When my husband and I moved from the city to the suburbs, there were only a couple of fine dining establishments nearby. We missed being able to find a great meal without driving for miles and miles, especially when our children were young. Thankfully, that has changed and our town has some truly wonderful options now.
I think the same can be said for many of Boston’s suburbs, particularly those outside of 128, where rents are more affordable, eager and engaged diners are hungry and waiting and dining dollars are ready to be spent.
My sister in law, Tracy who you met when we visited The Farmhouse has lived in Medfield, Massachusetts for most of her married life. When she and her family first arrived, there were not many dining options for her either. That void was noticed by Wrentham residents and husband and wife, Craig and Janet Neubecker. Together they opened Zebra’s Bistro and Wine Bar in 1999.
Tracy suggested I come out to Zebra’s for The Kitchen Scout on a Monday when the restaurant has its “Buck-a-Shuck” night. We asked our two mutual friends, Deedo and Betsy to join us and it was a date!
Zebra’s kitchen has been led by Executive Chef, Brendan Pelley since 2012. Chef Pelley has been working in restaurants since the age of 15 and has honed his culinary skills by working in the kitchens of Tryst in Beverly, Clio in Boston (a brief stint) and The Franklin Cape Ann in Gloucester where he held his first head chef position. Pelley has earned acclaim from many publications including The Boston Globe and Edible Boston. He was also invited to prepare a special dinner at the James Beard House in New York in 2014, an enormous honor. Most recently, Chef Pelley was a contestant on Gordon Ramsay’s hit show, Hell’s Kitchen.
Chef Pelley describes his food as simple. Using fresh, local and in season ingredients, Pelley hopes to deliver approachable food that is not pretentious. Both Chef Pelley and the Neubeckers have kitchen gardens which supply the restaurant. Pelley visits the Medfield farmers market as well to source ingredients. He uses classical French techniques, but is inspired by many cuisines including Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese and now Greek – he is planning a trip to Greece with his wife this coming September. Many of these influences appeared during our meal at Zebra’s which played out like this…
The front of the restaurant where outdoor seating is offered for warm evenings…
A large bar and lounge area greets you upon arrival. This is a gathering spot for many locals and this section also offers a few tables for seated dining. Cocktails, beers and a fairly extensive wine list are offered in addition to some non-alcoholic speciality sodas, pops and root beers that are sourced from around the country.
The restaurant has seating for 60 and is nicely appointed with tables at comfortable distances from each other. The walls are lined with artwork that we were told is the work of the woman who runs the Medfield schools art department. They were all available for sale.
Before we ordered our dinner, our server brought us an amuse bouche, a chickpea salad with olives, feta and roasted tomatoes…
This was very tasty as I love anything with olives and feta, but I am not sure where the tomatoes went. I think the dish might have benefited from a hint of green to give it more vibrancy and eye appeal.
Bread was served, but they were rolls that looked fairly commercial, although accompanied with a beautiful round of butter.
This was followed by our server announcing they were out of oysters for Buck-a-Shuck night. That was disappointing and a first for Tracy. In all fairness, despite the fact that they would have only been $1.00 apiece, I didn’t find this to be a true inconvenience. The restaurant only purchases about 50 oysters for each evening’s service and when they are gone, they are gone. Our reservation was on the later side and the restaurant was pretty busy when we arrived so all’s fair. More menu items to try which gave us a better perspective on the food.
Speaking of the menu, it is quite broad and has something for everyone. Bar snacks such as pickles and olives, a selection of cheeses and house made charcuterie lead off the offerings. Starters range in price from $10-18 and include a salad, molten Kasseri cheese and falafel in addition to what we ordered below. Sandwiches include a double cheeseburger and a bistro cheesesteak, both for $18. Mains range in price from $22 (asparagus risotto) to $32 (sea scallops). A la carte sides are all $6. There are daily specials and according to an article on the restaurant’s website, Chef will prepare a special 24 ounce rib-eye steak upon request.
With their input, the ladies let me order and we agreed to share everything. The four dishes we began with were received with mixed reviews. Our entrees thankfully made up for the starter’s shortcomings.
