CityZen

2012 Fall Dining Guide
By Tom Sietsema
Sunday, October 21, 2012

Almost every bravura performance includes a showstopper, a moment when the star delivers something exquisite. Order the six-course tasting menu at CityZen, and you’ll probably agree that the high point of the evening is a dish called Lobster Magic. Dreamed up by Eric Ziebold, the fourth course, seafood-and-pork dumplings, is introduced from a cart that’s rolled to the table by the executive chef himself. Ziebold lets you see the pine-green purses before he gently cooks them in a steamer basket. Moments later, they emerge hot and ... red! With a smile, the boyish protege of Thomas Keller explains the “magic,” which lands in a bowl garnished with caramelized cauliflower and golden raisins: The pasta dough is made with lobster roe, which changes hue when it’s cooked. The trick is delicious, but it is far from the only thrill of the night in this cathedral of luxury dining. Halibut perched on a nest of young coconut and served in a consomme of roasted corn, and a torchon of foie gras poised on soft peaches and ringed in sparkling wine gelee quicken this food lover’s pulse, too. With the succulent herb-roasted lamb comes a glass of 2006 Font de la Figuera, a blend of Grenache, carignan and syrah from Priorat, Spain -- and gratitude for sommeliers as passionate as Andy Meyers, who’s also responsible for the dining room’s cool playlist. CityZen is eight years old, but it feels as fresh as ever.