (we’ll let lefty go crazy with what tbd means, haha), market fish (fish special at market price), Parmesan crusted walleye, Mac n cheese with prosciutto and crab, ect. and so on… Once again, this is all subject to change, but you get the idea.
Seth, Gm Zest! Bar and Grill
September 7th, 2011 at 9:31 am
Jtl/Lefty,
1. Miller lt.
2. Leinies honey weiss
3. Peroni
4. Deschutes black butte porter(maybe mirror pond if I find a porter I like better)
5. Fulton sweet child of vine
6. Rogue dead guy ale
7. Bells two hearted
8. Summit Epa
9. stout tbd (still sampling)
10. hopefully surly
11. Ace Cider, the Joker (apple)
12. The beer geek tap, or special release tap. This tap is reserved for limited release brews and will hopefully change weekly, if not bi-weekly, and is not specific to any certain brand
Maybe 13?
Maybe 14?
Seth, gm Zest! Bar and Grill
September 7th, 2011 at 10:09 am
Seth,
I am guessing you meant to say Hereford Beef? I hope it is a big improvement over what I remember Sysco selling in the past!
Nice beer list. I am impressed that it basically resembles what you were speculating about a few weeks ago. I will hold all opinions of your menu until I get a chance to try the food, but you will get some of my beer allowance for sure!
September 7th, 2011 at 10:58 am
Lefty,
That’s correct on the Hereford, sorry (late night, early morning). You’ll be impressed with a lot more than what we have on tap, and don’t worry, nothing leaves my kitchen/bar as an inferior product. We only serve quality, meticulously prepared and served with confidence. I look forward to destroying any doubt in your mind, see you in October, good sir!
Seth Wright, GM Zest! Bar and Grill
September 7th, 2011 at 1:27 pm
Well, if you can come close to the burger I just ate for lunch at the Good Day Cafe, or the steak cobb salad my co-worker had, then you’ll see me all the time.
September 7th, 2011 at 1:30 pm
Sounds like a threat.
September 7th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
It is not a threat. It’s the lefty Guarantee!
September 7th, 2011 at 11:30 pm
@Chad:
If by researched you mean consumed then yes. :)
@Seth:
That’s an impressive list. Do you have a soft spot for Peroni? I don’t think I’ve seen that one outside of an Italian restaurant. It’s an interesting choice for your only import on tap. Hmmm… other stouts… Dark Horse makes great stouts but they’re all seasonal I think. Pretty sure Left Hand Milk Stout is year round. Brau Brothers Moo Joos is pretty good (much improved over their old Cream Stout). Those are both on the sweet side. Oddly I haven’t tried the Deschutes or Bells stouts. I’d be curious to know what you’re auditioning. Mirror Pond would be a fine addition. Hops are definitely well represented in your list. I don’t see an amber or brown ale on there (something like Moose Drool). Maybe Dead Guy is in that area? I can’t remember what that one tastes like. You could have your Surly be Bender, but then Left would probably boycott.
September 8th, 2011 at 9:03 am
No boycott. Two Hearted and Sweet Child probably make Furious redundant, even though I prefer it personally. Bender makes more sense to me if Seth is fortunate enough to procure a Surly product. Furious in a can might be a nice back up option though.
I have certainly not read every single thread here regarding restaurant openings, but this discussion between commenters and restaurant management is very refreshing. I hope that continues after they open up and the reviews start getting posted.
I am also hoping that I don’t walk in after they open to find a Chili’s style tap line and we figure out that “Seth” was not even affiliated with Zest! and we all got snookered. :)
September 9th, 2011 at 9:12 am
hey lefty, maybe in your back yard??
http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/129425153.html
bb
September 9th, 2011 at 10:24 am
I know bb stacker. The new brewery is going to be all the shizzle.
While I would love it to be near my house, I sort of hope it makes it somewhere near the river in one of our Twin Cities.
It has been a few years since I visited the Summit brewery down near the river, but if memory serves, they really have a great set up there to take advantage of the new beer law.
September 11th, 2011 at 12:40 pm
Here’s a beer list from an establishment we darkened the door of Friday night:
On Tap:
Surly Seasonal
Lagunitas Seasonal
Lift Bridge Seasonal
Futon IPA
Flat Earth Porter
Bottles/cans:
Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout
Rush River Unforgiven
Lake Superior Mesabi Red
Dark Horse Raspberry Beer
Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
Lift Bridge Farm Girl Saison
Lift Bridge Crosscut Pale Ale
21st Amendment Brew Free or Die
21st Amendment Back in Black
Left Hand Sawtooth Ale
Lagunitas A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’
Dragon’s Milk Oak Aged
Surly Cynic
Strongbrow
Red Stripe
Flying Dog Tire Bite
Bells 2 Hearted
Founders Red Rye Ale Brooklyn Lager
Stella Artois Talls
I had vodka.
September 13th, 2011 at 4:38 pm
JTl,
As a matter of fact, I do! I think it’s a fantastic light beer to have on tap for those who are looking for more of a light beer. This list is not exactly set, I’m still meeting with vendors and sampling all kinds of different things. Going to the autumn brew review on Sat., I’m sure I’ll have another twenty brews to work into the the lineup, haha. I plan to have 50/50 staple taps and rotating, I wanna keep things interesting and everchanging, but keep a few reliable taps for those uncertain of change.
Seth Wright, GM Zest! Bar and Grill
September 14th, 2011 at 9:32 am
I don’t run a bar, so I only know what I like not the general public. :) Enjoy the brew review.
Not running a bar, I don’t really know how this works, but I went to Prarie Ale house on Saturday (we were already in that area) and 3 or 4 of their taps were out. That seemed weird to me. Maybe they don’t have the cooler space to keep spares on hand? Maybe I just caught them on a bad night? Not sure but it was disapointing.
Since we’re making friendly suggestions… A kids eat free night would be awesome. I don’t even care what night it is. Make it the slowest one. (But not Monday because I am usually busy then. :) Also a beer flight, so I can taste all of those rotating taps in one sitting.
I’m still peaking in the side windows when I drive by. It’s exciting to see some progress in there.
September 14th, 2011 at 9:43 am
If they are 3 of 4 taps are out, that reeks of being behind in liquor taxes.
September 14th, 2011 at 9:44 am
Congrats to lefty on comment #900.
September 14th, 2011 at 9:47 am
lefty, they were but were removed on 8/16/2011:
30545 MORNEAU HOSPITALITY GROUP LLC
PRAIRIE ALE HOUSE
16396 WAGNER WAY
EDEN PRAIRIE
08/16/2011
Lists are supposedly updated daily: http://taxes.state.mn.us/collection/Documents/other_supporting_content_liquor_posting_list.pdf
September 14th, 2011 at 10:11 am
I notice the Good Day Cafe was removed from that list just the other day. I had lunch there last week, and I made a comment about how they could possibly try to be the “Bad Day Bar” with so few liquor bottles on the shelf. That probably explains why.
