Zasu is the creation of chef/owner Sue Zemanick, who knew early on that she wanted to be a chef.  After graduating at the top of her class for the Culinary Institute of America in NY she moved to New Orleans and in 2005 was named Executive Chef at Gautreau’s where she won the Best Chef South by the James Beard Foundation in 2013.  In addition to other awards she has served as a judge on several seasons of Top Chef Masters.  It’s a small-medium size place in an older home with a few outdoor tables in addition to 2 rows of small bare wood tables running the length of the place and a row of booths on the other side.  Three large paintings cover much of the walls and are the same hue as the walls.  According to our server they are art as well as sound dampening in function.  Interesting plant-like chandeliers hang from the sound-paneled ceiling opposite the wide plank wood floors. It’s comfortable but minimal environment with wonderful intensely flavored food.  I highly recommend it.

Set- Up

 

Food

We enjoyed a sazerac cocktail while waiting for our food.  It feels like a New Orleans requirement to have at least one of these when you visit.

 

We split the wild mushroom and mascarpone agnolotti.  It was seasoned with cherry wood bacon, mustard greens and marsala.  The tender pastas had a strong mushroom flavor and were rolled thin enough that the sides didn’t get tough from being too thick.  The filling was a bit runny and so it bled into the broth.  The bacon was nicely crisp and very good.

 

We also split the Korean Chile Glazed pork cheeks that were on bibb lettuce with pickled carrot, turnip, radish, cilantro and puffed rice.   The pork was very tender and fried to a crisp exterior and blended great with the pickled carrot.  The puffed rice added a fun crunch.  There was a sweet sticky sauce and a hint of pepper in the mix.  You were to wrap up the ingredients in the lettuce and eat.  Delicious with tons of flavor.

 

Braised beef short ribs were with baby spinach, pickled shallot, crispy fingerling potatoes, herb butter and demi-glace.  These were very tender and well browned.  The potatoes were nearly perfect in their preparation with a good crisp to the edge. This was a great plate of food and not too rich.

 

Tonight they offered peppermint ice cream and this version was delicious.  Some chewy crisp pieces of peppermint punctuated the creamy ice cream.  Excellent.

 

Brown butter cardamom pear cake was with whipped mascarpone with spiced pear sticky toffee.  The sweet pears were wonderful and worked into a rich caramel-like cake.  Plenty but not too much sweet rates this as excellent also.