Review: Zanzabar

Hummus and pita from Zanzabar. (Credit: Kylene Lloyd)

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The brothers Anthony and Jon Wettig and their partner Mike Wilson deserve some serious preservationist props for uncovering and restoring the white tile and the big, blunt, black “Z” that form the façade of their new pub/restaurant Zanzabar, in the St. Joseph’s neighborhood, on the fringe of Germantown. By all accounts, the project – which involved stripping away siding, awnings, and other architectural detritus – was more like an archeological dig than a standard renovation project.

Once home to Nord’s Brown Bag Deli (and before that to the old Zanzibar, aka, the Z-Bar), the building’s interior has undergone an extreme makeover as well, one that blends hipster-chic with Louisville nostalgia. High contrast black and gray patterns predominate. Heirloom video huddle in the corners. Here and there hang artifacts of old marketing campaigns touting Louisville as a “City of the Seventies.” For local color, there’s a dramatic photo offering what looks to be a starter’s eye view of horses charging from the gate at Churchill Downs. And in addition to the booths (furnished with bright metal tables that offer, at best, cold comfort to diners), tables, a long bar, and a patio (for smokers and fair-weather dining) there’s a low-slung stage that regularly features a mix of local and touring acts.

The kitchen is in the hands of Jamie Jones, formerly of Bistro 301, and the menu focuses on sandwiches, pub foods, and scratch-made “comfort food” with Louisville and Germantown riffs. Sandwiches, for instance, include a club sandwich featuring braunschweiger and provolone ($6.50); a Reuben sandwich ($6.50) starts with customary elements – richly-flavored house-made corned beef and Swiss cheese – but replaces sauerkraut with a spicy cole slaw that livens things up to good, if untraditional effect. Hummus and pita (from Middle Eastern Parkway, jokes the menu) are served with olive tapenade and feta ($5). And the menu includes burgers of beef ($6.95) and turkey ($7.50), as well as a handful of entrees and daily specials.

On a few recent visits, service was commendable. Even when bands are on stage or performing sound checks, the enthusiastic staff seems quite focused on tending to customers (and though most of the dining area is in proximity to the stage, a cozy cluster of table near the front door is available for diners who aren’t there for the music).

From a “comfort food” standpoint, though, meals have been a mixed bag. Daily lunch specials served cafeteria-style (meat and 2 sides for $6.50) are serviceable, hearty, and inexpensive, but uninspired: meat loaf slathered with an insipid pink sauce, or a chicken breast doctored up with bell peppers; competent sides like macaroni and cheese, lima beans, redskin mashed potatoes. One night herb-roasted chicken ($11.95 for a half chicken with sides) tasted as if it had been prepared for someone on a salt-and-pepper-free diet; nor did the few flecks of scattered herbs contribute anything to the flavor. Even an accompanying scoop of bacon-mushroom risotto managed the difficult task of tasting rather like plain rice.

A nicely fried filet of fried grouper on cod on toasted marble rye was moist and juicy, and though here again the batter added nothing, a garnish of fresh vegetables and a dab of spicy tartar sauce helped things along, as did a stack of house-made potato chips ($7.95).

With winter coming on, though, I note that recent soups have, indeed, been the very essence of comfort: chunks of ham swimming in a rich, oniony broth with a tender white beans, or a very fine mix of torn chicken, Andouille sausage, rice, and beans in a spicy stock ($1.95/$2.95). Likewise, few things are more comforting than warm, dense brownies studded with walnuts and dished up with a scoop of whipped cream.

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