Les Zygomates, Leather District, Boston (now closed)

The last time I did a review of Les Zygomates was back in 2010 and today I am reminded that this place is still very special to me and to Boston.   I have celebrated many birthdays here, my company did a buy-out of the whole restaurant for a fabulous holiday party and I have had some really really bad and some good dates over the last 15+ years. I honestly had not realized that perhaps I have a date place until I started to write this review.  Luckily (or unluckily) they are about once every two years rather than one a week, which may cause the restaurant staff to gossip about me 🙂 

Les Zygomates is on South Street close to the Financial District, in an area called the Leather District.  The restaurant has two sides to it.  As you walk in, you are greeted immediately by a friendly host.  There is a bar and lots of high top seating, if you want to just sit around and have a glass of wine or one of their fabulous cocktails and enjoy the great raw bar.  As you walk around the restaurant, there is dining seating for those who want a quieter dinner and as you walk around to the other side of the restaurant, you have a small private room leading onto another bar/restaurant area with a stage sort of on top of the bar towards the end, where they have live jazz most nights. 

I was meeting my friend Karen after work and we wanted to do something a little different.  That little different decision had us revisiting Les Zyg where we decided to sit on the music side of the restaurant at the bar.  

The décor is casual and comfortable.  Everyone makes you feel welcome from host to the bartenders to the regulars and the band members.  They have outstanding artwork throughout the whole restaurant by a wonderful artist called Janice Eve Dale.  

Every day from 3-7pm they have $1 Happy Hour Oysters so of course we ordered a dozen super briny East Coast Oysters to share. 

Happy Hour Oysters – $1 each

The menu offers a decent raw bar in addition to oysters with crab claws, shrimp and ceviche.   They also offer a chacuterie selections such as foie gras, country, pâte, duck prosciutto.  For the appetizers they have classics with a twist such as steak tartare with quail egg and Onion Soup Gratinée with aged gouda and cream sherry.  For our appetizer we shared a plate of the roasted beets with creamy goat cheese and just the right amount of balsamic. 

Roasted Beets – Toasted Walnuts, Radish, Goat Cheese, Balsamic – $13

For the entrée we were undecided between seared scallops with mushroom risotto, Atlantic halibut and warm succotash or the Faroe Island salmon.   The salmon won and deserved a nice winner award with its crispy skin and rave worthy pea purée.  I really could have just eat a bowl of the purée.

Grilled Faroe Island Salmon – Warm Pea Purée, Salad of Radish & Pickled Beets, Enoki Mushrooms – $28

Our evening’s dining was paired perfectly with a Sancerre Rosé and some light background jazz from a talented pianist. 

Les Zygomates is a great for a date, dinner with friends or even to sit at the bar alone, have some food and enjoy the live music.  Always a great time.