Zero Restaurant + Bar – Restaurant Review | Condé Nast Traveler
Zero Restaurant is part of a compound of once-residential dwellings that make up the So, who else was there?
Since it’s also part of a boutique hotel compound, guests from the rooms might start at the bar for a beverage, or decide to dine. The other tables can range from concert-goers (The Galliard is right down the street) to couples. But because of its size and menu, it’s usually not the spot for large parties or children.
How should we kick things off?
Beginning with a craft cocktail is a good place to start, but since this is modernist cuisine in a tasting menu format, beverage pairings are included. For those on the pre-theater menu, bottles run from a reasonable $40 to $280, with most under $75; a bargain for the experience. Beer is also available, but it should probably stay in the beginning stages to best complement the food.
Sounds like the tasting menus are the real deal. What should we expect?
The restaurant offers one multi-course tasting menu with choice of classic or elevated wine pairings. Let go of the reins and allow Chef Petrillo to direct the experience. He’ll weave a story with hyper-local ingredients interpreted and plated in ways that delight, surprise, and make one think of the very nature of a thing, something the best tasting menus strive to accomplish.
How was the service?
Since the courses are determined by the chef and not the diner, timing and pacing are on point, and servers are there to be your guides through the experience. They are knowledgeable, and able to answer questions about the ingredients or the wine in a way that is informed but unpretentious.
So who would enjoy this experience most?
Tasting menus, by definition, are for the adventurous palate. They’re probably the best partner for this wine-and-plated-pairing ride.
Zero Restaurant is part of a compound of once-residential dwellings that make up the Zero George Hotel, and the restaurant is housed in one of them. It’s impossible to escape imagining just how all of the delicious culinary alchemy here comes from a such a kitchen because it’s open and smaller than many a modern home kitchen. It does, however, under Chef Vinson Petrillo’s hand. Beyond that magic, the best seat in the house (weather depending) is in the courtyard, which weaves a little charming spell of its own as dusk descends and the soft lights twinkle on.Since it’s also part of a boutique hotel compound, guests from the rooms might start at the bar for a beverage, or decide to dine. The other tables can range from concert-goers (The Galliard is right down the street) to couples. But because of its size and menu, it’s usually not the spot for large parties or children.Beginning with a craft cocktail is a good place to start, but since this is modernist cuisine in a tasting menu format, beverage pairings are included. For those on the pre-theater menu, bottles run from a reasonable $40 to $280, with most under $75; a bargain for the experience. Beer is also available, but it should probably stay in the beginning stages to best complement the food.The restaurant offers one multi-course tasting menu with choice of classic or elevated wine pairings. Let go of the reins and allow Chef Petrillo to direct the experience. He’ll weave a story with hyper-local ingredients interpreted and plated in ways that delight, surprise, and make one think of the very nature of a thing, something the best tasting menus strive to accomplish.Since the courses are determined by the chef and not the diner, timing and pacing are on point, and servers are there to be your guides through the experience. They are knowledgeable, and able to answer questions about the ingredients or the wine in a way that is informed but unpretentious.Tasting menus, by definition, are for the adventurous palate. They’re probably the best partner for this wine-and-plated-pairing ride.