Green Zebra

Lola - Jan 6

Initially, I had very high hopes for Green Zebra. In my mind it would fill the high-end vegetarian restaurant void in Chicago (with the possible exception of Karyn's) and I thought that perhaps it would even help to promote vegetarian dishes as an alternative to the filet mignon culture that pervades much of this city.

Unfortunately I was wrong. Instead of attracting people who are concerned with animal welfare, Green Zebra seems to have become a hip hangout of 20-something yuppies.

For a "haute cuisine vegetarian restaurant," I am surprised by the dearth of vegan items on the menu. Although almost any dish can be made vegan, most of the vegetarian dishes are so reliant on the cheese and creme ingredients for flavor that it isn't really worth ordering them vegan-ized. While I understand the business sense of offering a few organic meat options in order to appeal to a wider audience, I resent the fact that Green Zebra does so AND still manages to call itself a vegetarian restaurant.

That said, Green Zebra does have something to offer for those who have the cash. The trio of salads is exquisite, even after leaving the parmesan cheese off of one of the salads. The sweet potato dumplings are vegan without any modifications and have a delicious hint of floral aroma. The best item on the menu is by far the ginger cake with banana soy ice cream. Although it's the only vegan dessert on the menu, it's also the only item that I felt was fully worth the $7 that I paid for it.

Note: I wrote the above review about 3 and a half years ago. My opinion of Green Zebra has since changed considerably (as reflected in the current rating). Everything that I mentioned above is still true (Green Zebra continues to have limited vegan options and to be overrun by yuppies).

However, I have come to the conclusion that the vegan food at Green Zebra is considerably better than you would find at any other "vegetarian" restaurant in Chicago. The food is innovative and, most importantly, never tries to imitate "normal" food by replacing it with soy products. The emphasis is on the wonderful flavors of the vegetables and fruits, which are cooked in unusual combinations and served with delicious sauces. For this reason, Green Zebra is a great place to take non-vegan friends and family.

One new food recommendation: even if you normally love a good cocktail, I would recommend trying the soda "tasting" instead: the waiter brings 3 or 4 exotic-tasting carbonated beverages in small cups (my favorite is the pink peppercorn thyme soda). It's fun to enjoy a tasting menu of drinks with a tapas-style meal.

Eric Purdy - Aug 11 04

I really, really hate this place. It's pretentious as all get-out, the staff has obviously been selected for MAXIMUM DIVERSITY, they even make a big deal about giving you your complimentary appetizer. Then they charge you an arm and a leg for the blandest, smallest dishes you will ever see.

The worst part, though, is all the adoring newspaper writeups you see about how it's a vegetarian Mecca, how it's redefining vegetarian cuisine, etc. Unless you count doing its best to further the "chicken and fish are plants, not animals" idea, it's not redefining anything.

If you find yourself thinking about going here, you should instead go to a decent vegetarian restaurant (perhaps the Diner) and then burn a couple 20-dollar bills. You can find better vegan food at any vegetarian or vegan restaurant in the city, and it'll be much cheaper. Frankly, the only reason this restaurant hasn't closed its doors yet is that people automatically praise anything expensive. Ultimately i hope there will be an expensive, haute cuisine vegetarian restaurant in Chicago that's actually good (heck, the Millenium is already doing that in San Francisco, and doing it well) but this isn't it.