Zerza Mediterrano
308 East 6th Street, New York, NY 10003
Zerza is a Mediterranean and Moroccan style restaurant and bar. The price is middle-range. I went with my boyfriend and a friend, and we split the Lamb Mrouzia Tagine (braised with caramelized prune and almond) and the Couscous Chicken Berber (has caramelized onions and raisins). When we first looked at the dishes, we thought we had not ordered enough food for the three of us. However, the dishes were so rich, we were totally satisfied. The lamb shank came easily off the bone with just a fork and was tender, but not so tender that it was difficult to eat. The prune sauce was delicious, rich, and slightly sweet with great aromatic spices. It was great mixed with the plain couscous served as a side. The chicken couscous was also a treat. The chicken itself, simply a quarter leg placed on top of the couscous and vegetables, was tender and moist, but the flavor wasn't particularly spectacular. The couscous itself was great though. The caramelized onions were perfectly balanced with the raisins. I didn't really feel the need to use the broth that came with the dish. I didn't really think the flavor of the broth went with the flavor of the vegetables in the couscous. I wish there had been a higher caramelized onion and raisin to couscous ratio. I think for the flavor of the chicken, you might as well get the vegetable couscous because it's the same dish without the chicken leg plopped on top.
The restaurant itself felt a little cramped. A waiter did knock over a plate as he was maneuvering tables to accommodate a larger group. There were two waitresses covering the whole restaurant on a Friday night. Our waitress wasn't too welcoming. She was not happy that we asked to be moved away from the door on a windy, rainy, drafty evening. It also took her awhile to ask for our orders. This wouldn't have bothered me if we had been looking at the menus, but we were talking to each other for ten minutes with the menus flat on the table after we had obviously been looking through them. She may have just had an off night. Overall, I think the food was excellent and satisfying, but the ambiance felt a little off.
Zerza is a Mediterranean and Moroccan style restaurant and bar. The price is middle-range. I went with my boyfriend and a friend, and we split the Lamb Mrouzia Tagine (braised with caramelized prune and almond) and the Couscous Chicken Berber (has caramelized onions and raisins). When we first looked at the dishes, we thought we had not ordered enough food for the three of us. However, the dishes were so rich, we were totally satisfied. The lamb shank came easily off the bone with just a fork and was tender, but not so tender that it was difficult to eat. The prune sauce was delicious, rich, and slightly sweet with great aromatic spices. It was great mixed with the plain couscous served as a side. The chicken couscous was also a treat. The chicken itself, simply a quarter leg placed on top of the couscous and vegetables, was tender and moist, but the flavor wasn't particularly spectacular. The couscous itself was great though. The caramelized onions were perfectly balanced with the raisins. I didn't really feel the need to use the broth that came with the dish. I didn't really think the flavor of the broth went with the flavor of the vegetables in the couscous. I wish there had been a higher caramelized onion and raisin to couscous ratio. I think for the flavor of the chicken, you might as well get the vegetable couscous because it's the same dish without the chicken leg plopped on top.
The restaurant itself felt a little cramped. A waiter did knock over a plate as he was maneuvering tables to accommodate a larger group. There were two waitresses covering the whole restaurant on a Friday night. Our waitress wasn't too welcoming. She was not happy that we asked to be moved away from the door on a windy, rainy, drafty evening. It also took her awhile to ask for our orders. This wouldn't have bothered me if we had been looking at the menus, but we were talking to each other for ten minutes with the menus flat on the table after we had obviously been looking through them. She may have just had an off night. Overall, I think the food was excellent and satisfying, but the ambiance felt a little off.
Thank you for your nice compliments about our restaurant! We would like to inform you that we have moved to a larger space to better serve our guests. I hope you pay us a visit in the near future to experience the new and improved Zerza!
ReplyDeletethank you again,
Zerza family