Sunday, August 06, 2006

Hot Summer Night at Zeus

Zeus Gallery Café expanded its size fairly recently. We decided to drop in on a sweltering Monday night. I’m sorry to report that the cooling equipment did not receive an expansion, much to our discomfort. We forged ahead anyway with dinner, drooling over the chalkboard list of items. To drink we still went for a hefty red wine – 2003 Burrton Napa Special Selection Merlot. The alcohol in this wine burned all the way down, even though it had some fruit and weight. In reading the label we discovered that the alcohol content ranged from 14.3 – 16.3 %. We definitely had a bottle in the 16% range. Thus, my husband drank sparingly since he was driving, and I was a touch loopy after dinner.

We skipped appetizers (just too hot) and dived into the entrees. I ordered the Grilled Filet Mignon with Red Pepper Béarnaise served with a White Truffle Oil Potato Cake. Great piece of beef. The Red Pepper Béarnaise was more béarnaise than red pepper, thus, slightly disappointing for someone who expected to taste something new. Potato cakes are always good. The white truffle oil added an ever so slight earthiness. My spouse opted for the Veal Saltimbocca with Pancetta Ham, Sage, Parmesan, and Arugula over Linguini with a Tomato & Veal Stock Pan Sauce. Tender cuts of veal and very thick pancetta. The tomato and veal stock sauce was a delicious balance, not too tomato-y. The meal was served with the always delectable Metro Bakery bread.

Zeus always pleases. Interesting food combinations, always a decent rotating wine list, and a cozy, casual atmosphere. But we will wait until the weather cools to return.

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