Hard to believe Sub Zero Vodka Bar has been open for seven years in the middle of the Central West End. Harder still to imagine that with a name that doesn’t even mention food, its kitchen earns such high marks.
And Ann finds is charmingly humorous that a sushi parlor is operating in a location that in the ’70s was a boutique called Wool & Woo, where she bought a pair of sushi earrings that have caused comments ever since. Dining choices are simple: Sub Zero serves booze, sushi and burgers, plus one steak and the requisite appetizers, salads and desserts – in other words, How America Eats Now.
There are two rooms, the bar, which is quite loud most of the time, and the adjacent dining room, which is slightly less loud. But sometimes loud is fine, like late at night when it’s nice to prove that this town doesn’t turn out the lights after the 10 o’clock news. And late is busy at Sub Zero, where the kitchen doesn’t close until 1.
But, no, travel down the tummy trail with us as we lounge and people-watch. Plenty of vodka, of course, both straight and in numerous cocktails, plus a long list of sparkling wine-based drinks like the Bling Bling, made of Grey Goose vodka, black raspberry liqueur and raspberry puree, all topped with a pour of sparkler. Any sweetness was offset by the puree’s bitterness, surprisingly refreshing for all its fruitiness. And for the drinker who prefers to keep things simple, there’s good bourbon, too.
We tried both the traditional and non-traditional sushi, which are separated on the menu. From the traditional side, a salmon skin and avocado roll thrilled, the crunchiness of the crisply cooked salmon skin a perfect contrast to the silky avocado. From across the page, the Kung Fu Vu – no, we don’t make these things up, and the sushi chef’s name is Vu – gave us a roll with scallops cooked in a panko coating for crisp, plus cucumber and snow crab, with spicy mayonnaise, masago, the tiny orange caviar with added spice, and some sweet brown eel sauce. Pretty fine, although a hit of the hot wasabi paste was a good idea. Regular sushi was simple and traditional, though a spicy, garlicky salmon was a new treat, and while expensive, servings are generous.
Vegetarian pot-stickers were large, but short on filling and significant flavor, and unaided by the listless sauce. The yellowtail-jalapeno intrigued. Yellowtail is a big-flavor fish, one of our favorites on a sushi menu. Here, six slices are laid out, a leaf of cilantro and a thin slice of jalapeno, with seeds, placed atop each, and a dribble of soy sauce added. We split on this one; Joe thought the pepper overwhelmed the fish. Ann wrapped the jalapeno in the slice of fish and mostly was very happy, although to achieve a proper balance of heat, the pepper slices need to be extremely thin. The texture contrast was pleasant, too. On the other hand, $15 for six slices of fish….
And on the burger side, we headed for the green chile cheeseburger. “A coffee rub,” said the menu, as well as a roasted poblano relish, an onion ring, and jalapeno cheese sauce. Not quite what we think of as a green chile cheeseburger, a subject on which we plan further research in the months to come. The basic burger was swell. This kitchen understands rare, always a plus. But the spicing heat was barely lukewarm and the cheese-ness more visual than gustatory. Needs some work, we say. On the other hand, we’ve been consistently happy with the lamb burger, topped with hummus and cucumber and a little mint, not enough to be disconcerting. A little messy to eat, but fabulously tasty. Onion rings as a side were dry and crisp, and the sweet potato fries, while not very crisp, were mysteriously seasoned and good enough to produce bursts of larceny from across the table, ostensibly to re-assess the unusual combination of sweet and savory.
We somehow became more involved in desserts than we usually do. They are all made in-house, including a large, low-slung slab of gooey butter cake. More gooey than we expected, but killer-sweet in the classic tradition and downright chewy. Carrot cake, about the size of half a paving brick and with a layer of very moist cream cheese frosting poured over it like a glaze, was very moist and quite light. A few raisins here and there, some sugared walnuts for garnish, and some toothpick-sized carrot julienne, too. And then there was the chocolate cake. Tall, moist, elegant and layered with a milk chocolate mousse, it bellowed loudly for some red wine to keep it company. We obliged, and set to work. A relatively unsweet cake, a thin, almost crackly layer of chocolate glaze on the outside, it was utterly magnificent, the best of a delicious trio.
More than happy with service, and the staff knows the menu, both liquids and solids, very well.
Surprisingly, this is not a venue solely for the young and fashionable. We saw plenty of folks who haven’t been carded in years, even decades, although one morning, as we were leaving in the wee hours, a sweet young thing who’d been over-served fell upon Joe with delight, exclaiming how hip we were to be there and to be having fun. No sense explaining we’ve been doing this for a loooooong time.
Sub Zero Vodka Bar
308 N. Euclid Ave.
314-367-1200
Lunch Sat.-Sun, Dinner nightly
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Fair
Smoking: No
Entrees: $11-$32 (non-sushi)
