I had been eating fried chicken almost once a day for several weeks when Ihad a meal at Zula Bistro. It was my first visit there in a long time.My husband and I sharedsome arancini, a lovely tuna crudo, a green bean salad and the fish special of theday, which was corvina on top of more salad.
It all tasted so good to me. Everything had fresh, clean flavors:theherbal flavor of leaves of parsley in the green bean salad, thepurity of the raw fish and the bright sunshine of orange with the dense flaky fish.
This is how I love to eat.
So I went back for a re-visit and a new review.
Owner/Chef Tsvika Silberberg is a highly-trained chef who could do all kinds offancy things, as he used to years ago at The Celestial. Instead, he offers a kind of quirky menu, full ofthings he likes. They're simply prepared,with freshness and flavor obviously the most important goals.
You can eat the food here on whatever combination you want, sharing with your friendsor treating it as a regular coursed meal if that's nicer for you. Salads are big enough to share for two but good enough to eat all oneself. Mussels obviously make a great center-of-the-table dish, as do flatbreads. The large-plate specials can be treated as a regular entree or also shared around the table.
This all works if you're trying to make it to a concert at Music Hall, across the park, or you have longer to linger.Or if you're coming after a concert, because they're open late. You can choose a meal that fits your time frame, and Zula is very conscious of taking care of music lovers.
Like the food, the atmosphere is simple but classy.The front room has windows with a view of Race Street and the park beyond. Then there's a backroom, giving Zula more space than many of its neighbors, which they often book for groups and parties. Lots of people eat at the bar, too.
On a return visit, I was eager to have theeggplant fries that I remembered from my first visit. These sticks are not perfectly cut to the same dimensions.But it would be irrelevant to care. Nothing gets crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside like eggplant does when fried. These are then dusted with powdered sugar! And there's a nice zippy hot sauce to dip them in so you get a lot of contrast in flavor and texture. I could give up french fries for these. Arancini are anotherfried delicacy but was the least impressive dish we had, lacking a good cheesy center.
We had Thai curry mussels, with vegetables and a lemon grass-scented coconut broth. The mussels dishes come with house-made bread, which is good, but I think I prefer the more commonly served crisp toast. We had beet salad, one of the few dishes with an elaborate presentation: a pile of beet cubes and Danish blue cheese surrounded by a mosaic of several sauces. It was more savory and hearty than many beet salads.The haricots verts salad was lighterand greener, withjust-crisp green beans, slow-roasted tomatoes and hearts of palm. And lots of parsley, which does have a flavor, though it's not often highlighted.
The tuna crudo was simply sliced, raw, just dressed a bit with herb oil, topped with thinly julienned radish.
I'd say go for one of the large-place specials. Both I tried were among the most delicious things I've had lately. The first one, the corvina, was a generous filet, a little crispy, served on a panzanella salad, with toast cubes and sections of orange as well as the usual tomato and greens.
And the duck. The duck.It was one breast, cut into slices. Each slicewas topped with a thin strip of perfectly crisped skin. We shared this, and every time someone took a bite, they'd say "Oh, man, this is good." It wasn't just the rich solid crispness, almost crunch of the skin. It was the perfectly tender meat, unlike a lot of duck that can be almost bouncy and rubbery.And the lentils it was served on top of, full of flavor. I don't think I would have gotten tired of it even if I'd had it all.
You could stop there, but there's dessert to order. We loved the raspberry cake. It's like a particularly rich cupcake or muffin, studded with raspberries. The brownie with a Kahlua topping was also nice.
The same server waited on us both times. She had that confidence of knowing the menu without having to awkwardly recite it all, with a breezy friendliness and a thorough eye on the details. Several people brought the food, as it was ready, part of the casualness of sharing.
I think things are just a little more expensive here than you'd expect from the casualness of the menu. The duck was $28. I thought it was worth it.
Zula Bistro
4 stars
Where: 1400 Race St., Over-the-Rhine
When: 5p.m.-1 a.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 4 p.m.-1:30 am Friday and Saturday
Prices: smaller plates $11.25-$13.25, mussels $15.25-$17.25; flatbreads $14.50-$16.75, specials up to $28.
Vegetarian options: Good: flatbreads, salads, eggplant. Excellent for pescetarians.
Reservations: Taken
Phone: 513-744-9852
Website: www.zulabisro.com
