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Dining out: Z's Oyster Bar & Steakhouse

by Indy.com Staff

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Z's Oyster Bar & Steakhouse

A look inside Z's Oyster Bar and Steakhouse (Michelle Pemberton for The Star)

Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breasts, $26.50 from Z's Oyster Bar and Steakhouse (Michelle Pemberton for The Star)

Z's Tomato blue salad, $6.95 from Z's Oyster Bar and Steakhouse (Michelle Pemberton for The Star)

Washington Salad, $7.95 from Z's Oyster Bar and Steakhouse (Michelle Pemberton for The Star)

When I saw that yet another steakhouse was opening in Indy, I wasn't awash in enthusiasm.

But I was curious about Z's Oyster Bar & Steakhouse (in Castleton), only the second eatery of its kind from Louisville-based independent restaurateur Mehrzad Sharbaiani.

A large, built-in saltwater aquarium at the check-in desk turned out to be indicative of the first thing that differentiates Z's from some other steakhouses: The focus on fresh fish here is as strong as the emphasis on beef.

As we were led through the main dining room (complete with a long bar along one wall), I noticed another distinguishing factor: The atmosphere here is less clubby and more contemporary, with blue-neon lighting accents and an overall brighter ambiance than many traditional steakhouses offer.

We took our seats in the "lakeside room" overlooking the large retention pond outside. Outdoors, a light snow dusted what promises to be a large patio area for dining come spring.

Lots of choices

The oversize menus list an impressive array of starters, salads, steaks and sides, along with a full page of daily seafood specials, including fish flown in from Hawaiian shores in 24 hours or less and numerous oyster varieties (listed from sweet to salty).

Preferring our oysters cooked, Pete and I started with Oysters Rockefeller ($11.95), followed by salads.

However, after a bit of a wait, the salads arrived first. We thought perhaps there had been a mix-up in the kitchen, and we were right: Our server assured us he had submitted the starter order, but it never appeared. No worries, we decided. The salads were nicely sized, so we ditched our original appetizer order and planned on dessert instead.

My Washington's salad ($7.95), topped field greens with Danish Bleu cheese, Granny Smith apple slices and candied pecans, was tossed in a maple-walnut vinaigrette. The nutty overtones and zesty cheese countered the sweetness of the pecans and dressing, which was applied with a light touch.

Pete ordered Z's tomato salad ($6.95), which mixed the same bleu-cheese crumbles with tomato slices and green onions in the house vinaigrette. Pete said the advertised "vine ripened" tomatoes indeed tasted surprisingly fresh considering the seaso

All prime all the time

For my entree, I chose the steak au poivre ($41.95). Like all steaks served at Z's, my fillet was of prime designatio Coated in a black-pepper crust, it arrived along with Z's general manager Bradley Phelps, who concocted the accompanying zesty green-peppercorn/brandy sauce tableside for a nice personal touch. The tender steak was cooked to my temperature of choice, and I loved the spicy addition of the peppers. I took half of the generous cut home for a future meal.

Pete went in a different direction with the Maple Leaf Farms duck breasts ($26.95), a duo drizzled with a cherry-balsamic vinaigrette reduction sauce and topped with slivers of shiitake mushrooms. Although the chef normally prepares this dish to a medium temp, Pete ordered his medium-rare. Upon tasting, however, he decided he should have trusted the chef's usual technique. The meat showed no signs of drying out and would have been perfect at the medium level.

We split a side of Z's signature cheese browns ($5.95), crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside hash browns topped with grated and melted cheddar cheese. This was a tasty (if no more nutritious) alternative to mashed or baked potatoes, and was plenty for two to share.

At the time that we placed our entree orders, I also put in a request for one of Z's homemade souffles. Each is made from scratch and requires about 45 minutes of prep time from start to finish, so these are listed on the main menu rather than on the dessert versio My Churchill Downs selection ($7.95), recommended by our server, was a decadent blend of chocolate chips and pecans, accented by a tasty hit of bourbo Advice to diners: Don't even think about splitting one of these. Pete treated himself to vanilla-bean ice cream ($4.95), a rich, creamy, definitely non-diet blend.

Z's has been open only since mid-November, so a few glitches here and there (the missing appetizer, some lags between courses) weren't unexpected. But our servers (each table has two, the main and an assistant) were friendly and gracious and seemed to genuinely enjoy their responsibilities. And the more modern atmosphere was a nice change of pace. Add to that Z's independent status, and I'm willing to admit that there is room for one more steakhouse in Indy.