Just goes to show you what a bastard the restaurant business is. That place is constantly full every time I go there. Hopefully it was clerical or perhaps had something to do with their owner passing away recently than that they could not afford their bill.
September 14th, 2011 at 10:20 am
Just because a place is full doesn’t mean it’s being run successfully.
September 14th, 2011 at 10:25 am
I don’t disagree, but it beats the shit out of the opposite.
September 14th, 2011 at 11:15 am
I said three OR four because I couldn’t remember. I think they had about 10 taps total. It’s not a huge deal. I ended up with an Omegang saison that I had tried previously, but the first couple I asked for were out and another member of my party ended up with a half glass (for free). Just kind of makes a bad impression.
September 18th, 2011 at 10:21 am
I love a GM who get’s costumer service! I’ll be one to visit as soon as Zest! opens. I second the “kids eat free” night…my kids daycare is a block away from the restaurant, and would make for an easy decision to stop for dinner!
September 19th, 2011 at 11:04 am
Side walk is torn up, scafolding inside. Looks like maybe the railing had a little run in with the bobcat. :)
October 6th, 2011 at 10:45 am
Hey Astroturfers!
This thread is more required reading. It is a good thing for Dominick’s that Zest! is not a stone’s throw away from them.
Oh, wait…it is.
Zest! should sell a “phillie” based on this weeks’ developments.
October 6th, 2011 at 11:25 am
week’s
October 11th, 2011 at 9:27 am
Hey Seth from Zest,
I was just looking at your website, http://zesteagan.com
On your menu, the first thing I read is Gouper Sliders. What is a Gouper?
The menu looks good otherwise. :)
lefty
October 11th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
sea bass.
bb
October 11th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
Looks interesting, but its odd, unless i missed it, neither the website nor the facebook page have an address or map or map link….
October 11th, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Nice tap list! Brau Brothers and Lagunitas to name a couple, rarely see those. I don’t get the Peroni inclusion on a craft list, however. Can’t say I really care for the menu layout on the website, the scroll bar is really narrow. Hopefully that’s a work in progress.
October 26th, 2011 at 5:09 pm
drove by today and saw a dumpster by the front door about 3/4 full. i’m assuming stuff coming out??
bb
October 26th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
bb, It’s been that way for about a week. Progress seems slow…
October 28th, 2011 at 11:29 am
I see their website says it would be open on October 20th. Since that didn’t happen, does anybody know when it will open? I live across the street and am eager to check it out!
If they have a good oatmeal stout on tap, I may be there far more often than my wife would like.
October 28th, 2011 at 5:50 pm
They’ve added a vestibule to the front of the building and the patio is done. Exterior sign is up with no !. Interior looks like they’ve got a ways to go. Website also looks like it’s a work in progress.
October 28th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
I hope the delays are not financial. Never a great sign.
October 28th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
I suck at estimating, so I can’t fault them. I would guess things are just taking longer than they expected. The parts that are done so far don’t look like they’re cutting corners.
October 30th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
All,
Things are moving a little slower than expected, but it takes time to get things right. Being that this is our baby, we want to make sure that we’re extreemly meticulous about every detail. We’re shooting now for mid to the end of November, I’ll have the website updated with the final menu and drink lists this afternoon, and I’ll keep y’all updated as we get closer to opening. Please email me with any questions!
Cheers,
Seth Wright- GM Zest! Bar & Grill
November 9th, 2011 at 7:44 pm
Interesting menu, can’t wait for more details on the entrees. Who’s the chef, BTW?
November 10th, 2011 at 10:43 pm
drove by tonight. a illuminated sign in front, drapes down from the windows, looks a little bare inside. mid november isn’t that far off.
bb
November 10th, 2011 at 10:47 pm
whoops, forgot my pic:(
bb
November 10th, 2011 at 11:31 pm
We’ve brought on chef Sean Montgomery, from the old North Coast restaurant in Wayzata. He’s a young buck with copious amounts of fresh, exciting ideas. Our opening day has been set for December 2nd, assuming inspections go well. I promise all of you that it WILL be WELL worth the wait!
Cheers,
Seth Wright- GM Zest Bar and Grill
November 11th, 2011 at 12:01 am
Here’s a week old pic for y’all
seth- gm zest bar and grill
November 11th, 2011 at 10:23 am
Looking forward to the opening. Hopefully opening at this time of year does not have a negative impact on the long term success of this place.
November 12th, 2011 at 1:03 am
I read this whole discussion. I like a joint that gets public relations. I can’t wait for the opening, I’ll be there with my beer drinking gloves on and a gf to drive me home.
November 30th, 2011 at 6:53 pm
Just watched a video with Tom Colicchio about how long it should take to become a chef, made me think of this thread. Colicchio is saying 5-10 years before you become even a sous chef, then more time to become a chef. Makes me wonder why you’d hire a younger less experienced person with so much on the line. Video here, if anyone’s interested: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2011/11/tom_colicchio_o_1.php
November 30th, 2011 at 8:10 pm
Probably for the same reason any other business would hire someone with less experience over someone with more — because it costs less.
December 1st, 2011 at 7:46 am
Still opening up tomorrow Seth?
December 1st, 2011 at 11:55 am
Uh…Minnesota ain’t NYC Uncle Reg. The people here in the south metro have provent they will accept, and even rave about, food that takes very little skill to prepare. Have you driven past the Olive Garden lately? It is jam packed every….single….night. It takes absolutely no skill at all to cook that food. If you can boil water, stack a bunch of pre-prepared ingredients into a lasagna, or throw pre-formed breadsticks into an oven and set the time correctly, you are qualified.
Did you read the endless breathless raves in the thread on here about Ramy’s? “Oh the pizza there is MAGICAL! It’s the best pizza ever created on the face of the earth! I’ve been everywhere from inner Mongolia to the Bronx and I’ve never had pizza this earth-shatteringly awesome!!!”
Restaurants make a metric crap-ton of profit off of suckers that pack these joints day in and day out, want to be a part of a concept (e.g. “New York Pizza in Minnesota”), and of course, independent restauranteurs will follow that model.
It’s not about “chefs” and food in the south metro.
December 1st, 2011 at 12:14 pm
While I know you never cared for Ramy’s at all (previous owners) and I had my own reservations with the food due to lack of consistency, I have yet to find better NY-style pizza in MN than what they served when they first opened their doors.
As for the rest of what you said, including about Ramy’s, you’re right.
December 1st, 2011 at 12:27 pm
Lefty,
We will not be open tomorrrow (still waiting on inspectors), however, I welcome all y’all to stop down and check the place out. We hope (fingers crossed) to have everything wrapped up by the end of next week.
Uncle Reg,
Just because we’ve hired a younger chef doesent mean he is of poor quality. When we were in the process of bringing a new chef on we were looking for someone who had a specific drive/abition/creativity, Sean was our guy.
