I was in for a drink recently and had a pleasant back and forth with the bartender, I'm a wine enthusiast. It was a really nice conversation about taste, palette and preference.
He was able to converse in a way that pulled from me what my likes and dislikes were and make recommendations. Beyond "smooth, full bodied, etc". Everyone has a different palette and that is why the bartender at a "wine bar" needs a little bit of a sommelier flare. He had it...very NICE!!!
I have been in multiple times for wine over the years, one time for dinner and have always like it. The music side is rather loud while the other side is subdued, but it has a noise volume. High ceilings. It can not be helped, it's the acoustic.
You will pay for what you get...be warned. But if your up for a glass of something nice not served at home then this is a great place to enjoy.
I had an awesome experience at Les Zygomates. My dad and I went for a nice meal before a Michael Bublé concert at TD Garden. We got stuck in traffic on the way there, so we had to push our reservation a little later. They were very accommodating and had no problem with that. After we ordered, we also told them the concert was at 8, and they made sure we had enough time.
Now for the food: all the dishes were very inventive and interesting. We ordered a radicchio salad special with blue cheese, walnuts, and pear to start. It had a very nice balance of contrasting flavors. For my entrée I got the farro "risotto", which was a welcome change from the standard vegetarian option of some sort of vegetable risotto. The little mushrooms and the parsley sprinkled on top were the best part of the dish. Then for dessert... The sugar pumpkin pain perdu. Oh. My. Lord. It tasted kind of like pumpkin pie, but with more of a cake-y texture. The maple ice cream and pecan praline it came with were literally among the most delicious things I've ever tasted.  Great food, great people, great atmosphere; Les Zyg is definitely a place to return to again and again.
One of the best restaurants/bars in Boston. Â The bartender (Shappy) really knows his stuff, and the service in the restaurant is top notch. Â The food is wonderful, and is certainly worth a trip even if you have no other reason to be in the area. Â The jazz nights add another positive dimension to this place, and it is pretty clear that they actually care about who they book to play on any given night. Â Unlike many other restaurants in Boston, the staff here very clearly recognizes that their job is to make the customer happy - and they have successfully followed through on that goal every time I have been there. Â This place deserves to be on the top of your list for Boston.
Review Source:I met up with a few friends after work for drinks and was excited because I had been meaning to try it for awhile. Â We arrived about 6:30 PM last night (8/8) and sat on the bar side on the right when you walk in, and that was probably our first mistake, since the music on the left side looked like live jazz which would have been infinitely better than the canned stuff on the bar side. Â Maybe they could pipe that stuff on over?
Regardless, we grabbed a table for five near the door and ordered a round of drinks. Â Zygomates is a wine bar, and only one of our party went with wine, so you'll have to ask her how it was, but the list of selections is quite extensive. Â I went with my trusted standby, an Old Fashioned, and took it here with Woodford Reserve bourbon. Â Woodford here is $12 a pour, which is on the expensive side, even compared to my standby bars Eastern Standard and Hawthorne in Kenmore Square.
It took what seemed like forever to actually get my cocktail, and when I did the bartender had muddled orange and cherry into unrecognizable blobs, and the fruit entrails permeated the entire drink. Â It didn't look very pretty, and I don't like eating fruit when I have a cocktail, so I asked if they could strain the beverage. Â I'm really high maintenance when it comes to an Old Fashioned. Â Ten minutes later I got my cocktail back sans fruit, and it tasted fine. Â I ordered a second about 30 minutes later and, wouldn't you know, it was full of mashed up fruit. Â You'd think after making a stink about it the first time they would get it right the second time around. Â You'd think that, but you'd be wrong.
A general gripe is that we never seemed to have the same server - I get it that there are runners who help a server when things get busy, but we saw "our" server maybe twice, and each time we got drink refills it was a different person. Â That probably contributed a bit to my second Old Fashioned being served incorrectly, but a little communication would fix that issue.
