ZYLO @ The "W"

Hoboken Foodie visited Zylo for the first time on New Years Eve.

Some friends invited me to Zylo for an early dinner and reluctantly I went, not before checking out the menu online of course. The restaurant offered a prix-fixe menu which never really wows me but I must admit they won me over with the food.

For those who have not been to The W let me try to set the scene. The place is 5 star all the way. From the valet, doormen, security guards and the rest of the hotel staff you feel like you’re at The Beverly Hills Hotel. Very impressive! The decor in the lobby is very urban chique and there is a very hip vibe as you walk the hallway toward the restaurant. Upon entering the restaurant we were greeted by a friendly host who took our coats and escorted us to our table. The views out the eastern windows are like a postcard of the NYC skyline. When you combine that with an incredibly well designed and decorated space you have the setting for what should be a terrific dining experience.

Let’s get to the menu. It started with a cold appetizer of olive cured tuna. Although the tuna seemed to be previously frozen the dish was garnished with currants, baby fennel, chervil, chiles and garlic chips which certainly hid any imperfections in the fish. The second course was a smoked lamb served over a cauliflower puree with pomegranate, ricotta and arugula. This was delicious. The third course and perhaps my favorite was a pasta dish. This was a cavatelli served with black truffle, salami and parmigiano. There was a creaminess to this dish which made it quite velvety. For the entree there was a choice of black bass or a beef duo. Having to choose between any type of fish and a great piece of meat, well there is no choice the meat wins every time! The two meats were fillet mignon and braised veal cheeks and they were cooked perfectly. My test for a good piece of fillet is simple, if I can cut it with my fork it’s a good cut of meat. This piece passed the test with flying colors. For me the veal wasn’t quite as good as the fillet. It felt a bit fatty and that doesn’t work for me. The dessert was a very pleasant chocolate hazelnut torta which was very light and flavorful. A nice ending to a well executed menu.

I would be doing an injustice to my readers if I didn’t mention that the server dropped a drink on our table and soaked a very well dressed patron. Now it’s really not about the server at this point, she was very apologetic and the staff did a good job with the clean up. My issue was with management. There was no compensation what so ever for the mishap. Someone from management came over, dropped a business card and said, “If you need to have the dress dry cleaned let us know”. How else do you expect her to clean the drink stained dress?

So in closing, great food, great ambience, good service and poor management.

That’s all I have to say about that!