Seth Wright- GM Zest Bar & Grill
December 1st, 2011 at 1:41 pm
I dont care if your chef is young or old. Creative or dull. Driven or Lazy. I just hope he can cook.
To steal a quote from James Beard: “I don’t like gourmet cooking or ‘this’ cooking or ‘that’ cooking. I like good cooking.”
Extra credit if you can tell me what place in the Twin Cities has that quote on the wall?!
December 1st, 2011 at 1:51 pm
Do I get extra credit if I answer or is that unfair advantage because it’s one of my most favorite places ever?
December 1st, 2011 at 2:58 pm
I know that one too. Do a hard one next time!
December 1st, 2011 at 3:30 pm
I knew the two of you would know it. Anyone else?
December 1st, 2011 at 3:42 pm
I’m pretty sure I know… but that establishment has fallen off my favorites list, if it’s the one I think it is. …ct?
December 1st, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Is it Rainbow Foods? I think they have a bunch of qoutes on the wall.
December 1st, 2011 at 4:12 pm
C&V, how come?
December 1st, 2011 at 4:13 pm
Seth, I wasn’t commenting about the quality of food that he can cook. Drive, ambition, creativity and ideas mean nothing if the experience and knowledge of how (and if) they can be implemented aren’t there. I wouldn’t have even brought it up, but didn’t this guy come from a restaurant that closed?
December 1st, 2011 at 4:14 pm
UR, did he come from a restaurant which closed due to poor management, poor food quality or both?
December 1st, 2011 at 4:41 pm
Bill,
Nothing majorly wrong with it, there are just others we like better. Bar La Grassa is our go-to special place – great bar as well. 112 Eatery is very good, and Pizzeria Lola for the creative food combos and vibe.
December 1st, 2011 at 4:49 pm
Bill, what I read about that place was that the landlord increased the rent to an amount that the owners considered to high to sustain their business. That could have nothing to do with the factors you mention, or it could have everything to do with them. Either way, it’d be a huge red-flag to me, but I’m not in that industry.
December 1st, 2011 at 6:50 pm
I think the menu has a decent amount of creativity to it that is going to allow me to give it multiple chances to satisfy me.
The appetizer menu looks great, as do a number of entrees. Obviously, they need to pull it off, but at least I am not looking at things that fell off the Sysco truck into the fryer.
The Brie Curds and the Grouper Sliders sound great from the get go for example!
December 4th, 2011 at 7:59 am
UR,
From what I understand they closed due to poor mgmt. I had been out there before and had always had an experience above my expectations, food wise, and I’m a pretty picky guy when it comes to these things.
On a side note, I finally started my beer training with my staff, here is what’s on tap to start:
Peroni
Laguanitas Pils
Delirium Tremmens
Goose Island 312
Avery White Rascal (my fav)
Bells Two Hearted
Fulton IPA( for Lefty)
Summit EPA
Deschutes Inversion
Founders Dirty Bastard
New Belgium Snow Day
Brau Brothers Moo Joos
December 4th, 2011 at 10:35 am
Aww. That’s sweet. What scares me is seeing that and Two Hearted on the menu. Those are tied for second as my favorite IPAles on the market! I am generally going to go with the local one for that reason, but Bells may get a nod here and there.
Good luck with the launch, Seth.
December 4th, 2011 at 5:01 pm
OK, Fulton IPA on tap? When’s it opening??
December 4th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
Greg, you can get it at Celt’s in Farmington if you need your fix today.
December 5th, 2011 at 10:54 am
Celt’s? Huh, I never think to go there. That’s the Eagle’s Club, isn’t it? It never occurs to me to go to any bar in Farmington, even though I live there.
December 5th, 2011 at 10:58 am
Greg, yeah, I believe so. I’ve been there once or twice for Golden Tee and it was decent enough–especially with the Fulton on tap.
December 5th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
For those of you interested here are the Beer Advocate ratings for the beers listed:
Please note that Fulton IPA = Sweet Child of Vine and Dirty Bastard = Founders Dirty Bastard. Both are renamed to help the table fit in the comment section better.
December 5th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
That’s a fine list.
Are you a board game player Greg? It would be pretty funny if you’re the same Greg from Farmington that I know.
December 5th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
My question is why Peroni? I see it all over the damn place and with a C rating I just don’t see why it should even bother to be taking up space on the list. I mean I get having Golden Light on tap as the majority want it but Peroni?
December 5th, 2011 at 3:10 pm
I think Seth mentioned somewhere in this post that he considered it a “light” beer that people who want something more than Bud Light might drink, but not much more. It might as well be Stella.
December 5th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
I can’t drink Bud, Peroni, or Stella, so maybe you’re on to something.
December 5th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
Congrats to JTL on comment #100!
December 5th, 2011 at 6:08 pm
Nope, I’m a different Greg from Farmington.
December 11th, 2011 at 10:23 am
Dear Zest,
You should be open by now.
Love,
lefty
December 19th, 2011 at 10:33 am
Anybody heard anything more on the opening date for Zest? We tend to go out a few times over the holiday season, and I was hoping we could try out this new place, since it’s *almost* close enough to walk home :)
December 19th, 2011 at 10:35 am
bbb, rumor has it they’ll be open on Friday. Not confirmed yet however. Seth?
December 19th, 2011 at 10:56 am
All,
The long awaited Zest Bar and Grill WILL be open on to the public on Monday, December 26th. Our hours will be 11am until end of service (basically when y’all stop coming through the door). We have a licence to stay open until 2am, so hopefully y’all give me enough business to stay open until then. Our Kitchen hours will be: Sunday thru thursday- 11am till 10 pm, Friday and Saturday until midnight, although we will be serving homemade pizza’s until close. Like us on Facebook for daily specials and updates!
Hope to see everyone next week!
Seth Wright, GM Zest Bar and Grill
zesteagan.com
December 19th, 2011 at 11:10 am
I heard that rumor! It is kind of a weird open date, what with the fact they probably close early on Saturday and stay closed until Monday, but maybe it is a good way to open up, assess the opening day feedback and hit it hard on Monday.
I am looking forward to it.
December 19th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
Website and Facebook page now saying December 26th. Looks official to me.
December 19th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
never mind…I assume Seth’s comment got stuck somewhere.
December 19th, 2011 at 4:02 pm
I saw the Sysco truck make a delivery on Saturday. Hope they didn’t get any perishable ingredients that day.
December 20th, 2011 at 1:10 am
I was just looking at the website. Menu looks good I want to try a gyro burger so bad. One thing, I couldn’t find the address on the site. Maybe it was user error but I got it from Bill’s article up there(and then FB) so no harm. I live close by so if this place pans out I might become a regular.
December 27th, 2011 at 6:39 am
I have moved the comments from the preview post about Zest Bar and Grill in Eagan under the review for historical purposes.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:01 am
Oh oh! I was afraid this might happen… I was hoping the place would hit Bill’s taste sweet-spot, no such luck. Perhaps the Zest folks will adjust… or not. If they are busy and other people like the place so be it. But it may just end up a local bar with bar-food to match.
