Susur Lee Falls Forward; New Seasonal ZENTAN Menu Includes Special Chef’s Tasting Option!

NORTHWEST -- Having achieved the highest score in Top Chef Masters history (19.5 out of 20 stars), being labeled by Zagat as a “culinary genius”, and with four restaurants (D.C., New York, Toronto, Singapore) to his name, Chef Susur Lee is clearly at the top of his game.

ZENTAN owner Chef Susur Lee.
Yet, in his seemingly never-ending drive to keep innovating, Lee can still be constantly found bounding around the globe searching for new sources of inspiration. And the Washington outpost of his growing empire, ZENTAN, is now reaping the benefits of such culinary wanderlust, with a recently updated fall cocktail and restaurant menu.

The 19-ingredient Singapore Slaw with Sashimi is made with sour plum mirin ginger and emulsified with oil, and served with two forks.
Certainly, longstanding favorites like the Singapore Slaw and Sashimi and Cantonese Skirt Steak remain firmly entrenched, but also now sit side-by-side with new menu staples, such as the Garlic Chicken or ‘Ham and Jam’.

The ‘Ham and Jam’ with Angalica ham, black currant jam, and assorted pickles.
Perhaps most notably, however, is the availability of a new Asian-inspired Chef’s Tasting menu. Derived from seasonal recipes personally created by Chef Lee and deftly prepared by ZENTAN Executive Chef Jaime Montes De Oca, the five-course menu boasts plates like Escolar with pickled jalapeño, jicama and a shallot-sesame dressing, Creekstone Farms Short Ribs with spicy bok choy and Yukon gold potato puree, and Five-Spice Apple Tart with salted caramel gelato.

Mascarpone parfait with blueberry compote, chocolate crumble, and raspberry sorbet.
The fall tasting menu is exclusively available on Wednesday evenings from 6:30pm to 9:30pm, inside ZENTAN’s 45-seat private dining room, for a reasonable $85 per person, including wine pairings (tax and gratuity extra).

Crispy Duck with dried pineapple, ginger, and sweet and sour sauce.
Culinary genius to be sure…