Zest! Exciting Food Creations

When we raved about the biscuits and gravy at Binford Cafe awhile back, Phil asked us how they compared to the ones at Zest Exciting Food Creations so we recently headed to Zest (1134 E. 54th St.) to find out.

Zest is a neat little cafe, with bright colors and a cheery staff. The coffee came quickly to the table; it was dark, black and strong. Starbucks quality, without having to sell your soul to the corporate chain. But we went for the biscuits and gravy. We sat at the outdoor tables sipping the hearty coffee for only a few minutes before the plate of heaven came out. At first, we were surprised by the vibrant orange color of the gravy, until we tasted it. Compared to the B's and G's at Binford Cafe, the Zest creation is just slightly higher on the heat index. But the real difference was the cheesy, creamy consistency of the gravy. The meaty, orange sauce was ladled over three good sized biscuits. When the waitress (who seemed entirely too happy to be at work) asked how we were doing, we asked " is there cheese in the gravy?" hoping to recreate the dish at home. She won't tell, secret recipe, sworn to secrecy,etc. Apparently ,the work of some sort of culinary Illuminati, keeping all of the tasty secrets hidden away.

Zest was extremely satisfying, the breakfast was sublime, although a little too much for early in the a.m. ( we would have appreciated a 1/2 order option). It is hard to compare this dish to other biscuits and gravy. Since the Zest version is so unique, it nearly falls into a different category. We will definitely be back for more.