I now have no incentive to visit Zest anytime soon. Disappointing.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:47 am
We went down to Zest yesterday to give it a try. We are fortunate that we did not have the same experience as Bill. I won’t speak for my dining partner, but I can tell you that I was fairly satisfied with the two things that I tried. I have to mention that I am being very careful to watch a specific dietary plan right now, and what I ordered is probably not what “most” people will order when going there for a beer and a bite to eat.
I will agree with Bill that a few of the veggies on my plate were less than flavorful, but I give the protein on my plate high marks as well as I thought the starter we shared was quite tasty.
The service from beginning to end was top notch, even though they had two servers call in sick on their first day (and who does that on their first day?) It sort of seemed like a “serve by committee” situation as they were working with less than ideal labor. The people who served me were attentive, cared about my experience and openly solicited feedback from me.
I think the menu is too big. Once they settle in and find out what is working on their customers, paring it down will make it easier for a consumer to decide what to eat, and ultimately decrease what I would think is a high inventory cost they are carrying right now. The beer list is real. They are serving the great lineup of beers that was promised.
Right now, this is going to be a great place to grab a beer and try out a number of the starter courses, especially after I add calories to my current diet. In the future, as long as they adjust to feedback and grow into themselves, I hope this will be a neighborhood regular for me and my family for years to come.
Bummer about the Brie item, by the way. I was really hoping that was going to be a home run.
December 27th, 2011 at 9:45 am
Probably better than having two servers give it a go and end up barfing all over the restaurant on opening day.
December 27th, 2011 at 11:43 am
Disappointed in Bill’s choice to review this place 5 minutes after they opened. I am still looking forward to supporting a local establishment and enjoying their food and drink offerings.
December 27th, 2011 at 11:55 am
Joshcarls,
I think Bill has been very consistent in reviewing restaurants very early, particularly when there has been as much discussion about it as there is for this place. I think his review was fair. He didn’t have a great experience with the food, he did have a good experience with the service.
He and I both agree that the place has a lot of potential if they get over the issues he had with the food, and knowing Bill’s palate and my own, they may succeed just fine if they don’t change a thing given the popularity of so many crappy places in the area that should never be eaten at. I hope that is not the case here.
You should give it a try Joshcarls and let us know what you think. And please don’t be identified as Seth’s brother or something.
December 27th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
Thanks Seth for your response. I am not a relative/friend of Seth, just an Eagan resident interested in local food and local beer.
December 27th, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Pretty rough review. I am hoping to get over there and try this place sometime after the new year. I hope my experience is better than yours was.
This type of review is one of the reasons I think its not a super duper idea to review a place that has just opened, however I understand your philosophy regarding this. Hopefully they take the feedback, make adjustments and move forward.
December 27th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
Josh, unfortunately many people will walk in the door on the first day, the first week and the first month and never return because the food is crap. Whether you want to believe it or not, this is a harsh reality of restaurant ownership.
Restaurants need to be on their game from day one and they are doing themselves a disservice by not doing so. Then they go on wondering why they don’t stay open for more than a few months after opening when they turned off the majority of their potential customers with shitty food and service.
—
Aside from all of that, I must be on top of new restaurant openings because of how the Internet works. I’m not the Star Tribune or The Heavy Table. I don’t have corporate sponsors and massive advertising revenue paying for my reviewing. This shit comes out of my own pocket. Yeah, in a perfect world I’d have a $500/month eating out budget paid for by someone else. I’d be able to go to a restaurant 3 or 4x to get a better idea of what they’re offering. However, as stated above, 99.9% of people give a place one shot and that’s it.
In order for me to eek out a breakeven point, I have to capitalize on capturing those searching for the restaurants from as soon as I hear about them. If I do not get there first my relevancy will drop and so will my revenues and there won’t be ANY reviews for ANYONE to read.
Hey, if you don’t like what I do, that’s great and I’m glad I can give you a place to share your opinions. But realize that you’re living in a fantasy world created by the ridiculous budgets of the big names who give bullshit reviews which aren’t at all representative of every day experiences (see Krumthep Thai for a recent example of this phenomenon).
Just so you know, last month (November 2011) I made a whopping $6.46 after expenses and that doesn’t even include taxes I will have to pay. So when it’s all said and done I’m probably going to be looking at a big $2.00 payout to listen to people like you bitch about how I do things.
December 27th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
I stopped in yesterday for a beer during happy hour. I thought the place had a good atmosphere (as good as you can get in the burbs), and a great tap beer list. Several TVs in the bar area, and a decent amount of seating. Beers were $3 during happy hour and there were specials on other drinks as well, but I can’t remember what they were.
I didn’t try the food, but I will soon. I hope the locals support the place, as there aren’t many non-chain resturants in Eagan, and I’d like to see this one survive.
December 27th, 2011 at 6:57 pm
I stopped in with my gf today for a late lunch. Having read this review this morning, I felt it couldn’t possibly be that bad. I was right.
I had the Gyro burger and thought it was fantastic. 8 bucks. An acceptable burger price, particularly when it is delicious. I thought the tzatiki sauce was very tasty, and lo and behold my burger had a nice, large ripe tomato. I don’t know how the fries are there. I don’t eat fries generally and opted for the fruit cup. Cantaloupe, blackberries, blueberries, pineapple, and a strawberry. Not bad.
Gf had the chicken avocado salad. 10 bucks. That is really pricey for salad, but the grilled chicken breast was pretty big. The salad was quite large, she couldn’t eat it all so I helped out. Avocado was yummy(and, ummm, ripe), and the garlic parmesan dressing tasted good and I really liked that they didn’t drown the salad in it.
We’re both water drinkers that early in the day, so I got out of there with a $18 bill before tipping. Not bad. The beer list is decent, I’ll be back some times to sample it.
FWIW the dude that greeted and seated us, Seth (not sure if he was the manager Seth, didnt ask n he seemed young) explained the menu was big now and would be pared down eventually as the place gets rolling.
Service was very good. They asked for feedback about the food and how they did.
I do agree with Bill on one thing, the website is absolutely terrible. IMO a fail. The format sucks, navigation sucks, it just sucks.
For peeps thinking about going here, give it a shot. Don’t go solely by Bill’s review, he often resorts to wild hyperbole when he doesn’t like something. Having said that I do respect and appreciate that he runs this site and offers his opinions on things various. I’ve lurked here for a long time before I started posting. This is a good blog.
December 27th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
Nothing I said was wild hyperbole. However you’re right. I can’t say something “sucks fucking donkey cock,” anymore like I normally would back prior to Jan 2010 so you’ll have to tolerate my replacement for it.
Oh and I’m glad it was fantastic. I wish my meal had been.
December 27th, 2011 at 11:17 pm
+1 on Seppuku’s assessment of the Zest! website. You are greeted with a picture of a raw cut of meat which dissolves into some wine cellar in France or God know’s where but it aint anywhere in Eagan.
