Mediterranean Cuisine
By
Carol & Joe Davis
Dining Detectives
Berkeley
is a very sophisticated dining town and new restaurants have to
be better than just good to make it! When we heard that the space
on 4th Street was open again we hoped for the best because of
the past turnover.
|
click
on image to enlarge & get caption |
We
were pleased to hear that Zut! had hired successful
and accomplished Executive Chef Jim Wimborough
who is a graduate of The California Culinary Academy and has great
local experience. As we entered the newly renovated space, we
could tell that the vibe was more welcoming than previously. We
were seated in the center of the main dining room where we could
see the stylish bar which has custom Cast-Glass shelves and a
zinc top. The side dining room is surrounded by wonderful murals
and a shade which covers the skylight to enhance the mood in the
early evening. There is a small outdoor patio and a semi-exhibition
kitchen with a wood fire grill and rotisserie all creating a wonderful
ambience.
We
ordered cocktails to start as we looked at the focused menu. As
we drank our Maltese Cocktail made with Ketel One Vodka,
grapefruit, lemon, mint and Ouzo and a Cosmopolitan made
with fresh lime juice we made some decisions about what to taste
with the help of our friendly and professional server Jed. The
starters that we enjoyed included the Stuffed Local Squid
with chorizo, mint, garlic and lemon spicy, the Lamb Meatballs
with smashed avocado and pecorino which had an excellent tomato
sauce and the Crispy Smelts with lemon and garlic. Next,
we had a delicious unique Farm Egg & Sausage Pizza
made with fresh mozzarella, gypsy peppers and early girl sweet
tomatoes. One doesn't normally think of eggs on pizza but here
it really worked!
The
Wine List features Southern European and California Wines and
with our entrees we enjoyed the 2009 Longboard Sonoma Sauvignon
Blanc and the 2008 Domaine Arlaud Burgundy Pinot Noir.
Our entrees were both suburb! The Whole Petrale Sole with summer
radish, ruby grapefruit vinaigrette and sautéed spigariello
greens was one of the best fish entrees we have had all year.
The Heritage Farms Pork Rotisserie with roasted mission
figs, polenta and parmesan was excellent. The pork was very succulent
and tender enhanced with flavors created by the rotisserie. The
dessert that we really enjoyed was the silky and tasty Muscovado
Pot De Crème which was a whole wheat hazelnut sable
caramel with a great burnt flavor. An Espresso, Amaro Montenegro
Bitters and a Carpano Antica Vermouth which were recommended by
Bar Manager, Michael Petrilli, was the perfect finish to an outstanding
dining experience.
Berkeley
is a foodie town and to survive a restaurant must reach certain
heights. Zut! has the right stuff to please with
excellent cuisine made with locally sourced and sustainable ingredients,
stylish décor created by local Berkeley craftsmen and artists
and a friendly vibe. You may wonder the origin of the name? Zut
was the beloved Dog of the original builders many years
ago. If you request... they will show you his cute picture. Zut
alors is also a mild French expletive. As we left we heard a train
whistle in the background and all we could think of was Zut!
was damn good!
Zut!
Restaurant
1820 4th Street
Berkeley, CA. 94710
510-644-0444
www.ZutonFourth.com
