Zinnia - a very belated review!

In June, we had the pleasure of holding the 5-year anniversary of Dine About a Zinnia's, the new restaurant situated in the former Scott Howard space. In attendance were the Phans, Lehman Koo, Avis Klinke, and the Minns, while two other scheduled attendees were MIA due to back injuries and lack of babysitters.

We sat in the Chef's table area closest to the kitchen with a specially prepared menu for our group. I've scanned a copy of the menut and it is available here. As it's been a while I can't recall all the details, so please feel free to add to this blog.

Food = 88

The bread they started us off with was warm, delicious and crusty, with a perfect olive oil and balsamic vinegar mix for dipping. The Ahi Tuna poke was very refreshing with the cucumber and shiso sauce, while the Asparagus salad was well complimented with capers. However, my favorite of the three appetizers was the chilled Thai Coconut Soup with Dungeness crab - a little on the salty side, but with a nice touch of ginger.

The second course was solid overall. Rigatoni pasta with foie gras cream; seared scallops in lobster sauce with crispy potatoes, and the creamy risotto with English peas were all cooked well.

The main course included poached Alaskan halibut with heirloom carrots and saffron sauce, grilled hanger steak with green peppercorn sauce and fries, and a seared organic chicken roulade with bacon jus. The halibut was the favorite, followed by the tender and juicy organic chicken. The main disappointment of the night was the Hanger steak - while the green peppercorn sauce and the fries were delicious, they couldn't save an over-cooked and tough steak.

For dessert we sampled warm chocolate mousse over an eclair with cocoa fruit parfait - a chocolate lovers dream dessert, while the thyme scone with champagne, strawberries, and balsamic sorbet was a fruity and light contrast.

Ambiance = 90
While the restaurant was not very crowded, and there wasn't much updating of the decor from the Scott Howard incarnation, it was still a warm and inviting space. The new light fixtures were quite pleasant and welcoming.

Service = 87
My memory of the service is that it could have been a somewhat better - our waiter took quite a long time to bring out water and the first courses.