CheekyChicago

I like a man who can handle his meat.

And I’m not talking about alpha male ostentation, but the kind of guy (G, for brevity) who knows precisely when and where to whip it out. Armed with a quiet confidence, G doesn’t flaunt his goods gratuitously – he recognizes his package is plenty impressive to get noticed sans spectacle. It is a) aesthetically pleasing, b) relatively rare and c) finessed for premium pleasure. D) G respects his meat, but doesn’t worship it. Most important, he recognizes that it isn’t just about size (thought it is big), but the complete experience. Like ensuring that it tastes good.

I mean when, say, plated with pickled ramps.

Michael Taus is one such G, the exec chef/owner of Zealous and a cook with a sixth sense for flesh. As an unofficial meat master, MT knows how to braise pork for maximal carnal enjoyment – and as a menu mastermind, he’s skilled at defying categorization. Described, tongue-twistingly, as globally influenced contemporary American, Zealous’s fare is like an Orient-oriented trip around the world where each meal takes you on a slightly different journey than the last. But while your genre jet setting may change with every sitting, there is an eatery element wonderfully predictable. Put simply, Zealous’s proteins are on point.

That means that you’ll always savor your meat, though it might be to the exclusion of the trappings. Tuna tartare, served with avocado mousse and cauliflower blinis, is best when paired solely with its sturgeon caviar topping. Likewise, the rice noodle/coconut curry sauce combo that accompanies the sesame-crusted sea bass is palatable, but hardly novel. Like a number of pan-Asian dishes I’ve had at trendy restaurants, the entrée’s accoutrements were nondescript; what reminded me I was at the long-lauded Zealous (a distinguished 16-years-old) is the fish.

Other offerings, however, live up to the name, yielding sophisticated compositions produced with some passion. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the scallop and pork belly app, a pairing that despite approaching menu excess, here manages to be sublimely distinctive. The swine’s fat-to-flesh ratio provides a perfect counterpoint to the gorgeously seared scallop, their mouth marriage a textural jumble that’s a real treat for the teeth. Good on its own, the course breaches great once eaten with the creamy sunchoke puree and downright delicious when you add the transformative power of the scallion emulsion. It takes a formidable foam to stand up to such protein heavyweights, but this dish strikes the balance, and beautifully. It’s become my latest surf and turf tasting du choix.

Of less obvious elegance are the mango pancakes (yeah, you heard me), but the delectable short stack – punctuated by rich rounds of foie – proves equally, albeit paradoxically accomplished. Topped with a begging-to-be-cracked quail egg and savory caramel, it makes for gooey sweet/meat matrimony (not to mention a morning delight at night). Taus took breakfast food, refined it, and plopped it in the appetizer section. It’s something of a menu mind-tease – and that makes it all the more fun.

The biggest head-scratcher at Zealous, though, is the breadth of its sophistication spectrum; certain courses are outstanding, and others are no more than OK. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a dish that isn’t well executed, but you will likely find aspects of your dine, well, finer than the rest.

And while I can only speculate that it might be a matter of veteran resto self-preservation (i.e. wider palate appeal = more mouths fed), there is one thing I will say for certain. When it comes to matters of flesh, Zealous totally hits the G spot.