Gimme a "Z"! Gimme a vowel! Gimme another "Z"! Gimme another vowel! What does it spell? Is it Zazu, Zazi, or Zuzu?
All interesting names for a restaurant if you ask me. But which one is owned by the brother of this guy at one of the wineries I would frequent? I used to walk in and go the member's desk and time after time, say, "Hi Bob, how are you?" And Dan would smile, pour me as much wine as I wanted to taste, and never let me know that I had his name wrong. This went on repeatedly for several years until one day I realized I had him mixed up with someone else at the winery. One day Bob, I mean Dan, told me about his brother's tapas restaurant in Napa. I meant to stop in during one of my visits to the wine country.
A couple of years ago, we made reservations to stay in Sonoma for Winter Wineland, bought our wine tasting glasses, and headed to the Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valleys for the weekend. I was thrilled to see Zazu was not far from our wine tasting event and reserved a table for dinner. I couldn't wait to go back to my favorite winery and tell Dan all about it. We drove on Guernville Road until we ran into a locally sourced roadside restaurant with a garden out back. It was winter and the menu was pig opulent. While the menu changes nightly all specials are printed but I overheard a server tell the regulars at the table next to us that a duck confit with braised cabbage was one of their limited quantity specials not on the menu. Somehow I managed to order the last leg and devoured every lovely bite.
The next day on the way back to San Francisco, we stopped at my favorite winery and I bragged to Dan that we had finally visited his brother's restaurant, only to find out we had dined at the wrong one, or so I thought. If I got Dan and Bob mixed up, no wonder Zuzu and Zazu were the same to me, especially since originally Zazu had been named Zuzu but had to change their name. Zazu got its name based on advice given to the owners from Mario Batali that a restaurant's name should not be more than two syllables. And its even more confusing that Zazu's cuisine reminds me of my other favorite restaurant with two syllables, Zuni.
Since our first meal there, Zazu left something so memorable in my mind we go back every chance we get. Zazu supports local, diverse, and sustainable agriculture. The chef's garden behind the barn and the menu filled with local ingredients is evident of their practice. Every meal there is fresh, distinguished, comforting, with balanced flavors, and masterful creations that are bursting with flavor. We always start with one of their housemade black pig salumis. In addition to the red wine copa, last night we also had the eggplant caponata with cocoa nibs, currants, and pinenuts. As if the caponata needed any help, it was served with the most delicious grilled bread with olive oil, salt, and the smoky flavors of a well seasoned grill. That's just it.... every bite has layer after layer of earthy flavors. None of the "starts" or "mains" on the menu has ever disappointed. Last night my choice was to start with the backyard tomato + farmer wendy's melon salad with backyard shiso and prosciutto di parma. The shiso leaf added an unusually pleasant cinnamon-basil flavor that allowed the melon-prosciutto blend to work with the tomatoes. We followed the salad with petit poussin al mattone with grilled bread panzanella, chicories, sultanas, and pine nuts. I saved half of the little chicken to be able to savor the flavors again the next day on a salad. Tough to do but I had to leave room for another of their signatures: the housemade gelato. When the peanut butter scare was going on, I didn't hesitate to order the peanut butter gelato with a scoop of the Scharffenberger chocolate. And we still go back each time hoping to steal another taste of the savory oilve oil gelato followed by the Flying Goat espresso.
Surrounded by farms, in a little red converted farmhouse on the side of the road, Zazu with all its rustic charm is a culinary experience not to be missed!
suggestions:
Zazu means it when they say, "Bring Home the Bacon!" For $10 you can take back a 12 oz package of their heritage pork antibiotic and hormone free bacon from the owners' Black Pig Meat Company. You can also order the bacon online.
Scharffen Berger Cocoa Nib Caponata (Recipe from Zazu's website):
ingredients:
2 eggplant, diced 1 inch
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
28 ounce can peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 1/2 ounces, semisweet chocolate, chopped small
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
5 stalks celery, diced
1/4 cup raisins, plumped in boiling water
1/4 cup toasted pinenuts
1/4 cup capers
1 tablespoon cocoa nibs
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
olive oil,
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
method:
In a large saute pan on medium high heat, saute the eggplant in single layer batches until golden and soft, about 7 minutes. Set aside. In the same pan, open up the garlic in a little oil until fragrant, about a minute. Add the tomatoes and chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted. In a mixing bowl, combine eggplant, garlic, tomatoes, balsamic, celery, raisins, pinenuts, capers, cocoa nibs, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
where to find:
Zazu Restaurant & Farm
address: 3535 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
phone: (707) 523-4814
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