We ordered small plates to share at the table, and the calamari was delicious. Â The best part of the food was the bread and butter - seriously. Â The butter was salted and very creamy, and the bread was freshmade and warm. Â It tasted great. Â The worst small dish we split was the fondue - very little cheese that was lukewarm, and the things included for dipping was raw cauliflower, sliced tomato, and carrots. Â No, seriously. Â It was weird and not quite what we were expecting. Â We asked for more of the great bread and it made it doable.
Overall, this place is probably good for wine, but it's pretty mediocre (and expensive!) for everything else. Â If I come back, I'll stick to the fruit of the vine the second time around.
Lunch recently....biggish pace with two sides each with their own bar, pretty, a little darkish, seems sort of secluded but is really just a little ways from financial district and i guess is a popular watering hole for commuters on their way to south station...we ate at the bar, service was great, water kept filled drinks were very good, burger was great and cooked as ordered, the sauteed trout was excellent, very nice place and we really enjoyed it, we got there early and it did pretty much fill up....two little gripes, the meal came too quickly, we could have sat and enjoyed the time a little more and the edge of the bar (an aluminum welded bar was not real comfortable.....but great place, certainly worth a visit!!
Review Source:I came here after looking on Yelp for a less traditional dinner spot.
The jazz side was fantastic! Came on a Tuesday night around 8:30pm and it was pretty empty. Maybe because of the secluded location or the heat wave? We had a great time listening to Ron. He was even taking requests because there were only a few of us!
Food - the scallop ceviche to start and steak frites as our entree. The steak was a perfect medium rare, which is always a good sign. Nothing too special, but it was still a well cooked steak. The scallop ceviche was light, fresh, and succulent. Can't ask for much more from a non-Peruvian restaurant.
Drinks - The South Street Sidecar is a fantastic drink! It's not as sweet as other cocktails and you can definitely still taste the alcohol - in a good way.
What a great find. I can't wait to come back!
I've been here twice now, and each time I definitely enjoyed myself. The first time was about a year ago with a large party, and there was jazz. And it was good jazz. The second time was about a week ago with a friend of mine. Both times left me with an excellent taste in my mouth (PUN INTENDED) and I'll be back.
I can't say enough about their bread and butter. The butter is salted, and it's unreal. Get a second helping pf bread and you won't regret it - especially if you order the mussels. The appetizer mussels are more than enough for me for dinner - it came with about 20 mussels in there and some amazing juice at the bottom of the dish (again, get 2 helpings of bread). I also had the salad special, which was heirloom tomatoes with olives, balsamic dressing, Boston bibb lettuce and feta. It was delicious.
On my second visit, my friend got the faro risotto, and not only was it tasty, but much bigger than we thought it would be (which is a good thing). The service was a little slow, but not so much where it was off putting.
It's not just the insipid rabbit entree or the waitress that leaves the table before everyone has ordered their drinks. When it comes time to pay the bill, make sure you carry cash if it's a big party. When we tried to use more than 3 credit cards to pay, the manager refused. When we insisted, forget about the customer is always right, she mentioned that she was the manager and that we were being unreasonable. When we did not back down, she actually took out slips of paper where everyone had to write down exactly how much they wanted to go on each
Review Source:Can a cucumber sandwich ever be so awesome that you would come to a restaurant just for it? Â My wife would argue yes. Â I don't know how you can make a cucumber sandwich special but she said it was the best she ever had. Â Me on the other hand had the Nicoise salad and it was AMAZING. Â
The tuna was flavorful and fresh. Â It was perfectly seared on the outside and still perfectly raw in the inside. Â They didn't skimp on the toppings. Â I've never in my life paid $15 for a salad but this one was well worth it. The sardines on the salad were fresh and flavorful but not salty as you would image them to be. Â The sparking almond (an almond flavored champagne drink) could have been a little sweater to my liking but I won't complain. Â
The misses got the sparkling current which she also loved. Â I came to the financial district for Calamus books but found this place across the street and thought 'what the heck'. I most certainly was not disappointed.
Awesome place for a meeting because of the layout, great place for a date because of the layout and the great wine selection, and awesome place to grab lunch or dinner because of the food and quality of the service.