The menu is tough to read as well and you can’t zoom it because it’s Flash and the font selection makes a $9.00 drink look like it’s $900.00 because you can BARELY SEE THE PERIODS!
In this day and age anyone who is starting a restaurant needs to invest more time and effort in putting together a decent web site than just outsourcing it to their geeky relative who only has a cursory knowledge of marketing.
December 28th, 2011 at 12:08 am
I’d have to side with Bill on the timing of the review. Once you’re open and accepting customer’s money for your product, everything should have already been worked out. I’m not personally going to shell out my money for food while their guy figures out how to be a chef. Even I know from my limited time in hell as a TGI Fridays fry cook that you have to be careful with fried cheese or it just melts out into the oil.
December 28th, 2011 at 10:35 am
Yes.
The “don’t review for a few weeks” is because there are certain dynamics of a restaurant that cannot be replicated prior to opening (e.g. the allocation of tables to specific servers during dynamic volumes of diners, patterns in people requesting modifications to dishes, the temperature of the restaurant at different times of the year, etc.). It pertains to the finer points of service, not servers being unfamiliar with a menu, etc.
The “don’t review for a few weeks” does NOT apply to recipes, cooking fundamentals, timing dishes/plates to be ready at the same time, and basic quality controls. You have all the time in the world to test, re-test, tweak, and discard recipes, as well as familiarize yourself with the grill, ovens, and other cooking equipment/layout in the kitchen. There is no excuse for not executing food from day one.
I haven’t been to Zest…maybe I’ll love it. But if they are putting out strange food combinations (agree, a citrus-infused mayonnaise does not belong on a burger with smoked gouda cheese), vegetables that are not ripe, or overcooked/undercooked food, that is a legitimate failure whether it’s five minutes or five years after opening and open to critique.
December 28th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
While I agree that the food should be good from day one, I think its silly to think it should be any better than the service.
Yes, the chef can test and retest all he wants, but in reality its several people making considerably less money who are cooking your food. Just as the servers need time to learn the details of their job, so do the cooks. Its nice in theory to think that everything will be great from day one, but reality is different.
On the flip side, the chef certainly should have been present and overseeing the kitchen on day one, shortly after the doors opened, so I am not sure that excuse flies here.
Anyway, while I understand the reasons for the quick reviews, and appreciate the honest review of new places, I think maybe a happy medium, say two or three weeks after doors open, may provide a more accurate review of the place.
Regardless, the feedback is important, and how a place responds to the feedback is probably what determines the long term success. All in all, your review is a favor the the establishment and should be viewed as a critique that provides a chance for improvement.
December 28th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
This comment will prolly be buried under the rest but I just tried zest today; I hoped for the best because I live about 2 miles from Zest and NOTHING is around that area. Basically my feelings are summed up as so:
Never in my life have I been to a place that summed up the meaning of the word “Meh” like Zest. Very mediocre, extremely so. The food/menu lacks creativity or any form of individuality. The booths were surprisingly dirty for how very new the place is as well. They also were out of many items if that makes a difference.
It’s a shame, the prices are too high for the food they sell, and the location is pretty horrible for most people. So much potential lost just like Cuquis cafe (I cant spell it)
December 28th, 2011 at 10:43 pm
Dan P, of course you’re entitled to an opinion but come on. The menu and some of the interesting things on it was one of the drivers of the buzz surrounding this place. I think Bill’s criticism is scathing as it is because he was hoping for big things and it was a huge disappointment.
What were you expecting to be on the menu that left you thinking it was so ordinary? What did you try?
December 29th, 2011 at 2:44 am
For the record: my wife hated her meal. She’s much less critical and far more forgiving than I am and she was quite disappointed in what she was served. If she doesn’t like something, that something would have been bad for just about anyone except a starving animal. But not only didn’t she like it, she said something along the lines of: you know it’s bad when I’m ready to be brutally fucking honest with them if they ask us what we thought.
Food for thought.
December 29th, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Haven’t been to Zest yet, but I have had brie curds at The Newsroom in Minneapolis (with a blueberry compote I believe), and was rather disappointed with them, specifically the compote. I am definitely interested in trying Zest’s take on them.
December 29th, 2011 at 7:24 pm
victor, I’ve never been terribly impressed with anything at the Newsroom, what have you eaten there that’s worthy of me having the next time we have some sort of work function there?
December 29th, 2011 at 7:32 pm
Bill, don’t eat at the Newsroom. Eat at their wine bar that’s connected (Taste, I think is the name). Nothing on their tapas menu is over $10 and most of it’s under $5. They have a flat bread tuna “pizza” that’s really good. Plus, if you don’t really like it, you haven’t really wasted too much money. The last time I was there, 4 adults were able to eat for just under $30.
However, I’m not sure if they’re open during the day.
December 29th, 2011 at 7:33 pm
AC, when it’s up to me we go to the 8th St Grill because they have a decent selection of beer on tap and free popcorn. Unfortunately it’s rarely up to me where we go.
December 29th, 2011 at 7:40 pm
Bill: “The beer and popcorn guy!” Gotta love it.
December 29th, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Here’s the menu: http://thenewsroommpls.com/taste/menu_food.html
Looks like they may have taken the flat bread pizza with ahi off the menu (which is a shame), but maybe they have a different menu from the web. Of course, if it’s not very busy, you may be able to talk the staff into making it for you. When we went, we had the whole place to ourselves and were treated very well by the staff.
December 29th, 2011 at 7:41 pm
C&V, well you certainly don’t go to the 8th St Grill for the food.
December 29th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
AC, cool, thanks for the suggestion. I’ll check it out next time.
December 29th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
Definitely! Honestly, it was one of the best meals I’ve had in a while because, for the price, I wasn’t too worried if I wouldn’t like what I ordered and could be a little more adventurous than I usually am. However, you don’t really get that full unless you order practically everything on the menu. It’s a nice place to go for happy hour or after a show.
December 29th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
Bill,
…but it’s got “Grill” in it’s name!
December 29th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
I’m at 8th Street quite often, but only because it is the only thing (other than Dan Kelly’s) that is close to my office. I think the service at 8th Street can be hit or miss, and the atmosphere is just okay…nothing compared to The Local. But, for those of you in that area from time to time, the restaurant/bar known as Black Bamboo closed last week and rumor has it that it was because the owner would not renew their lease. They are apparently looking for something more “up scale” to take that spot.
Anyway, I’m going to get dinner and drinks at Zest tomorrow night and am looking forward to it. I can already taste the Moo Joos!
December 29th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
I’m going to miss the Black Bamboo. I wish there would have been more notice to allow time for one last Monday happy hour hurrah.
I enjoy the 8th Street and discovered my favorite beer there (favorite so far, that is).
