Back in December 2010 I bought a Groupon for a new restaurant we had never been before calling Zinc Bistro. My wife and I like to take advantage of a lot of the finer dining establishment via Groupon, mostly for on our date lights where we go to the Cleveland Playhouse. This past season was the first time we subscribed for tickets to all of the blockbuster plays of the season, and it has become a very healthy time for us to enjoy each others company while the grandparents enjoy the kids. So we knew the Zinc Bistro certificate would come in handy.

Well the current season has come and gone, and we never used the Groupon. In addition, we were nearing the expiration date, so we used the certificate last week so as not to lose it. Seriously, why did I wait so long to experience Zinc?

My wife and called and made a reservation, since we heard the outdoor patio books up well in advance. Unfortunately, it was overcast, and the outdoor area was shut down, so we were quickly ushered to a reserved indoor table in the upstairs balcony.

We started off our night with some cocktails, before hearing the nightly specials.

For starters, we had the Pear Salad with Ricotta salata, spiced pecans, oven roasted grapes. The salad was a great way to start the meal with the perfect combination of fresh, local, organic ingredients.

For our main entrees, my wife ordered the Chicken Cordon Bleu (Airline chicken breast, stuffed with country ham and Gruyere cheese; camargue rice, mustard sauce). The rice came out a beautiful red color and was really nice. The chicken was like cutting into butter it was so perfectly prepared, bone in.

For my meal, I ordered the Gnocchi Pasta (Chef’s garden veggies, asparagus, rainbow Swiss chard, green garlic, lemon herb beurre blanc). I kid you not, this was the best gnocchi dish I have ever eaten. As I write this post, it is all I can think about, and it’s been a week since we went. The gnocchi itself was from Ohio City Pasta. The lemon herb beurre blanc added the most intense yet subtle flavor. Perhaps the best part of the meal though was the incredibly fresh vegetables! Zinc has most of the ingredients grown locally and organically. I swear I could taste the earth the vegetables were grown in they were so amazing.

My wife and I also shared a side order of the Zinc Frites, which was accompanied by an excellent dipping sauce.

For dessert we shared the Red Wine Poached Pear with house made ice cream. The pear was served in a delicate puffed pastry and drizzled with chocolate sauce. The flavor of the red wine in the pear was pretty intense, but very good. The ice cream of the night was a bay leaf flavor, and it was great! Initially I do not know if I would have tried it if I knew what the ice cream was made from, but it added an incredible flavor that really helped offset the intense flavor of the pear.

Overall, we were super impressed with Zinc Bistro. The cost of the Groupon was $35 for $75. In addition, we spent an additional $32 including tax and tip. Considering we had 3 drinks, shared a salad, two entrees, and shared a side dish and dessert, it was an incredibly rewarding experience for the amount spent. I would gladly eat at Zinc again even without a Groupon, although the savings was really worth it. TRY THE GNOCCHI!!!