The manager and staff are friendly and polite and it makes for a great experience.
I always recommend this place !
We visited from out of town and decided to spend the last day of restaurant week there. The menu looked great and the area as well.
It was also one of the guest's 21st birthday so we wanted to go somewhere a little more fancy.
The group was 11 people and we had reserved a table. We were sat and given menus.
It took about 20 minutes for the waiter to come and take our orders. Which seemed ok at the time because the group was chatting away.
He gave us menus and left.
The food orders were taken 40 minutes later. In the meantime, the drinks arrived and we started waiting. and we waited some more.
The food was average, leaning towards good. Sweatbreads were deep fried and the sauce was great. though out dinner, people ordered drinks that never arrived. Or made it really late. The waiter dropped cuttlery at least 5 times on the table and the floor when changing them. Two differents waiters pourred water on the table and drenched one of the guests.
Here are my favourites:
- My friend ordered oysters and the waiter offered to do a sample plate. Prices of the oysters ranged from $2 to $6 on the board. When the bill came, all the oysters were over $5. That is not a sampler. That's just charging at customer's expense.
- We ordered 3 drinks that never showed up.
But the best, the truly best happened when we were waiting for the check to arrive. The waiter walked by our table and let out at least 4 noisy farts, thinking that he would be sneaky and discreet. That was freaking gross.
Overall, we had an excellent time because one of the customer sent out a champagne bottle to celebrate our friend's birthday.
Boston has amazing french restaurants. I'd choose another one.
One good thing - we left and there was great jazz happening next door!
This was my first time here and I can't believe it because it's really close to my office. Â I ended up here because my friend and I were craving oysters and what better place to go to then here especially during the happy hour $1 oyster special.
We got there at exactly 5pm since HH lasts from 4-6pm daily so we had 1 hr to order as much as we could!!! Â We decided to order 2 dozen right off the bat. Â We also order a bottle of Savignon Blanc from Italy which was dry and went well with the oysters. Â The oysters were East Coast but not sure what part. Â They were huge and juicy and for $1 can't really argue.
We sat in the front close to the windows and ended up being there until about 9pm and the waitress was really cool and didn't seemed annoyed that we were there all night. Â I definitely want to go back and try some other dishes, they all looked good.
"Oh, I've heard about this really great French wine bar around here that has live jazz," I say to a friend, "it's called Les Zygomates." Then, magically, we turn to our right and there it was. Â So, we head in. Â The hostess says she'll be right with us and I fear we've made a mistake and contemplate running away as I stare at the only two tables with people at them, smell their raw fish display, and wonder at the deafening quiet. Don't let this be you. You'll know ahead of time... there is some excellent sound-proofing going on at Les Zygomates, with a quiet side for people who don't want live Jazz (who are these people?) and a hot Jazz side! As soon as we stepped through the interior door to the Jazz side, I let out a sigh of relief- this is what I had imagined.
I know I'm really going on and on about this, but there's something about live Jazz that really ups the quality of the food. I really felt like I had an amazing dining experience, yet I'm not sure the food was actually all that earth-shattering.
The escargots (en croute, garlic butter) were excellent, and so far the best I've had in Boston. The french onion soup was ok, as was the butternut squash panade (look panade up on google, it's sort of like a bread casserole... I didn't know, I just hear butternut squash and jump. I think it could have leaped to the next level if it has been a little more crispy on the outside) and cassoulet (lots of beans with duck confit leg, sausage, pork belly & shoulder).
I also loved the large wine list, and ability to try wine in smaller sizes (3 oz)- I tried both of the malbecs (the Argentinian one was my favorite of the two).
No room for dessert, perhaps another time. 3.5 stars.
Stopped by for a quick bite on a Monday afternoon. Â I like how the restaurant is divided into sections, each with different things to offer. Â The food was good, but the only thing that really killed my rating is the service. Â No one seemed happy to serve that day. Â There was no smile from anyone, and when they talk - it's all mumble jumble. Â The service was too rushed to the point I felt slightly uncomfortable. Â My table was asked twice if we were done with a plate we were clearly still working on.