December 29th, 2011 at 9:38 pm
Ryan,
1. DK sucks. I hate going there for happy hours.
2. Black Bamboo was our go-to place on Monday’s in the summer for $1 beer/$5 pitchers on their patio.
3. Regarding Black Bamboo’s space: http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2011/12/27/new-restaurant-concept-coming-to.html
December 29th, 2011 at 9:59 pm
While the Bamboo couldn’t have been more convenient for me, I was never a fan. The atmosphere sucked for a “bar scene”. Sure, Monday’s deals were decent, but they don’t make up for the brutal atmosphere. Stanley is a great guy and I wish him luck, but I think that place had a hard time defining it’s identity. Was it a sit-down Chinese place, a fast-food Chinese place, a bar or scandalous night club? Also, I had some very brutal service there during busy happy hours. Actually, I was there for their last Monday and the service was brutal. I’m looking forward to seeing what the new place will be like.
Bill – thanks for the info on what is going to replace it. I hope that new place has some sort of a bar area, but the space is pretty small, so it might not. DK is so dirty I just can’t handle going there.
Closet – I liked 8th Street a lot more when they had Summit Oatmeal Stout on tap (right now their only tap is Guinness).
December 29th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
Yeah, service issues were definitely a problem there so I’d just carry the empty pitchers inside myself. I wasn’t expecting rockstar treatment for $5.
Their only tap you like? Because that’s definitely not their only tap.
December 29th, 2011 at 10:18 pm
Yeah, even without the poor service I just wasn’t a fan of the place. I’m willing to pay more for a good atmosphere (Local, Zelo, even Rock Bottom are all better…just a long walk from my office). Did you ever attend one of the “late night events” that they had before the city shut them down?
Sorry, their only stout on tap is Guinness. I was there last Wednesday and I asked the server if they had any other stout on tap and she said, “yeah, we have this porter….”
December 29th, 2011 at 11:22 pm
I think Dan P may be on to something regarding a lack of creativity. I had no idea the brie curds were pretty much copied from The Newsroom. Another copy is the juicy lucy, it’s a direct copy of the Vincent Burger from Vincent, A Restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. The entree’s I can’t say anything about as the on-line version of the menu doesn’t give any details regarding to how they’re prepared.
December 30th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
It bears repeating that I find it sad when someone’s goal is to own a restaurant rather than being passionate about creating great food. I hope this isn’t the case at Zest.
December 30th, 2011 at 11:12 pm
I went to dinner at Zest tonight at 7:15p. We my wife and I arrived, the place was packed. There were several groups waiting for tables, but two spots opened at the bar and nobody else wanted them, so we sat there and had dinner at the bar. It was noisy and vibrant…pretty good buzz for a suburban place.
We ordered a the Vegetarian Flatbread and the Avocado BLT and shared. We both thought the food was pretty decent. Not awesome and I wouldn’t drive downtown for it, but it was good enough for the $10 per meal charge, especially when you don’t have to drive far or pay for parking. We both liked the ABLT more than the flatbread, but it was close. Both were good…no real complaints on quality of food.
The biggest area for improvement steams not from the food, but from the service. Most of the employees I saw seemed to be okay, but one that I interacted with really struggled. I won’t go into detail because I feel bad bashing the employee on here because the attitude was good…the skill just wasn’t’ there. So, if Seth wants more detail he can track me down and I’ll be happy to share it with him. Also, when the place was packed between 7:15 and 7:45, they seemed a bit understaffed.
I had two pints of Moo Joos and one of the New Belgium Winter Ale. My wife had a class of cabernet. As usual, we spent more on alcohol than food, and our bill was $43 before tip…not bad if you ask me.
I want this place to make it, and I’ll be back soon. Even with the sub-par service I enjoyed myself. Plus, I’ll give them a bit of time to figure things out. I feel like the hockey fan did when hockey finally returned to Minnesota….you’re okay with a losing season or two while the team works to improve, because any hockey is better than no hockey and there is hope for the future! So, I’ll cut Zest a little slack in the short term, in hopes that the service improves and it becomes a “playoff caliber” restaurant, not just for those that live close, but for all.
January 4th, 2012 at 10:35 am
We went to Zest last night for my wife’s birthday. They weren’t very busy for a Tuesday night. Service was good, our waitress was knowledgeable and helpful. I had the Juicy Lucy, which I really liked. Son had the Gyro burger, which he reported was just ‘meh’, wife had the Filet which she really liked.
Our take was that with all the items on the menu, Zest is still in search of their identity. We hope they find it in time to survive, because it’s a nice place close to our house (within easy walking distance), and we really want to have somewhere close with a patio to enjoy this summer! We’ll be heading back.
January 4th, 2012 at 2:14 pm
I am interested to see how this develops. Its not at all close to me, its quicker and easier for me to go to South Minneapolis or Edina where the options are much better and increasing and the parking is also free. But I would like to see an independent SOTR make it. I still found their website hard to navigate, and finding their address is not easy, though i did find it. Someone should help them on that, at very least they should put a map on the site.
January 5th, 2012 at 1:37 am
I have yet to see their website as it requires Flash. Too bad. Lots of restaurant goers have iDevices.
And good luck finding their Facebook page using FB’s search. Who is going to search for ZestGrill as one word?
January 5th, 2012 at 7:26 am
More on the new restaurant going in where Black Bamboo once stood from the ever-so-lovely Stephanie March: http://blogs.mspmag.com/foodiefile/2012/01/coming-soon-mona.html
January 5th, 2012 at 9:32 am
Wow.
January 5th, 2012 at 6:40 pm
Sounds like it might be too fancy for me. I miss $1 beers.
January 10th, 2012 at 11:27 am
I want so much for this place to be good (it would be nice to have a decent place to get a burger so close to home).
But, naming your restaurant after a bar of soap is a bit of a put off.
I will try the place and try to be open minded… Don’t be a cynic Jeremy…. Don’t be a cynic….
(I will report back on my experience there… I am anxious to see if the brie bites are as bad as reported…. does that make me a masochist?)
January 10th, 2012 at 1:07 pm
We tried this place earlier this week for an early dinner.
First, our experience was not as bad as what Bill describes above. We had a nice time, and the food was good.
So, my review.
We were seated. Place was pretty much empty, around 4:30 on a weekday evening (it filled up by the time we left). Waitress seated us, gave menu’s, and crayons to the little one. The waitress was friendly throughout and we never had to wait for drink refills, which is nice. To stick to the service issues though, we had to prompt for the happy hour specials, which were somewhat confusing. I guess domestic beer was cheap and some other stuff was on special, but she seemded confused on what and how much, so my wife ended up tapping out and choosing a bottle of Bud or Miller light, which seems a shame considering all the beer choices. No food specials were mentioned. Next visit we asked for food specials and were told that two or three of the appetizers were 1 or 2 dollars off. Not an exact quote, but thats pretty much the response. I got the impression they dont really know what the happy hour specials are, because I did not see them printed anyplace.
