Friday, April 6, 2007

Casual Elegance

Maureen says:
If you live in the Manchester area, pick up a copy of the Manchester Daily Express and read the page one feature about Z and its aim for casual elegance.

(As of this writing, the Daily Express's Web site had not yet updated its PDF link to the April 6th edition, but you can check back on your own; please note that the PDF version is usually available for one day only, but today being Friday, once its up, it might remain until Monday.)

This time, Tom knew the Daily Express was coming and he neither caught a cold or got caught by the camera wearing a baseball cap. The bad photo curse, it seems, is broken (amen to that).

The article does a great job of explaining an important aspect of our concept in a way that's easy to understand: pressed linen on the tables doesn't have to mean a stiffer, more formal atmosphere; neither does a staff dressed in jeans and t-shirts equate to flimsy flatware and paper napkins. Besides, the cost for new tabletops? Utterly ridiculous.

But I do feel compelled to say that while I've wondered what life would have been like if I'd met Tom at the turn of the century, fact is we didn't know each other then. We met in late 2003 when he was working for The Catered Affair and it was in June, 2004 that we moved to California where he GM'd for an independent restaurateur in Carmel.

We made the decision in July, 2006 to return to Manchester because what we saw happening downtown from afar was exciting to us. We didn't just want to partake in the transformation, we wanted to contribute to it. So we moved back...from CA to Z.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Congratulations, Tom and Maureen!

Our lunch today was outstanding - AWESOME food, EXCEPTIONAL service and DELIGHTFUL details throughout. I asked our waitress whether the pistachio coating of the Goat Cheese Croquettes included bread crumbs and told her I'd order it if it didn't. Next thing I knew, my scrumptious GCC arrived, with a wheatless coating. She had specially ordered it for me, although I'd only inquired, not requested a special order. THAT kind of service is hard to come by!

Love the chairbacks, dishes, sexy teapot, tea-mug server, tin ceiling, glass bricks, etc., etc.

I'm spoiled and can't wait to come back.

Cheers to you!

Alex

Tom & Maureen said...

Alex - Thanks so much for taking the time to write to us about your lunch at Z. The experience you described is *exactly* what we strive for with every customer, every time. Whenever possible, we'll alter a dish or create a new one to meet the dietary needs of customers. We're also a trans fat free restaurant, something we probably don't mention often enough. The goat cheese salad is my personal favorite--Tom first made it for me on my birthday two years ago and I'm so pleased to hear that it's becoming a favorite of others as well. We hope to see you again soon. Our best - Maureen & Tom

Anonymous said...

My wife and I dined at Z last night. We were extermely pleased with the ambiance, quality of presentation, and most importantly the tast of the food. Arancini, Goat cheese salad, Haddock and Day boat scollops finished off with the lemon mouse.
Incredible.

We will tell our friends and come back to make sure the consistency is there, but so far fanatstic job!

Tom & Maureen said...

anonymous - you chose a wonderful selection from our menu and we're so glad to hear that you loved these dishes as much as we do! thanks so much for coming in and for taking time to let us know how much you enjoyed evening. we look forward to seeing you again soon.