If you find yourself hungry in St. Lucie West, there is no shortage of restaurants, especially chain restaurants.
There's nothing wrong with dining at an establishment that you can find in numerous cities. Those restaurants are predictable, and the quality is fairly consistent. That can be reassuring.
But next time, I suggest you venture out and visit the one and only Zest Kitchen & Bar.
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Let’s start with the important things. They have a full bar and their logo is a martini glass garnished with a slice of lemon. What’s not to like about that?
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The décor has bistro charm with lime-colored walls, steel paneling, black ceilings and Sputnik-style chandeliers. The long bar has wooden shelves displaying liquor bottles and a collection of beer steins.
Their modern interpretation of American food has global influences and interesting choices. Shredded duck salad or prosciutto and asparagus are among the salad choices. The Zest cheeseburger with short rib, brisket and chuck beef on a brioche bun looked amazing. Entrees include duck, Chilean sea bass, New Zealand lamb chops or Cornish hen.
I need to begin by apologizing to the proprietors of Zest and the readers for ordering a dish from the lunch specials menu, which changes and is not available every day. But I told my friend she could order whatever she wanted, and she could not take her eyes off the sweet potato chip-encrusted 6-ounce chicken salad ($19).
It was magnificent. It’s the fault of Zest, which took large pieces of white chicken, dipped them in batter, enveloped them in a thick coating of pulverized chips, then sauteed them to a golden hue. The flavorful, craggy, moist chicken was served atop a heap of spinach with roasted peppers, goat cheese and a honey mustard vinaigrette. She loved the juxtaposition of the sweetness of the dressing and the salty crust of the chicken.
I ordered the crispy calamari ($16), which was hot, tender, breaded rings served with a zesty horseradish marinara sauce that tasted better than it looked on the front of my blouse.
I also ordered the chopped iceberg salad ($14), to which you could add chicken or shrimp for an extra charge. I left it naked since I had the calamari. The cold, crunchy iceberg was beautiful with baby tomatoes, blue cheese, chopped bacon, hard-boiled egg and a creamy, crumbled blue cheese dressing. A couple of toasted crostini imparted the crunch of croutons.
We did not choose dessert, although most of the sweet things are created in-house. On the day of our visit, the featured cheesecake was sweet potato with maple bacon and pecans.
At Zest, the sound level is convivial and the service efficient and assured. But it is not just a lunch restaurant. There are happy hour drink prices and early bird specials, as well as a regular dinner menu. A large chalkboard teasingly posted bottomless mimosas and bloody marys during brunch — for when you have a zest for something other than a chain restaurant.
Zest Kitchen & Bar
- Cuisine: American
- Address: 1347 St. Lucie West Blvd., Port St. Lucie
- Phone: 772-249-4516
- Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday Brunch
- Alcohol: Full bar
- Online: zestkitchenandbar.com
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