I ordered the bone marrow appetizer and the Pig's Cheek Bourguignonne. Â Both turned out delicious. Â The meat was so tender and juicy. Â I do want to try other items on the menu.. maybe I will give this another try for the live jazz. Â Maybe.
I expected at least a polite service when I dine out. Â Hate to say this ruined my experience.
I don't usually feel compelled to report negative experiences, but my girlfriend and I were treated poorly last night on Valentine's Day.
The hostess on duty (or perhaps a manager) was rude and condescending. Â Having worked in the restaurant industry for over 10 years, I remember the tough, busy nights with a hectic pace and challenging clientele. Â I am intentional and conscientious as a customer to be polite and understanding towards my waitstaff. I tip generously and am perhaps patient to a fault when out to eat. That's why I feel like maybe the management should know how the customer was made to feel on a pretty special night.
I do not appreciate the tone and manner in which we were spoken to.
We had a reservation and were seated, but noticed a table nearby was also empty. We requested if we could have the other table instead. Â The response was unreasonable (asking us to come up to the front to wait again until the table was set) so we requested if we could remain seated at our current table until the table (one foot away) was set. Â The response was a begrudging yes, with attitude.
When about 10 minutes passed and our waiter came over, we again requested the table and said we didnt mind if it wasnt set. Â The waiter said he would check with the hostess. Â She returned and again asked us to come up front to wait for the table to be set- and elaborated on superfluous information in a rude and condescending manner. Â In the amount of time it took her to lecture us about potential customers who were late for their reservation, she could have set the table and kept the 2 customers that were already in place.
We were so put off by her negative and dismissive words that we left.
I know everyone has "bad days" but I think her attitude crossed the line and was not a result of being busy or stressed. Â Instead- she came across as controlling and condescending and spoke to us as if we had no common sense and we needed a lesson about how a restaurant works. Â And to think - our request was so simple and reasonable- instead we were made to feel uncomfortable and dismissed, with such a negative delivery, on Valentine's Day.
If you are the young woman who I am describing, and you are reading this- I hope you have the capacity to reflect and understand that YOU created the negativity- not us. Â You could have simply said, "No, sorry" and denied our request, but instead lectured us with your inappropriate tone and condescending words. Business was lost not only for 2/14, Â but ongoing. Â
Try to keep in mind that no one likes to be treated that way, or spoken to like that. Â Get some perspective
Fun fact - Les Zygomates are the muscles in your face that are pulled when you smile. Â (Yes, we're dorks and asked the hostess what the name of the restaurant meant.)
I come here for business lunches. Â If you don't make a reservation, there are plenty of tables and seats at the bar for walk-ins. Â The decor is cute with its black and white tiles. Â Service is solid. Â
I've liked everything I've had here, which is the following
Steak Salad with Arugula, Red Onion, Mushrooms, Blue Cheese & Tomato
Grass-fed Beef Burger, Red Onion, Bacon & Cheddar Cheese
Spinach & Mushroom Risotto (My favorite!)
Different kinds of fish on their daily specials
Brussel Sprouts
Live jazz! Sexual mood lighting! Superb cuisine with fancy French names I can't pronounce! Raw bar! Wine wall! Black and white checkered floors! Adorable restaurant name that translates (roughly) to "The muscles in the face that make you smile"! Spill-proof tan paper covering every white tablecloth! Window-lined walls! Two separate dining rooms! Laid back atmosphere! Simple yet boss incognito website domain name (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwinebar.com&s=09f2c332cf0353dafa8946e6e93a804b3cfad547b724ffc72da05d1e0fa8a366" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://winebar.com</a>)! FRENCH FRIES!
Okay, maybe the enthusiasm was a bit aggressive, but I mean, what else can you really ask for? Les Zygomates is truly unique, and has got it all.
