Zanzibar

Zanzibar has a hip, fun, and energetic atmosphere. Just around the corner from Restaurant Row, you may spot a Broadway performer dining among the youthful crowd of theater-goers, artists, and young professionals in this up-and-coming restaurant/lounge.

A menu of culinary delights has been inspired by the legacy of Gigi, an old Italian chef who lived by the sea in Zanzibar, and combined tropical influences with food of his homeland. Chef Lugi Betti from Italy and consultant Badu from Senegal, have created a menu of casual finger foods and sharing dishes with African, Arabic and Italian influences. There's an exotic edge to the menu which features peanut coconut dipping sauces for grilled skewered chicken, risottos flavored with melon, and croquettes of fish or black-eyed peas. Seafood is prominent on the menu in dishes like mussel soup and the house-specialty sautéed halibut wrapped with prosciutto and sage served with wild mushrooms and Marsala sauce. Heady aromas waft from the dishes carried by waitresses in sarongs and waiters in Khakis with African print shirts.

Zanzibar, as created by owner/architect Emilio Barletta (also of Trattoria Dopo Teatro) integrates a modern design with the industrial elements of old New York in a multi-room environment -- including a dining room, bar, and two lounges. for its mix of theater-goers, artists, and young professionals. Like the mysteriously spicy island it's named for, Zanzibar is a place of delicious romance, intrigue and adventure. Zanzibar accommodates up to 168 people for parties and events.