Zoe's By The Lake--Sparta

[Rosie]

I will give you the directions on how to get to Zoe's by the Lake, 112 Tomahawk Trail, Sparta after I tell you about the wonderful meal we had at this new restaurant owned by the charming Jean-Charles Saben and his delightful wife, Marla. And yes there is a Zoe--she's their 2 1/2 year old daughter. The kitchen under the direction of executive chef Scott Jay Jacobson, a CIA graduate, formerly of FireBird and Rene Pujol, both in New York City and the sous-chef Greg Farrell, prepares well executed food with impeccable flavors.

For appetizers we started off with a stomach warming sweet potato and apple soup; fabulous jumbo sea scallops wrapped in prosciutto with a lobster cream sauce that I would love to see as an entrée; and a rum cured salmon served with a horseradish creme fraiche. The salmon was stacked between sweet potato cakes which reminded me of potato pancakes. All of the entrees were excellent but the winner was the tender, bursting with flavor braised short ribs with braised roast shallots and truffle mashed potatoes. I dreamt about them they were so good. We sampled two specials: a skate with whipped turnips that was better than anything I had in Paris; and a pork loin with a perfect complement of an apple smoked bacon red cabbage. Lowell had a moist roast breast of free range chicken with wild mushrooms, quinoa, crispy onions and roast garlic jus. Zoe's has a liquor license and we drank a Saintsbury 'Garnet' 2001 priced at $35.

We were very full but managed to share three desserts: a warm upside down chocolate souffle, toffee bread pudding, and an apple custard tart with pistachio crust. Next time I want to try the cheese tasting, crème brulee and mixed berry napoleon. We were also brought a plate of addictive almond macaroons. Chef Jacobson--package these and sell them. They were memorable. And I am happy to report that both the coffee and cappuccino were delicious.

Service was attentive and professional. With 3 drinks, wine, tax and tip the bill was $65 a person. Worth every penny. Do try this place. Zoe's is a most welcome addition to the NJ dining scene. For reservations call 973-726-7226.

Here are the directions!

From Rt 80 take 15 North to Sparta/Lake Mohawk Business District exit. Bear right on exit. Make left onto 181 South. Make first right onto Sawmill Road. Take to the end (stop sign). Make left and quick right onto Tomahawk Trail. 1/2 mile on right side.

[suzilightning]

thanks rosie- i have reservations for tuesday night

[PaulaJK]

Sounds fabulous!

[Rosie]

thanks rosie- i have reservations for tuesday night

Be sure to give us a report and tell the hostess you read about it on eGullet!

[suzilightning]

actually had heard of this place from a former colleague- though the review was a bit mixed. good food, attitude from the wait staff( we do not serve pinot grigio - this is a FRENCH restaurant) and about 100.00 per person which, considering there is a bit of a balk up in the hinterlands about entrees running at 30.00 per person, can seem like a death sentence. plus the fact that the lake zoe's is on disappeared with the flood of 2000 - so they are looking out at a meadow....

if you had skipped off of 15 at the prior exit (also leading to 181 n) you would have been within 1 mile of my house - john and i would have loved to join you and lowell for dinner( paying our own way of course)

so if anyone else is up this far north - let me know and we can join you(tommy, nick, are you listening?)

[suzz]

Rosie,

Being a Spartan and fellow food writer, I'm anxious to try Zoe's. Glad to have your recommendation. I've been to all the incarnations of this out of the way eatery and always thought someone with real culinary skills could turn it into a one-of-a-kind spot.

By the way, negotiations are well under way to turn the meadow back into the beautiful lake that it once was.

Suzanne

[Rosie]

suzilightning--$100 a person? Your friends must have had an expensive bottle of wine. Apps run from $6 for soup to $16 for foie gras. Entrees run $19 for salmon to $27 for filet mignon. We had 3 apps, 3 desserts, 4 entrees, one wine $35, 2 coffees and 1 cappucino and it came to $65 per person. There are no entrees for $30.

In the summer the view will be lovely and they will have outside dining.I heard that the lake will be back!