Come here to enjoy a swank date night on the "Jazz Side" with your significant other, or for pregame pickies with the girls, or to impress your folks by taking them for dinner at this smoove, classy joint. It's pretty pricey, but if the food isn't worth it, then the atmosphere certainly is. If you have even a single musical bone in your body, you'll enjoy it. I promise. Otherwise, dine on a Sunday or Monday when there's no live jazz, or request the "Non-Jazz Side" (but where's the fun in that?!). Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side.
Good atmosphere and ambiance aside, service was absolutely despicable.
Went there Friday night on a double date, tell me why we had four different servers who couldn't do their job competently?!
The first server took our drinks and appetizer orders, then vanishes and never returns. Â The second server failed to put those orders into the system, citing craziness in the kitchen. Our food took about 40 minutes to arrive, a third server takes over. Â We finally ordered dessert from a fourth server, which took another 25 minutes to arrive. Â Not one server was apologetic or friendly.
As for the food,
Steak Frites with Sauce Bordelaise was sent back because it wasn't cooked as requested.
Berkshire Pigs Cheek Bourguignonne arrived cold, sent it back as well.
Bread items were cold and stale.
Creme Brulee had a bitter, burnt flavor.
Tres Leches cake was dry and chewy.
I also saw another table sending back a steak and another without a server for 30 minutes. Â Evidently other disappointed yelp reviewers here are very much consistent about the bad food and service.
Lunch review
I met with a friend and colleague for lunch. The fish of the day was a (very small) trout prepared to perfection. The sides of squash and brussel sprouts were an excellent complement. Service was friendly and efficient.
Now the knock
1. The tap sparkling water had a strong chlorine after taste while the still water was perfectly fine. I guess they filter their table water, but don't have a filter on the soda dispenser.
2. The espresso tasted very thin and wouldn't have survived in Italy. (It's a pretend I am French place after all.)
3. The bare walls make sound carry. It was very noisy making lunch discussions difficult. Â
4. I could not locate a coat rack, which is not good on a cold winter day. Folding my coat on the bench and too close to the food I am eating is a turn-off.
... but the trout was perfect and any other day I would have had wine rather than chlorinated sparkling water.
Hit or miss.
I've been on my own, sat at the bar, and had some WONDERUL steak and wine.
Other times, like yesterday, I went for lunch with a big group. Â I got the Haddock. Â It was so overcooked it was disgraceful. Â The menu didn't say it was served with squash, which I hate, so I was forced to just have the piece of fish, which was no longer a piece of fish but instead a piece of fish-leather. Â The waitress didn't come back to check on us, and frankly I was too embarassed for her to return it or complain. Â I was with a large group and to do so would have been highly inconvenient for them all. Â The waitress never asked how anything was, and I could tell she knew the fish was garbage. Â Depressing lunch.
-
So, this place is hit or miss. Â I don't recommend going with a large group or getting fish here. Â But if you're on your own or with a friend, the wine and sandwiches are OK.
I came here for a friend's birthday gathering, and we did it Asian family style and shared each others' dishes, and I have to say, you can't go wrong with anything you order here. For appetizers, we got the escargots, mussels, and steak tartare, all were fantastic. Â For entrees, we ordered Bourguignonne, Lamp Chop special, and the Steak Bavette, all were cooked to perfection.
In terms of service, our server was completely absent in the beginning, but as the night went on, he was more attentive. Â True to French restaurants though, expect a several hour-long meal, which is great for enjoying your company, but just dont come starving ;)
My husband and friends took me here for a birthday dinner this weekend. We had a party of 13 and it took a while for us all to trickle in. The waitress was attentive with drink orders but we didn't get our appetizer and entree orders in until we had been in the restaurant for nearly an hour. Fortunately, that was the only downside to the meal. The appetizers were the highlight of the night for me: escargots en croute were buttery, garlicky, and delicious; while the plateau de maison, a sampling of the raw bar, featured crab claws, large shrimp, oysters, clams, and periwinkles. The periwinkles were more trouble than they were worth really: a tiny little morsel that was hard to get out of the shell. The smoked pork chop with sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts was delicious, but I was already so stuffed by the time it got there I could only eat half.