Next topic. Driving in to the parking lot, you drive past the back corner of the building. Always a bit of a turnoff at a place that is supposed to be somewhat upscale (I think?) to see the cooks out back smoking. Again saw them out back smoking when I used the bathroom, and a third time when we were driving out. I might be just being picky, but yuck. Next, the manager, or owner, or whatever he was (younger guy in a tie facilitating food service) was chewing gum and used either chapstick or blistex or something (in a tube) about 4 times while we were eating, as he was handling food. The waitresses and the manager guy sort of stand there by the service window between tasks, and its right in front of any patron facing the back of the place. Again, this was a big yuck for me, but others might not be bothered. Next, one of the waitresses (not ours) put on chapstick or blistex, a few times while we were eating, not the kind in a tube, the kind you use your fingers to apply. At least once she applied it and then delivered food to people. Yuck.
Not a big deal if I am at a greasy spoon, but something they may want to clean up a little if they are going for fresh and local food at a somewhat upscale price point.
The food itself was, as noted above, good. My wife had Walleye and the first thing she said was “I dont think this just came off a truck, its pretty good.” I had a burger that was cooked to very well done. The waitress did ask how I wanted it cooked, and said the “Chef normaly makes them medium”. I asked for medium. It was Well done to the point of having no juice left, and was supposed to have a sunny side up egg. The egg was also well done, but maybe it has to be, not sure. The burger was large, but very dry. Ended up asking for blue cheese and once that was drizzeled on the burger it was pretty good. Fries were good.
The space itself is sort of dark, and sort of loud, and they have alot of tables very close together. It was not uncomfortable, and even with only a few people seemed lively.
So, our visit was a mixed bag. I really had the impression they were not sure what kind of place they want to be. Our waitress was nice, and friendly, but did not have a great grasp of the menu or specials. The food was good, but not something I would describe as chef driven or fresh/local, or good enough to go out of our way for another visit. And the overall image was more of bar staff than of fine dining.
I do wish them luck, and we will likely stop in again if we are in the area.
January 10th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Hey Bill, I think I had something stuck in the spam filter.
January 10th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Chad, the site automatically handles spam filter issues every 5 minutes. No need to contact me unless it’s more than a half hour or so.
January 10th, 2012 at 1:18 pm
Chad,
1. I lost you somewhere between where you said the food was “good” and when you ate a “very dry” burger with an overcooked egg on top.
2. Don’t call it a “sunny side up” egg if you need to cook it “over hard” (I order all my eggs sunny side up and have never had a problem even at places where they won’t cook a burger under medium).
January 10th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
Holy cow my review was long, sorry about that.
The burger was overdone, and the egg was overdone (I think) but then I started wondering if I was confusing Sunny Side up with Over easy. Sorry, not sure what is what. So really, the only big problem with the food was the burger being overdone. The walleye was good.
For what its worth, the food was not great. There was a lot of room for improvement, but it was not awful either. I was much more disturbed by the service/cleanliness issues, personally.
January 10th, 2012 at 1:32 pm
Chad,
Sunny-side up = very runny, not flipped on the grill to cook the yolk. Yolk looks up at you like a golden sun.
Over-easy = runny but flipped to cook the yolk into the white (makes more of a packet for the yolk)
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Both are runny but the over-easy slightly less so. Most places do an over-easy egg on top, not sunny-side up.
January 10th, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Ok, then my egg was very overcooked, as it was not runny at all.
That was my first thought, but then I thought maybe I did not know the right terms. I was not overly upset with this part, as given the choice I order eggs over medium. I dont mind a runny yolk, but cant stand any of the white to be runny, so I opt for overdone rather than underdone.
Anyway, we have had much worse food at places that are supposed to be better. My overall impression of this place was just that its a bunch of people (servers, manger, cooks) who are used to cooking bar food. The interactions were what you might expect at a bar, etc. It just did not quite mesh, but I would think its fixable at this point.
January 11th, 2012 at 5:29 pm
Bill, so my wife and I stopped for lunch last Friday – they have a good beer list…for Eagan (we enjoyed Bell’s Two Hearted) and it is a cool little place. Service was good…even if it started with “we don’t have this, and this, and this…etc.” (we were told they were updating the menu)
Anyway, to put it simply the food was bad. Apple bruschetta sounded great, but man did it miss…wild rice soap was ok, nothing special…and a lifeless rueben sandwich was served with a little pile of cold fries on a huge square plate. Just odd.
All in all not very Zesty…that said, we may give them another chance, depends on how long they end up staying open.
January 11th, 2012 at 5:51 pm
The problem with these “neighborhood” venues is the kitchen. If the food is above average, or way above average, patrons can overlook marginal service. A nicely appointed space, or friendly/competent wait person can’t make up for disappointing/crappy food. Zest was supposed to have a competent kitchen – evidently it doesn’t.
January 13th, 2012 at 10:15 pm
Now that they have been open for a few weeks, I am going to give Seth credit for choosing to be silent here given the comments both good and not so good about their place. Usually this is their chance to ruin all the goodwill they created up to now, like the new dumb owner Ernie’s did.
Given the comments that they are already revamping their menu, and now I see they are redesigning the website say a lot to me about their ability to react to feedback. Hopefully they will get things the way they hoped they were to be 3 weeks ago and have a great run.
I agree with a number of you. I am just not sure what kind of restaurant they are trying to be just yet. I hope they figure it out.
January 16th, 2012 at 9:34 pm
Well, the web-site shows a modicum of improvement. The image slideshow on the home page shows actual pictures of the restaurant now. It’s still an annoyingly clunky flash site and the menu still doesn’t give details for the entrees though. Baby steps, I guess.
January 21st, 2012 at 4:36 pm
Holy hell restauranteurs…stop it. Really….just stop.
http://heavytable.com/zzest-market-cafe-in-rochester-mn/
January 21st, 2012 at 6:31 pm
Thanks for the link MSPD. Now I need to go take a shower. Disgusting.
January 30th, 2012 at 4:28 pm
Looks like they have completely changed their website. Good move. It looks to be partially operable with a broken View Menu link in the middle of the page.
Going there again this week. Hopefully it will be good.
January 30th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
Using the exact same website theme as Valley Tap and one other site I can’t think of right now.
I hope you didn’t pay a lot for a completely stock website theme Zest.
January 30th, 2012 at 4:32 pm
Found it: http://mezzlounge.com/
January 30th, 2012 at 5:11 pm
The website is a 1000% improvement over the previous fail site and that is all that matters.
January 30th, 2012 at 5:15 pm
Yeah, it’s readable for sure.
January 31st, 2012 at 9:31 am
Needs a tap list though.
January 31st, 2012 at 10:02 pm
My one-word review: “Meh.”
February 6th, 2012 at 1:05 pm
@Seppuku
I think it is actually the FOOD that is all that matters.
February 6th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
# 207 lefty (1316 comments) Says:
January 21st, 2012 at 6:31 pm
“Thanks for the link MSPD. Now I need to go take a shower. Disgusting.”