[suzilightning]

ok - after two meals i feel ready to post. last week took a girlfriend out for her birthday dinner(and get away from the husband and kid time). amuse was two rounds of cucumber with a seafood mousse. she had the mixed green and endive salad with fresh parmesan and i started with the walnut crusted goat cheese on frisee with beet vinagrette - both wonderful to the taste and beautifully plated. glass of pinot noir for her, a cabernet for me to go with the entrees. hers was the short ribs with truffled mashed potatoes and (to her great delight since she IS british) mixed veg that included sprouts. i had the grilled duck breast with duck leg confit served with butternut squash spaetzle and mixed veg. crispy skin and unctiousness oozed from that confit. dessert was a glass of champagne for me and the upside down chocolate souffle for michelle. except for the fact that there were about 12 other people in the restaurant and the staff were looking - she would have picked up the plate and licked it. as it was she confined herself to sureptitiously cleaning the plate off with her finger and licking it!!!

3 drinks, 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and dessert - $104.00 plus tip

just got home from dinner with john here. he sent his compliments back to the chef at least 3 times during the meal and informed me and the owner that he would rather come here and drop a bill every two to three weeks (and suffer my cooking in the meantime) than go somewhere else like most of his family does - to olive garden or steak and stein.

another wonderful experience that started with a lagnaippe of duck liver wrapped in bacon with an onion confit. since i forced john to try a bit - i got one and a half livers and it was creamy surrounded by crunchy bacon with a sweet onion confit. we ordered a glass of pouilly-fuisse and a glass of chardonnay to go with the appetizers and entrees. he had the crab and lobster cake served with a tomato coulis and avacado. i had the duck and wild mushroom sausage served over a ragout of potato and onion with a vinagrette - truly these were some of the most superbly executed dishes. the sausage were served in patties that were grilled and the flavors meshed.

john inhaled his crab and lobster cake and it was all i could do to wrestle a taste from him. he had the potato crusted flounder with leeks and a wine reduction - my entree was the free range chicken brest that lowell had had.

john, who is a petite flower, inhaled everything and i have some of the quinoa and two pieces of breast for lunch tomorrow. dessert was a glass of churchill's 10 year port for john and a glass of champagne for me. the only thing i noticed was it was heading for the flat side - course then you can taste the wine the champagne was made from. total bill 112.00 plus tip

also the bread came out cold and asked about it tonight. waitstaff's best guess was that if warmed it might dry out a bit more if it wasn't eaten by the table. since neither husband nor i are big bread eaters we split a piece - it seemed to be a hearty rye with perhaps dried cranberries in it.

so - john is out of town next week so how many for dinner at 6 pm?

[Rosie]

David Corcoran reviewed Zoe's in the NJ section of The New York Times 8/17. Great review. He gave them a Very Good.

[Rosie]

Zoe's By The Lake, 112 Tomahawk Trail, Sparta is having a Seneca Lake Restoration fundraiser on Monday, September 15, at 7:15 PM.

Elegant Six Course Dinner & Bordeaux 2000 Wine Tasting; $125 per person.

All proceeds of this charitable fundraiser will go directly to the Seneca Lake Club to support the lake reconstruction.

For Tickets/Information, please call 973.726.7226.

[beegew]

Don't it just figure. Moved from CA to NC, then FL where we can't even order the wines we grew to love. Then read THIS about the town I grew up in ~ I remember when the Stewart's root beer stand was the STUFF, and dinner out for the folks was the country club, or the Walpack Inn. (For those familiar with the area, we lived on the 'little lake', and, even when we moved to Vernon, I still commuted to Pope John.)

My timing S%CKS!!!!

[suzilightning]

Don't it just figure.  Moved from CA to NC, then FL where we can't even order the wines we grew to love.  Then read THIS about the town I grew up in ~ I remember when the Stewart's root beer stand was the STUFF, and dinner out for the folks was the country club, or the Walpack Inn.  (For those familiar with the area, we lived on the 'little lake', and, even when we moved to Vernon, I still commuted to Pope John.) 