Review Source:I was a "regular" at Zygomates about 8-9 years ago when I worked nearby and my old boss would frequently enjoy Red Diamond wine here. We gave him a gift certificate for his retirement in 2006 but he never used it as he stopped coming back into the city. He found this certificate recently and sent it to me to use.
We came in on a Wednesday and sat away from the jazz music. They haven't changed their appearance-- still very intimate and potentially romantic, but you could definitely pull off a client meal here.
The staff was very kind to us. For a Wednesday night, Zygomates was still pretty active in the bar area but not chaotic.
We first ordered the fried sweet breads with bacon, then the beet salad (with goat cheese and walnuts). I had the pan fried local fluke with green beans and potatoes and my husband has the cassoulet, which we decided would be a perfect hearty après-ski meal. Great for a chilly winter night.
We enjoyed the meal very much. I will keep this in mind the next time I have a business dinner and need good idea.
I've had many great lunchtime meals here. Â Lunch is fast and reasonably priced. Â It's a good place to go with coworkers if you want a nicer sit down lunch, without busting the expense account. But I recently went there for dinner, and I have to say, it was an excellent meal worthy of writing about.... Â
My fiance and I decided to have a date night and do it up right. Â We ordered a dozen oysters (East Coast, wellfleets), which were super tasty and fresh. Â They came with a generous amount of sauce with lots of horseradish (which we LOVE). Â We also ordered the appetizer sized mussels, which were really tasty, AND escargot (yeah, we probably went a bit overboard here). Â But all were really good. Â The escargot is SUPER hot (temperature hot, not spicy) so be careful! Â But if you let it cool a bit, it is really tasty!
For our entrees, I ordered the smoked and grilled pork chop, which came with roasted brussels sprouts and some whippted sweet potato on the side. Â It was amazing - - the waiter told me that the pork chop was smoked then brined, so it would not be dry. Â He was correct - - it was really tasty, and not dry at all. Â It wasn't overly smoked, either. Â It was perfect. Â My fiance got a steak with fries, which I tried as well. Â It was really good. Â
Overall, I would definitely recommend this place!
I've been here a handful of times as a former coworker was quite a fan. Definitely not your average bar. Wine by the glass is a bit on the more expensive side, but good stuff nonetheless. I havent tried much food there...maybe a humus plate here and there (which was great), and I hear the dollar oysters are good. There was live music on more than one occasion, which is a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it--if you're sitting in the main room with the band it's way too loud to be able to carry a conversation, but not bad if you're in the other room on the right of the entrance.
Not the best location though...i definitely wouldnt want to have to walk to the T in either the red or green line direction by myself at night after having one too many glasses.
I hadn't been here in a few years but we decided to come for oysters the other night (when we learned the wait at Neptune would have been 3.5 hours).
First off, service was incredible. Far better than I ever remember in the past even!
The food was also delicious. The rest of the table raved about their oysters: East Coast, West Coast and clams. In the war of East Coast vs. West Coast (reminiscent of Biggie & Tupac) the East Coast won at our table. For the pregnant lady, there was an order of fried oysters that were simply lovely. Little fried, tasty, salty, crunchy, pillows sitting on a cream based sauce resting on an oyster shell. I thought they would have been perfect even without the sauce. Â
For my entree, I had the seared jumbo scallops with Native sweet corn and chanterelles with a  nice sauce. It was good. The scallops were cooked well but I wasn't blown away by the dish, for some reason. Maybe it was a little boring. I had a bite of my husband's blue fish with snap peas and pickled onion with mustard sauce and that one bite was more memorable than my entire meal! I was jealous.
One friend had the grilled leg of lamb and the other had the beef short rib bourguignonne. After she had one bite of her lamb she asked her husband for a bite of the short rib. Next thing you know, she traded plates with him because she liked the short rib better. I wish I could have done that with my husband's bluefish, but it didn't seem right. Then, there's the fact that he liked it so much I doubt he would have let me.