Make sure you wash with Zest!
February 6th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
Jeremy D,
Everyone here knows I am use Axe all over body soap. Nobody kills the ladies around here better than me.
Hey ladies!
lefty
April 25th, 2012 at 1:24 pm
Alejandro – the owner – used to be my neighbor. Great guy, nice family.
I went down there a couple times and really liked the atmosphere and the beer selection!
Here’s to your success Alejandro my old friend!
April 26th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
I have been here probably 8-10 times now. It is weird. Every time I go, I have no real go to item on the menu. Most of the things I have tried are fine (the avocado BLT is probably the one I have tried a few times), but I don’t run to that either.
It sucks that they got rid of Sweet Child. I am not blaming them since it says more about suburban tastes than it does their beer decisions, but it sucks all the same.
I also tried to eat there a few weeks ago, but they had closed the kitchen at 6 PM because it “might rain”. Not kidding. Lame.
April 27th, 2012 at 8:09 am
Are they in that much trouble that they are closing the Kitchen at 6? If I came there for the first time and they told me the kitchen was closed I would not be back!
April 27th, 2012 at 9:51 am
Bill Yrock,
It was really odd. It was a few Sundays ago when the local weather guys were predicting a big storm. They apparently sent the kitchen staff home but we were invited to have a drink if we wanted (we didn’t).
Even though the place appears to be busy on a normal day, that call is made for one of two reasons. One is because the cook lives far away and didn’t want to get caught up in the storm the other is that they are not financially healthy. I hope it is the former.
April 27th, 2012 at 9:54 am
The cook lives far away but the kitchen staff was already there? I’m sorry, I don’t buy it.
April 27th, 2012 at 10:28 am
From the 2 minutes I was there, it was pretty obvious that there were two people working, the owner guy and one bartender. I am guessing that the total “kitchen staff” for that night would have been one person if they were going to stay open. That’s why I offered that as one possibility. It was clear they were not going to have a busy night given the weather.
April 27th, 2012 at 10:50 am
Sounds like they are having staffing issues. While a Sunday evening might not have a lot of traffic, I would think that you’ve got to maintain continuity in your hours of operation for food. If this were January and it was a raging blizzard forecast, then yeah I could see that, but a thunderstorm?
I could see it if this place was more of a bar than a restaurant, but this is supposed to be a food oriented type of place so not a good sign that you can’t serve your customers what they want.
I suspect Bill will be adding this place to the “closed” list sometime in the near future.
April 27th, 2012 at 10:57 am
N52,
They had potential but clearly they haven’t capitalized on that potential at all. I agree, they’ll probably close but I don’t know if it’ll be in the near future or not.
January 31st, 2013 at 9:41 pm
I have been to Zest quite a few times n the last 6 months or so and I really like it alot! The food has been excellent and the atmosphere is fun! The free beer and wine tastings have been fun on Friday nights! It is a loud place, but adds to the fun/party feeling on a Friday after work! I highly recommend it!
February 1st, 2013 at 8:03 am
Well, I would rate that at a 4.5 out of 8 on the MSPD scale. She earned the exclamation bonus and stuck the landing with a mention of free stuff in an attempt to draw in the crowds.
February 1st, 2013 at 8:11 am
Yes! I agree with you Whit o’ wit! It does not sounds like she was astroturfing at all!
February 1st, 2013 at 10:12 am
She doesn’t just recommend it, she “highly recommends” it. That’s good because nobody with any discernable palate would go to a place with a mere “recommended” status.
February 1st, 2013 at 10:31 am
I bet it is “pretty good”, right Lefty.
February 1st, 2013 at 11:52 am
Yep, but just think if it was “fucking awesome”!
February 2nd, 2013 at 9:00 am
So – they’ve been open a year now. Has anybody been there lately? Have they worked out the kinks? We keep meaning to try it whenever we get a coupon but life gets in the way.
Would this be an okay place for kids (a tween and teen)? Teen is a carnivore, tween not so much. She’s more picky than her brother.
March 18th, 2013 at 7:01 pm
Zest owner charged with a felony for defrauding a County agency trying to collect money because the restaurant has racked up massive debt: http://eagan.patch.com/articles/zest-owner-charged-with-attempted-theft-felony
March 18th, 2013 at 7:40 pm
I’ll tell you who needs to go to prison for fraud…the f**king County. Is this how it goes??? A person opening a restaurant throws an invoice for a capital expenditure at the County and the County just pays the whole damned thing?? “Relocation expenses”?!?
The next dickhead from the Government that pisses and moans about furloughs and “where do we cut” and “we have nowhere to cut” and “cuts will come from police and fire” will get a printed copy of this article shoved so far up their asshole, they’ll be shitting Times New Roman 12 for the next decade.
March 18th, 2013 at 8:23 pm
I am still confused where they relocated from since it was a restaurant, if you even read the comments on this thread that was a start up at that specific location. The whole thing is idiotic. I can’t say much more than MSPD said there.
Either way, not surprising. That dude has always been kind of a shady motherfucker.
March 18th, 2013 at 8:40 pm
Chill a little, MSPD. The county forced him to move for a housing project, or some project per Sun Newspaper. Felony fraud is the story here…
March 18th, 2013 at 8:53 pm
C&V,
I think MSPD is more upset that no one even looked at the paperwork than the fact the county is paying for it.
March 18th, 2013 at 10:15 pm
Yeah, the relocation was from VIP Olmeca, from what the Sun article says. It was in that strip mall at Burnsville Parkway and CR 5 that was demolished for senior housing.
Interesting that other claims were denied in the past, but not this one. I wonder if the estimate was altered to make it look like an invoice instead.
March 18th, 2013 at 10:30 pm
C&V, that’s part of what pisses me off. If a Senior Housing entity wanted to build at the old Olmeca, they should have bought the land. Instead we foot the bill for that and we foot the bill for this. These things are all related and they all stink.
p.s. I just had my taxes done tonight and I’m pissed off at the world. Don’t read too much into anything I say.
March 19th, 2013 at 7:42 am
Sounds like somebody just moved into the top 1%.
Hello up there!
March 19th, 2013 at 8:41 am
The only 1% here is what’s left of my paycheck for me to spend on anything remotely enjoyable.
March 20th, 2013 at 8:13 am
If that was true, you wouldn’t be turning down free lobster, Richie Rich.
March 20th, 2013 at 9:50 am
Dude, I just hit the age where I need the ass doctor to check the undercarriage and that was that day. Would conversation about Dr. Abdul-Jabbar’s gigantic fingers and whatever else was “introduced” up there really have made that meal pleasant for you, because that’s all I could think about that afternoon. “Geez, man, why do you keep shifting in your chair so much?”
Trust me, I would gladly accept a cheap/free meal (unless it involved being a total whore for a $5 pizza) under ordinary circumstances.
March 23rd, 2013 at 9:43 am
mspd, taking one up the fundamental orifice is good life insurance:)
bb