House of Shouse: ZYLO Welcomes Chef Seadon Shouse

ZYLO Tuscan Steak House, the restaurant at the W, has recently welcomed its newest addition, chef Seadon Shouse. French and Italian trained Shouse found his new home in the kitchen of ZYLO and has wasted no time planning to showcase an ever-evolving menu.

“I would like to change up the menu seasonally, if not more often,” he said on Monday night at a special tasting at the restaurant. “We’re also looking to get in touch with farms to bring in local meats and produce. So far, we are using some seafood from Long Island.”

The contemporary additions to the menu fit well with the overall modern feel of the restaurant. Green velvet booths line the walls in the dining room overlooking full-length windows that open to sidewalk seating along the Hudson. “On less humid days, our patio is completely packed,” our waitress, Jennifer, informed us. As the sun began to set, her predictions became reality as outdoor tables filled with Hobokenites looking to relax in a seat with a view.

One ingredient Shouse loves—fresh chilies—crept into two of the evening’s dishes; Fluke Crudo and a Cavatelli with fennel-pork sausage.

“I wouldn’t call myself a ‘chili-head,’ but a little fresh chili lightens up a dish,” Shouse said.

The Fluke, part of a multi course sampling of Shouse’s menu additions for summer, was a sashimi version of the white fish featuring crunchy sunchoke chips that perfectly complemented the soft fluke and a cilantro olive oil dressing which was well balanced with the pop of fresh flavor each bite gained from the chili.

The fact that Shouse rarely has time to cook at home is no surprise considering his dedication to his well thought out menu at ZYLO, though he’s not ashamed to admit that the clean-up crew and abundance of fresh ingredients in the kitchen at ZYLO make it hard to concede to cooking at home.

Offering a little bit of something for everyone—in his own words—Shouse “lets the ingredients speak for themselves.” Other dishes include Roasted Octopus with poached potatoes, topped with shallot, olive and tomato, a seared Sea Scallop dish accompanied by an Italian pasta-like version of cous cous called fregola with lobster and corn or Veal Agnolotti, a dense ravioli pasta with sage butter and veal jus.  

One dish I'd go back for is the watermelon salad. The three individual, dominant flavors of sweet watermelon, savory pancetta and sharp Ricotta Salata at first maintain their separate identities, but the end result is an infusion of all three flavors that dominates every last taste bud.

Located at 225 River Street. View the full menu and ZYLO's weekly specials at www.zylorestaurant.com.