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Chicago Restaurant Week

Restaurant Week 2014: ZED451

This is part of a series of posts about Chicago Restaurant Week 2014, held January 24–February 6. Check out the 2013 recap, or browse all Restaurant Week coverage.

Dinner at ZED451

Red apple orchard sangria (shiraz, brandy, apple juice, and cinnamon sticks) at our fireside table
Red apple orchard sangria (shiraz, brandy, apple juice, and cinnamon sticks) at our fireside table

Best Bite: ZED451’s churrasceria-style format was a hit with our group of nine. The $33 menu price included all we could eat from the “harvest table” of salads and charcuterie, plus unlimited chicken, steak, and salmon, and a final dessert, so it was an especially good Restaurant Week value. Several of the harvest table’s offerings were creative, flavorful mash-ups, such as guacamole deviled eggs and caesar salad made from brussels sprouts. With so many more eclectic options than that of a standard salad bar, it was even easier to fill up before the meat arrived. I also took the suggestion of a sign at the charcuterie station and saved some of the Shiraz butter to spread onto a piece of sirloin (it was a great suggestion). A pitcher of cinnamon-apple sangria also suited the festive occasion. See full menu.

Brussels sprout caesar salad, guacamole deviled eggs, spicy Thai apple and carrot salads, sauteed wild mushrooms, and more bounty from the harvest table
Broccoli cheddar soup, brussels sprout caesar salad, guacamole deviled eggs, spicy Thai apple and carrot salads, sautéed wild mushrooms, and more bounty from the harvest table

Other notes: Somewhere between our second round of salads and the first round of meat, our server brought miniature, meat-studded biscuits served in a repurposed escargot pan – with melted butter in the middle round spot – that were very popular at our table. The buzzing atmosphere was great for a large group, with our long table extending out from a sizable round fireplace in the center of the room. As a final touch that was befitting of tony River North, the restaurant offered us a free private shuttle that took us a few miles north toward our next destination.

Chef slicing sirloin for the table
A chef slicing top sirloin for the table

The details: ZED451, 739 N. Clark St., Chicago.

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