My timing S%CKS!!!!

no stewart's only dairy queen (his father-in-law owns the mickey d's franchise),carafello's which used to be something else, francesca's that was blue water and something else italian before that, of course there is always krogh's , il porte on the lake and we do have another cia grad running a byo place in the plaza though nazarro's and the central are still there if that helps.

vernon now has a really cool dairy where you can buy homemade cheeses and home baked breads. but walpack inn is still there

[babyluck]

Yeah, there are worse things than growing up with Stewart's and the Walpack Inn. Two of my favorite places in the world. Even my snotty French boss loved the Walpack.

And Suzi, I think there are one or two Stewart's still open on 206 -- one near Newton & one near Branchville, am I right?

[Rosie]

Scott Jacobson, chef at Zoe's By The Lake, 112 Tomahawk Trail, Sparta never fails to please. We had an outstanding dinner at this charming restaurant last night. We started with an amuse of crabmeat on a small round of toast. Appetizers were a luscious yellow tomato bisque with seared sea scallops; a mixed baby greens and endive salad with Parmesan and aged red wine vinaigrette; and a "don't miss" special if it is available of French onion soup topped with Gruyere cheese. Chef Jacobson is a whiz with sauces and I wanted to lick the current sauce off the plate that accompanied the melt in your mouth duck breast and leg confit with butternut squash spaetzle. The grouper was also perfectly cooked and came with wilted arugula, asparagus and orange ginger black rice. Lowell had a Black Angus strip steak with bacon risotto (what could be bad?) and string beans and asparagus. It's hard to pass up pastry chef Gregory Farrell's desserts. We were so full that we shared a flaky apple strudel with ice cream. Chocolate lovers should opt for the chocolate sampler or the warm upside down chocolate soufflé. If you haven't been to Zoe's the fall is a beautiful time to take a ride up to Sparta. We noticed that the trees were beginning to turn color. Phone: 973-726-7226.

[howard88]

This Saturday evening three of us had dinner at Zoe.s. Two of us had Tanqueray martinis to begin. Cold and perfectly dry. Appetizers which we sampled included foie gras, crab cakes and restaurant smoked salmon. All very good. I enjoyed the foie gras which was served with pears in a pleasing not too sweet sauce. Entrees were the filet mignon with truffled mashed potatos, duck breast and leg confit with spaetzle, and rack of lamb with mashed sweet potato. The three dishes were well executed and fine. The winner was definetly the duck. It was as close as you can get to perfect. We shared a bottle of Sonoma Sauvigon Blanc. Desserts were a huge portion of creme brulee, cheese tasting of two types of goat cheese, a blue or stilton and a gouda served with berries and fresh bread, pumpkin cake was the other choice. Dessert was accompanied by Mexican and Irish coffee and a pot of regular. All good. The Mexican coffee was the stand out, along with the creme brulee. Eighty-five dollars per, with tip. Terrific meal and we'll be back.

[suzilightning]

just got back from lunch with one of my favorite dining partners - my friend michelle. zoe's just started lunches this week - serving noon - 2. when we got there about 1245 there were 3 other deuces already seated. sorry lou, you can't sit at the bar but there is bar service available as well as their wines by the glass.

they may want to upgrade their ventilation just a bit because when we walked in there was a definite odor of frying food.

there are about 6 entrees and the same number of appetizers. the entrees average 14 with the most pricey the filet mignon with truffled mashed potatoes which is 21. the apps go 6-9. the best deal however is the three course bistro lunch for 19 plus tax, tip and any beverages. 'chelle had the creamy corn chowder, hangar steak with truffled mashed potatoes and the pear tart. i opted for the escargot in puff pastry, deep fried cod and shoestring potatoes with remoulade, and creme brulee serve with the macaroons rosie has talked about. michelle, who kept saying "i don't think i can eat that much", inhaled her steak - i didn't even get a taste . there were three smallish pieces of the cod and i ate two and brought one home for john to try. total bill was just over 40 plus tip.

guess i'll have to take john with me next time

[Rosie]

Sounds delish!! Thanks for the info.