We were a bit disappointed that the back bar (where the Jazz band was playing) was reserved for a private party. We had really wanted to do after dinner drinks & dessert in there. So, we opted out of dessert but did have drinks at the table. Some had port, some had cordial and I was stuck with a decaf latte (and a lovely little ramekin of complimentary chocolate candies).
I'm guessing this would have been a 5 star review for me if I had been able to have some wine and oysters!
My first impression of Les Zygomates was great. While I've never been to France, it came across very "French" ... black and white checked floors, intimate tables next to huge windows overlooking the street, and tiny bathrooms with the walls covered in wine labels.
I ordered a cocktail and tried a few others that my friend ordered - all were fantastic! All obviously freshly made, and love the shaved ice. I only like Sidecars when they're made with fresh ingredients, and this might be the best I've ever had.
So if I had stopped with conversation, cocktails, and some appetizers, I would have given this place a 4 or 5. However, we ordered dinner - my friend and parents from the restaurant week menu, and I just decided to get the scallops. I tried all of the food that was ordered. My favorite was the fried oysters, but other than that, none of the other flavors or tastes seemed like anything to write home about, especially for the prices.
So no thanks on dinner, but I'll most likely be back for some of the live jazz they offer up, as well as the cocktails.
I went to Les Zygomates with my alumni association for what had been advertised as a wine tasting. When we sat down, we realized that the menu was entirely mixed cocktails. At first I was disappointed, being that I love wine and tend to stay away from mixed drinks, but in the end I tried several drinks I never would have ordered otherwise.
The theme was Libations in Literature, with cocktails based on the works of Ernest Hemingway, Dorothy Parker, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. They were as follows:
1) La Floridita- rum, lime juice, simple syrup and maraschino liqueur (my favorite of all).
2) The Algonquin Cocktail - rye, dry vermouth, and pineapple juice (least favorite).
3) Jack Rose - applejack, gin, OJ, lime juice, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, and grenadine. The grenadine is made in-house.
4) Blood and Sand - scotch, OJ, cherry heering, and sweet vermouth.
The sommelier came and made a presentation of each of the cocktails, and even taught us how to make our own grenadine. There was another presenter who explained where each of the cocktails was mentioned in literature and their significance. Then the chef came out and taught us how to make the vinegar oyster sauce that we would be eating later.
They brought us finger foods: salmon with crème fraiche over a pancake, a piece of chicken teriyaki, a cucumber sandwich, and the aforementioned oyster. The food was good, especially the oysters. They tasted fresh from the ocean.
Overall, while I had been looking forward to a traditional wine tasting (and even had a glass of wine while getting ready, which either makes me the perfect Tulane alum or just an alcoholic), I did enjoy the novelty of the cocktail tasting. Who knows, maybe I even learned something about literature.
I'll be honest.. I had read a lot about this place so I was excited to come here. Â Since there aren't too many choices for food in this area, I decided to stop by with a friend. Â We were shown to the back room where we could see and hear the music but not in front of them so we could enjoy it. Â They have a strange decor.. using a lot of neon lights. Â Although this could be good... it can come off looking as tacky to certain people. Â I highly suggest they change this look.
This place was mostly empty but still the service was a little slow.
We tried a few things.. none of them that really wowed. Â The best was the crab claws.. that was pretty good.. but they didn't do much except steam fresh ones. Â It was pretty good. Â The two dishes that we got.. were just okay. Â I got a cassoulet.. which was better than what they had at Pigalle but really not that tender (the meat) that is.. we also ordered drinks but nothing from the drink was memorable really.
My friend got the pork belly which was also just okay.. but nothing that great.
It's not French.. it's French American... so if you're from France.. you'll be dissapointed.
Perhaps this place is better for lunch.. I read it was. Â Unfortunately, it's not convenient to go here for me at lunch...
I've been here for lunch, a date night (sat at the bar for drinks and apps) and for a girls night.
Lunch was fab. Go here. Really.