First up was one of the specials, Tater-Tots. Hand shredded russet potatoes seasoned with smoked paprika and shaped into tubes were fried, dusted with parmesan cheese and served with a black garlic & chive aioli…
These had such great potential and there wasn’t a Tot left standing, but they were dense and a little chewy. This could have resulted from a couple of issues with execution, but they were reasonably tasty nonetheless.
We also ordered the Steak Tartare which Betsy was particularly looking forward to trying…
Served with some house made chips and frisee, this dish was really disappointing. None of us enjoyed it. The tartare tasted of truffle oil which I confirmed with our server as it was not in the menu description. We also did not care for the texture of the dish.
Next up were the Yellowfin Tuna Tacos served with pickled jicama and a pineapple pico de gallo. Tracy recommended this dish as she has enjoyed it in the past…
While these were understandably messy to eat (and share), they were delicious and the flavor was very bright and refreshing. Not a morsel of them was left on the plate.
Last up was one of the most popular dishes on the Zebra’s menu, the Sweet Tea Brined Fried Chicken that was served with a smoked blueberry jam…
Wings and legs were moist and perfectly fried. The coating was light and crisp and the jam was a nice complement to the chicken. This was a truly delicious dish. Of the four starters, this one was our favorite.
We also ordered four entrees to share, starting with Asparagus Risotto that was garnished with a tempura fried zucchini blossom…
Arbrorio rice, fresh asparagus, mascarpone and Parmigiano Reggiano come together for a flavorful dish. The rice was cooked well and the asparagus was al dente, but we thought it needed another note such as some fresh herbs. The Parmesan garnish was a bit heavy handed as well.
Braised Spring Lamb Orzo was next. Shreds of tender lamb were tossed with orzo pasta, roasted tomatoes, feta, kalamata olives and dill creating a most comforting dish. This was light, well balanced and very flavorful. This is the kind of meal I would make at home, but am completely thrilled to have in a restaurant.
Next were the Pan Seared Scallops that were served with a pork belly fried rice…
The scallops were perfectly seasoned and cooked. The fried rice could have been a meal itself as it was studded with the most delicious chunks of pork belly, tender vegetables and a citrusy Ponzu sauce. While the priciest item on the menu, this dish was one I would definitely order in the future.
The last entree was Chef Pelley’s signature dish, Pan Roasted Rosemary Chicken…
I don’t usually order chicken in restaurants because I cook it so much at home, but since this was his signature dish we thought we needed to give it a try. Served with evoo smashed potatoes, sauteed spinach and an herb jus, this chicken really was fabulous. The skin was crispy and the meat was moist and tender. The whole dish was perfectly seasoned and dare I say, may satisfy all those longtime patrons of now closed Hamersleys who loved Chef Gordon Hamersely’s famous Roast Chicken. I wrote about that and gave my recipe for an adapted version of Roast Chicken with Garlic, Lemon and Parsley here.
We chose one item from the dessert menu (all $9) to share which was an Aerated Chocolate Mousse served with a vanilla bean panna cotta, luxardo cherries and toasted hazelnuts. Served in a little jar, the dessert was well constructed and delicious although my dining companions did not like the texture of the panna cotta (not the case for me!).
Our meal ended with a lovely plate of complimentary homemade dark chocolates with sea salt. Yum.
Service was attentive and we were not rushed. Our server might have been a little more engaging with us to proactively discuss the menu and chef’s philosophy which I feel is an important component of the fine dining experience. Prices for some of the entrees seemed a little high when compared with a few other suburban restaurants.
Zebra’s is open nightly for dinner. Theme nights extend beyond Buck-a-Shuck on Mondays. Tuesday nights are “2 for Tuesday” when you can get two courses for $29, a great deal. Wednesdays are “Fried Chicken and Cheap Beer” which sounds like fun.
Would I go back? Absolutely, especially if I lived nearby or was meeting a friend where Zebra’s was the half-way point. Despite some of the misses early on in the dinner, our entrees were very good and the ambiance of the restaurant is lovely. The lounge/bar area seems like a great place to meet up with friends. Zebra’s has been doing many things right for fifteen years and it’s clear with a young, energetic Executive Chef like Brendan Pelley in the kitchen, there are more exciting things to come in the future.
Until next week…