[Lreda]

Just can't figure out why if you have a bar, why not put a few chairs there. You've already got someone serving drinks there. Oh well, I've got my own problems.

[suzilightning]

just walkd out of this restaurant

my husband would have been mortified but...

was really looking forward to the chipotle pork loin but it had been taken off the menu just before i hit this restaurant. unfortunately, since it is a limited menu, nothing resonated for me. yeah there was filet mignon, chicken but i didn't want that or the fish. i had a taste for something i had seen on the website( they have since taken it off since it is not available)- thank you marla.

luckily it was 520 pm - i was a single diner and when i walked out there was only one other table in the place so the didn't suffer much( though when you pull up the chef and sous chef- i'm guessing- are haning out on the steps outside).

i do like this place but... this is going to lead into a topic on the general board

[suzilightning]

just was checking the website i had complimented ms. saben on and found since i had said something to the waitstaff it had been changed to reflect the current menu available. thank you but.... unless you put some sort of disclaimer( marie nicole's; martini beach, etc) "this is representative of the menu available" i will assume that is what is available. while i haven't eaten there in a while andre's does an automatic update of their menu every two weeks as they change it

[Rosie]

Zoe's By The Lake website:

http://www.zoesbythelake.com/

[Rosie]

We returned to Zoe’s By the Lake and were thrilled to see that the dam has been replaced and owners Marla and Jean-Charles Saben expect the lake to be filled by December. Meanwhile Executive Chef Scott Jacobson is still producing scrumptious dishes that are also a visual delight.

Started off with seared spiced tuna with a chipolte aioli; baby beet and bleu cheese salad, and baked three onion soup with Gruyere cheese. Do try the soup especially on a cold fall evening. Entrees were an outrageous potato crusted grouper with English peas, chanterelles, baby red onions and horseradish beurre blanc. Loved the fish with the crispy skin that was formed by the potatoes. The meats here are of the highest quality and if it is on the menu try the tender grilled veal NY strip with grilled vegetables, corn and bacon risotto, and roast shallot sauce. The grilled filet mignon was also impressive and perfectly cooked. Duck breast and leg confit with a spicy vegetable egg roll, jasmine rice and ginger plum sauce was one of the best that I have had in a long time. And Lowell had a special which was a pork chop! It was so good I kept stealing tastes.

Desserts did us in. The healthy eater at our table ordered the trio of homemade sorbets with fresh fruit. I tasted some of the chocolate sampler and a special of ginger crème type of jelly roll. For reservations call 973-726-7226.

[suzilightning]

rosie - wish i knew you were up my way. i still have a bottle of wine for you that we had talked about at the american grill dinner.

[Rosie]

rosie - wish i knew you were up my way.  i still have a bottle of wine for you that we had talked about at the american grill dinner.

←

I wish I knew I was up your way also.

Actually it would have been hard to stop by as there were seven of us celebrating my mom's BD. Next time.

[suzilightning]

we celebrated john's 50th birthday here last saturday and were reminded why we love the place. wonderful food, a good wine list with some interesting wines by the glass and 1/2 bottles and soon a great view.

the amuse that came out was a chicken salad on small rusk

as always john started with a whiskey sour which he loved(not too sweet). i had printed off the menu earlier at work so he knew what he wanted - lobster and avacado salad with tropical fruit salsa and grilled salmon with provencal vegetables, black olive puree, garlic mashed potatoes and red wine sauce. i ordered a 1/2 bottle of pouilly fousse(sorry i didn't take good notes on the wines).

there were several specials recited at the table(without prices so i asked) and while i had been planning on the free-range chicken breast the magic word "venison" popped up so i had to order that. a venison chop that came frenched but must have weighed in at about 6 oz served with haricot verts, asparagus and sweet potatoes. i added a glass of merlot and was a freakin' happy camper

dessert was back at the house - 100 year old bottle of grand marnier and truffles

john is supposed to be off teh last two weeks of december we already are making plans to have at least one bistro lunch here... anyone care to join us?