I would definitely recommend stopping by here on one of the nights they have live jazz. It's wonderful. The bartender was so nice (he even made me a special shot because it was my birthday!) and the apps are yummy.
I would not, however, recommend having girls night here, nor would I come back for a full dinner. The portions are way too small for sharing, and on the expensive side. In all honesty, I was still hungry after leaving here, even though i spent an amount of money that should have left me stuffed. The food was pretty good, just rather expensive for the portions.
The waiter was very good though, and helped us make our selections, while always checking in promptly after delivering food or drinks.
I stopped by Les Zygomates for a late dinner on a Friday night. The restaurant is divided into 2 parts. One for live music and the other side that is more quiet and has tables and a bar, both serve food and drinks. Our server was friendly and attentive. We had:
Oysters - They were good east coast oysters for around $2
Moules Normandes (Mussels) - It came in a broth of apples, bacon, and onions. This was the best dish of the night, interesting and tasty mix.
The Burger - It was on their bar menu and I had wanted to try it for a while. It was a little too rich for my taste, but still pretty good. The bun was more pastry than bread-like. It came topped with bacon, gruyere cheese, and foie gras butter. It tasted great at first but it was too heavy for me to finish.
I had a bad time at Les Zygomates and I think above all I blame the busboy. Haha - yeah... the BUSBOY!
Let me explain....
Table for two for dinner with the jazz on Saturday night - not a problem getting seated, but the seating was a problem. We were put in a narrow gap between larger tables in uncomfortable chairs. Look around - there is no better 2 person table. They're all badly placed. Oh well. But then... Busboy! Yes... Busboy slides past through the gap to my right, tops up my water even after I've only taken one mouthful. 2 mins later, he's determined to top me up again. This time slides past my left. Conversation pauses. Mouthful of water... he's back to top me up and ruin my night by invading my personal space and ruining my conversation. Do I dare drink more water?? He'll pounce!
I had the sweetbread starter - if you like paying a lot of money for having fried thymus that basically just tastes like chicken then get that. The Pate starter is much much better - truly wonderful. But we ran out of the free bread straight away. And Busboy didn't deliver the proper bread for the pate until 15 mins later when we'd long finished it - he was too busy topping up waters. (BUSBOY!!!)
For 10 dollars each, the starters are very tempting - all of them. I want to sit there and eat them all up tapas-style. But no no no - this is a French restaurant. We must play by the rules! And that sucks because for 25 to 35 dollars each, the entrees are not eye-catching on the menu. In fact, they were a huge disappointment. I couldn't even get half-way through my stuffed crepe without giving up as it was just too salty. I told Busboy when he cleared up, but it amounted to nothing - Busboy didn't tell anyone and I still had to pay full whack for something  that made me feel sick. Oh, and then Busboy stopped giving me water, which was hell after all that salt. The swine!
You have to wonder with all of this where was the waitress or the maitre d to help me out. I didn't see much of them. Just Busboy. I guess I should've properly complained but the bad service, bad entree and uncomfortable seating literally had me struggling to get out and have some fresh air. I think I'm properly complaining now.
So...
::: Pate = good, appetizers menu = good, wine = good
::: Service = poor, seats = poor, entrees = poor, loud jazz = poor, coolness of clientele = poor, Tom's bank = poor
::: Busboy with his water = pour pour pour (new personal arch-enemy)
Les Zygomates has wine tastings every Tuesday. Â I went last night with some friends for a tasting that included some raw bar appetizers. Â The food that we had was fantastic and the wine was great.
Once in a while you come across a restaurant server and you have to wonder, "how does this person view their role in the world?" Â Most of us probably think that restaurant wait staff are, in fact, charged with serving you and making your evening as pleasant as possible. Â Mais non! Â Clearly you have not met the servers at Les Zygomates. Â I now realize that I have been going through life throwing around phrases like "self-important" and "inflated sense of self-worth" without ever knowing what they truly mean.
I just edited out some of my most scathing comments. Â Suffice to say that the decor here is lovely, the food is great, they have a keen understanding of wine and possibly the worst service I've had in the metro Boston area.
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