The Kitchen Zinc

Navigating the unusual charms of Center City's latest French bistro.

by Trey Popp

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Published: Oct 23, 2007

Lauren Nash BOTTLE SERVICE: Zinc staffers behind the vintage bar, which dates back to 1919 Paris. The restaurant's wine list is admirably simple and unpretentious. (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

Wherever bellies and booze come together over a handcrafted counter, odds are that some restaurateur has a resurrection story that goes along with it. "Can you believe this thing was covered in grime-caked Formica for 50 years?" he'll tell you. "It was carved from a single cherry tree and built without nails!" And if the tale isn't one of local salvage, it will likely involve shipping manifests written in two languages and carried over 5,000 miles of ocean swells.

For Olivier Desaintmartin, it's a little of both. Prior to opening his new French bistro, Zinc, the chef found a zinc bar dating to 1919 in a Parisian watering hole, refurbished the thing and dragged it back to Philly. Situated beneath a pressed-tin ceiling in the back of his charming 11th Street eatery, it is now the grace note in a winning addition to Center City's blossoming bistro scene.

As the nearby wine chalkboard attests, the vintage bar isn't the only throwback at Zinc, which was known as La Boheme before Desaintmartin purchased it earlier this year. How's this for a choice of grape juice: "Pinot Noir," "Sauvignon Blanc," "Chardonnay" and so on. Not a brand name to be found on the board, nor on the menu. For a place that calls itself a Bistro a Vins, the complete absence of chateaux and vintner names from the wine list might seem rather low-rent. Yet that turns out to be one of the freshest things about this place.

My conversion moment came as soon as I asked a server what I'd be getting if I opted for a glass of Viognier. She brought out three bottles — two French and one Australian. The latter was a pure varietal; both of the former featured Roussanne and Marsanne, two Rhone grapes that rarely grace typical wine lists. I recognized only one of the three, and there was no price difference (Zinc generally charges around $8 to $10 a glass), freeing me to follow my interests rather than ferret out a bargain. Better yet, the restaurant's intention to change offerings frequently meant that in another few weeks, the choices might be totally different.

To top it off, every glass that came to my table was interesting and delicious, from the white Rhone blend I chose to a yummy Morgon from Beaujolais, one of that region's more distinctive appellations. To my mind, if a restaurant is stuck overcharging for wine on account of state law, it really ought to strive to add value by helping customers expand their horizons. Zinc meets this mark in an admirably simple and unpretentious way.

The food, as you'd expect from a bistro, is also straightforward and unfussy. A "wild mushroom ragout tart" appetizer actually came in a puff pastry that was splendidly unsoggy, considering the juicy load of fungus and Morbier cheese it carried. An omelette napoleon featured half a dozen paper-thin layers of egg alternating with spinach and roasted-red-pepper spreads, and was remarkably soft and light for its size.

A deceptively simple carpaccio of tomato and mango married surprisingly well with the goat cheese and basil scattered atop it. The only false step among the starters was a platter of raw New Jersey clams. A substrate of glistening seaweed made for the prettiest presentation of the meal, but the tiny clams tasted a day past fresh.

Among the mains, it's hard to beat the steak frites — emphasis on the frites. Zinc's shoestring potatoes have that seemingly twice-fried crispiness reminiscent of the Arby's variety, and come with a tuft of delicate little chips so thin they're practically translucent. The beef's manly texture held a ton of flavor, and was priced fairly at $19. Same goes for the rabbit stew with pappardelle, which came in an ample portion — though perhaps an overly ample admixture of celery.

The only price tag that didn't make sense was the one attached to a daily special of mountain trout. The fish was perfectly cooked and nicely dressed with toasted almond slices, but $28 is out of sight for one of the least expensive swimmers in the market. Overall, portions were big enough that my party could squeeze in only a single chocolate pot-de-crème for dessert, but it argued soundly for using Zinc as a wine-and-dessert spot on a future visit.

Like a lot of downtown restaurants, Zinc packs in its tables tightly, but a glass wall that abuts the street relieves any sense of claustrophobia that the space might otherwise induce. Besides, there's something about the rows of two-tops covered with butcher paper, and the exposed-brick walls hung with prints and mirrors, that nails the feel of a contemporary Parisian bistro. Even without the 88-year-old bar.

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

Zinc Bistro a Vins

246 S. 11th St., 215-351-9901

www.zincbarphilly.com

Hours: Tue.-Fri., 4-11 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 11:30 a.m. 11 p.m.

Appetizers, $7-$11; Entrées, $14-$25

 

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