One of the most successful restaurants in Manhattan is Balthazar, a bustling French brasserie that stays busy morning, noon and night. If chef Tom Quick has his way, Clevelanders will be enjoying a similarly styled enterprise by early next year.
Slated to open by year’s end, Zinc Bistro, Bar & Bakery will borrow numerous design elements from that famed SoHo eatery. The 4,000-square-foot space will boast dramatic 17-foot ceilings, oversized burgundy-clad booths and mosaic tile floors. Other familiar touches will include etched mirrors, European-style beer taps, and a zinc-topped bar complete with hard-boiled eggs.
“We’re not trying to reinvent too much here,” explains owner Quick. “There will be some slight design changes, but you’ll know you’re walking into a Manhattan French bistro.”
The restaurant will be the crowning touch on Six Six Eight Euclid Avenue, a $65-million restoration of the former William Taylor Son & Co. department store building. Undertaken by the K&D Group, the building is a mix of commercial and residential, with Wyse Advertising serving as anchor tenant.
Tom Quick may not be a household name, but he has earned a solid reputation in this town as an industry pro. He served for seven years as executive chef of the uber-successful Piccolo Mondo, working alongside Michael Symon, Ali Barker and Gary Thomas. In 1999, Quick fled downtown for bucolic Concord, where he opened Epiq Bistro. “I chose to be the big fish in a small pond by introducing fine dining to the area,” the chef explains. “Now I’m chomping at the bit to come back downtown to be a big fish in the big pond.” Quick closed Epiq late last year.
To recharge his culinary batteries, the chef recently spent some time cooking in some of New York City’s top kitchens. While there, he intended to sample as many restaurants as possible to flush out the concept for his then-unnamed project. “I ended up spending most of my time at French bistros like Balthazar, Pastis, and Rue 57,” he says. “I’d sit at the bar eating oysters and drinking Muscadet. These places are lively, comfortable, affordable – just a whole lotta fun.”
Quick knows that French food can sound intimidating, but he promises that his menu will appeal to a wide audience. A true raw bar – one built directly into the bar – will be studded with oysters, clams, crab and lobster. Guests can start their meal with onion soup, escargot or beef tartare. Main courses might include steak frites, braised lamb shanks, coq au vin, and cod with mussels. Rotating plats du jour will give guests cause to return.
The beauty of Balthazar is its round-the-clock energy. Quick hopes to duplicate much of that activity by appealing to downtown residents and daily commuters. Free attached parking will lure those visiting town for theatre, concerts and sporting events. Breakfast, lunch and brunch will be added down the road. And a market will offer prepared foods for time-strapped diners.
When that marketplace does open, it will serve as the first retail presence for desserts impresario Ron Seballos. “I’ve always wanted to do something retail, but I never had the opportunity,” says Seballos, whose desserts are sold at restaurants all over town. “This gives me the chance to get some recognition instead of staying behind the scenes.”
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