Some building mates and I celebrate our June birthdays together. This time we did so at Zou Zou’s, a lively Mediterranean restaurant at Manhattan West. The restaurant celebrates the cuisine of the eastern Mediterranean from chef Madeline Sperling, who hails from Gramercy Tavern and The NoMad. It’s a small 75-seat space around an open kitchen with a wood-fired hearth.

We started with cocktails, including their Sumac Spritz (Prosecco, Tito’s vodka, grapefruit juice and sumac bitters ($16), a Golden Negroni (Tanqueray gin, Lillet Blanc, apricot and Suze liqueur ($17) and their Manhattan West (Maker’s Mark, Averna amaro liqueur with mole and walnut bitters garnished with a harissa cherry ($18).

One friend started with the cured local fluke crudo drizzled with a spicy cilantro sauce topped with pickled radish ($19).


Don’t miss the dips. We selected all five offerings ($35) with fresh veggies and their bazlama, the  grilled Turkish bread ($6 for extra). The delicious dips included a house-made hummus drizzled with black garlic oil, roasted eggplant with spiced peppers; whipped ricotta topped with diced apricots; carrot muhammara topped with pomegranate arils and sunflower seeds; and their green tahini topped with chickpea foam (aquafaba) and cilantro.

 

 

With our entrees, we sipped a Marques Caceres Tempranillo, Rioja 2016 and shared their incredibly rich duck borek with a small side salad ($45) that I recommend.

We also shared the branzino ($39) topped with chermoula, the North African sauce made of fresh herbs, along with escarole, a side little gem salad ($19) topped with za’atar crumbs and roasted grapes, while one dining partner ordered crispy latkes ($13) topped with fried thyme and dandelion greens ($10) with “Jammy onions.”

I do recommend a visit.

Zou Zou’s
Manhattan West
385 9th Ave, Suite 85,
New York, NY 10001
(212) 380-8585
zouzousnyc.com