Opening Soon: Zinc Bistro, Bar and Bakery

When it débuts next week, Zinc Bistro, Bar and Bakery (668 Euclid Ave., 216.583.9462, zinccleveland.com) will be the most ambitious restaurant to open between Public Square and the Theater District in quite some time. Helmed by chef Tom Quick, who ran the popular Epiq Bistro in Concord, Ohio, for 10 years, Zinc is modeled after the ebullient French bistros found throughout New York City. The restaurant is the final phase in the $65-million Six Six Eight Euclid project in the former William Taylor Son & Co. department store building. Zinc borrows numerous design elements from eateries like SoHo's Balthazar. The 4,000-square-foot space boasts 17-foot ceilings, curved burgundy-clad booths, antiqued mirrors and travertine floors. A zinc-topped bar, running the length of the room, features European-style beer taps and a built-in raw bar. Diners seated on the second-level mezzanine have views of the entire room. “We’re not trying to reinvent too much here,” Quick explains. “There will be some slight design changes, but you’ll know you’re walking into a Manhattan French bistro.” If the room doesn't tip a diner off, the menu assuredly will; traditional bistro staples like onion soup, escargot and beef tartare are all on hand, as is coq au vin, steak frites, and Dover sole for two. An all-day retail bakery will offer salads, sandwiches and pastries. Zinc abuts the new plaza that was created by the removal of the Dollar Bank building, and the restaurant's outdoor bar and patio promises to be one the sweetest in town.