Borrowing from Boston Market, art galleries and college cafeterias, Zoom Kitchen still manages to be a good place to eat. Much of the credit goes to the wisecracking but accommodating staff, who do their best to put diners at ease with the hybrid approach. You grab a tray and silverware and start sliding along the steel rails, but because the salads, sandwiches and “carvers” are made to order instead of scooped out of steam-table trays, some standing around is involved. Bored? Tired? Head back to one of the 32 seats, and someone will bring the dish to you or sing out when it is ready.
@text rag right:In theory, all dishes are to be ordered, collected and paid for before the actual eating begins, but we didn’t figure that out until we were halfway through a very good Caesar salad ($3.50) and mulling over the rest of the menu. No one seemed to mind.
The laidback atmosphere extends to the food, which is appealing without being complicated: a link of grilled chicken sausage on mixed greens ($3.50), a side of mashed potatoes ($1.95), or a portobello mushroom sandwich ($4.75). (If you order a sandwich, feel free to complicate things yourself by asking for such condiments as cilantro pesto, chipotle mayonnaise or caramelized onions.)
You might predict that the cooking would be equally casual, but the black-T-shirted men take their ingredients seriously. Greens are pristine and colorful, whether in a salad or underlying the spicy chicken sausage: You’re expected to eat them, not just look at them. Well-made bread comes fresh from the nearby Red Hen Bakery. Slices of grilled sirloin ($3.75), another of the “carver” options, are tender and juicy.
Sure, some things could be better. The mashed potatoes are on the loose side, but they taste real. Another side dish (all are $1.95), spicy macaroni and cheese, is almost too fiery for comfort. The stuffing, made from a dark rye the night we visited, is sturdy and nicely flavored with sage, but, like its starchy brethren, it’s unlikely to win any beauty contests after it lands on your plate.
Espresso drinks based on Intelligentsia beans lead the beverage list, supplemented by bottled water ($1.25), tea and juice blends ($2.50 to $3.50 for 20 ounces) and soft drinks ($1.50). (You can bring your own bottle(s) of something alcoholic; a bowl of ice to chill a six-pack was supplied without our having to ask.)
Desserts consist of pie ($2.50 per slice) and chocolate-chip cookies, which ordinarily cost 65 cents but which the waiters were handing out free for some reason the night we stopped in. Free or not, they were buttery and chock-full of chocolate.
Decor in the Bucktown storefront is spare in a stainless-steel and wood-floor way. Black-and-white Marc Hauser portraits of the famous (Michael Jordan) and the rest of us hang opposite the serving counter. Without the welcoming gang in charge, the place could come off as chilly. No danger of that. Another Zoom Kitchen is to open in September at 1620 W. Belmont Ave.
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Zoom Kitchen.
(Three forks)
1646 N. Damen Ave.
773-278-7000
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; brunch 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sun., regular menu until 9 p.m.
Credit cards: A, M, V
Ratings: 4 forks: Top of the class
3 forks: Better than most
2 forks: Very good fare
1 fork: Middle of the road
Reviews are based on anonymous visits by Tribune staff members. The meals are paid for by the Tribune.
