Last Friday, I thought to take my mom to Restaurant Zoe in Belltown. To be honest, I've stumbled by this restaurant (both sober and drunk) over 100 times, but could never find the right occasion to go for a bite. It turns out, you don't need an excuse to eat here, it's just that good. We walked in without a reservation and were seated within 30 seconds. From the moment we sat down and every second after, I was fascinated with how all the waiters, servers, hosts, bussers and bartenders appeared to work as a single, well-oiled machine; equivalent to a German engineered BMW, where each part has been hand selected for maximum efficiency and exhilarating speeds.
I studied the menu like a game of chess, attempting to maximize my pleasures while minimizing my stomach intake. One waiter served us 3 slices of bread each and placed a shallow plate between us, filled with an emulsion of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a tasty red sauce. Another person brought water while yet another offered us advice on some tasty dishes. It appeared that each server would assume a different role depending on what was needed and who was occupied but our waiter stayed the same throughout the meal. At the same time, I noticed the host had moved from his podium to also tend the bar. It seemed no table was without a waiter for more than 15 seconds, not in the overbearing sense but more as a sense of comfort.
The Alaska sea scallop carpaccio and a second appetizer that escapes me were followed by several two amuse bouche and finally our main course: Sonoma Artisan Duck Breast and the Spicy Wild Boar Bolognese. The tasty duck was moist and soft, and sliced to bite size pieces, but the bolognese blew my mind. I can honestly say this was the best bolognese I have ever tried. Arugula pappardelle, chili flakes and parmesan was all that was required of this dish. The extra wide fettuccine-like egg pasta infused with arugula was so tasty, you could have probably eaten it with olive oil alone. The wild boar was cooked just right, complementing the delicious pappardelle. I don't know if I would have been able to tell if it was boar and not beef, but there was the perfect amount of ground meat flavored with the chili flakes and tomato sauce. The combination of tomato sauce, spicy wild boar, pappardelle and parmesan makes this my favorite pasta bolognese I have ever eaten. I can't wait to come back and eat it again.
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