Green Zebra- thoroughly underwhelming

I dined at Green Zebra for the second time on thursday evening and was thoroughly disappointed. My first visit, I must say was better than this one- but I was hoping the second trip was going to redeem the restaurant- alas, a no go. The service was sloppy and although I usually don't care because I have chronic waiter guilt for spending a good portion of my life in that role- I cannot justify such carelessness for such an expensive dining experience. We ordered a bottle of sparkling water and two of their non-alcoholic beverages. We got the water but he forgot our drinks and when I reminded him- he brought me another bottle of water. He also seemed intent on pushing the philosophy of the restaurant eventhough I told him I had heard the spiel before and just wanted to order. So, we ordered 2 dishes from the first part of the menu- 3 from the mid-course and two entrees. The first two to arrive were the Beet Panna Cotta and rhubarb and/ the Blue Cheese Beignets with poached pear and bearnaise. Of the two I preferred the panna cotta- nice beet flavor but nothing to rave about. I was disappointed with the beignets- having been highlighted on the menu in bold- I assumed this would be the main component of the dish- but the pear was clearly in the center and lacking good flavor- with two little balls on the side, which lended to being more of croquettes than beignets and also lacking in bleu cheese flavor. Our waiter forgot one of the dishes for our midcourse- so we got the agnolloti with stinging nettles and ramps. I guess the nettles were in the filling cause I couldn't find them on the plate and while this dish was good- it could have used a bit more seasoning. We also got the chickpea pancake with watercress, black radish and some green puree- maybe basil? This dish was stronger- as all the components tasted strong on their own but when combined in a single bite- muted each other out, without bringing cohesiveness or harmony to the dish. Ok, onto entrees where the contrast was stark. We got the gnocchi with morels, spring peas, and shaved parmesan- SOOOOOO GOOD! I wish I had ordered twelve of these and nothing else- this dish was spot on! Everything should have tasted this good. The were very generous with the morels and the gnocchi was light as a feather, the peas fresh and the parmesan just wound everything into a sweet little package. I should have eaten this last because what I had next was so out of context and just plain disgusting. A millet cake with eggplant, parsnip curls, parsnip puree and citrus. The millet was dry and flavorless- the parsnip curls just there for decoration, and that puree- oh my god- downright repulsive. we did not finish this dish and the waiter seemed suprised when I asked him to take it away although he did not ask us why we didn't finish. We finished off with cheese as I had braved dessert on my first trip and couldn't believe they had served me what they did- so I played it safe with cheese and that was delicious- but they had nothing to do with it. All I could keep thinking as I left was that I could had five entrees at Lula Cafe for the same price and been wowed every time. Anyone else with similar experience?

We haven't made it to Green Zebra, but we found both Spring and Custom House to be greatly overhyped. No bad meals, but nothing to write home about. I'm not sure why McClain gets the press that he does.

I agree and can't figure why he got the James Beard award last year- is fine dining in the midwest that bad?

just wanted to throw in that my husband and i have eaten here several times, and i don't think that i've ever been disappointed by the food, except that there was too little of it. and our service was always good too. sorry to hear about your experience though! although i am envious of that gnocchi dish - now i am thinking about going just for that dish!

VIPchef wrote:is fine dining in the midwest that bad?

Yep. Not a good meal to be had...
We'ns not know nuthin'
'bout them fancy vittles

I have been meaning to post my less than stellar trip to Green Zebra and when I saw your post; it was time to add my 2 cents. My boyfriend (now fiancé) surprised me with a dinner there last fall. Though I’m not vegetarian, I usually order something sans meat and he thought it would be a nice treat.

My bad experience began before we even made it into the restaurant. We arrived before the restaurant and walked around the area. It was pretty chilly outside and when we returned, we saw another couple standing in the entryway. The couple opened the door leading to the restaurant and they were told to continue waiting where we were because they were almost ready to open and they’d let us know when they were ready. I had no problem with waiting as we were all early, so wait we did. Another couple walked in off the street and walked right in, they did not come out and the four of us were left to guess why the host didn’t welcome the rest of us inside. It was odd.

Once seated, our dinner remained an odd experience. I too would have expected great, attentive service. The staff spent some time taking our order, but then it was hard to find any one, for more wine, bread, etc.


We had roasted beets, kohlrabi with horseradish foam and crisp potato followed by parsnip soup with vanilla parsnip panna cotta. This was my favorite dish, though it was luke warm. I couldn’t tell if that was the intended temperature, so I enjoyed at the temperature served. Next, from the chef’s tasting menu, I had beet raviolis with black walnuts, torpedo onions and blue cheese and cauliflower, maitake dumplings and red wine. My fiancé had Spiced squash soup with meringues and toasted squash seeds, shitake mushrooms in crispy potato with savoy cabbage and chicken (spelled Chickiken on the menu) breast, fingerling potatoes and wild honey. He was underwhelmed with all he ordered.

Many of my bites (which is how I would describe the dishes) were fine, nothing great. The glasses of wine were my favorite part of the meal. We were both hungry later that evening, and that was after a large chunk of money had been spent. I would not return based on my experience and I base that decision on value and service. I think both were lacking.