ZZ's Clam Bar, the New Upscale Seafood Counter From the Torrisi Boys, Now Open

ZZ's Clam Bar
169 Thompson St., Greenwich Village
212-254-3000
zzsclambar.com/
Status: Certified Open

On Saturday evening, Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick opened ZZ's Clam Bar, a new restaurant specializing in composed seafood plates and raw bar items. It sits just a few doors down from their mega-hit Carbone on Thompson Street. It sounds like Mario, Rich, and Jeff are going for an Italian-American version of a sushi counter here. The menu includes things like trout crudo with fried leeks, prawn ceviche with fried shrimp heads, cured sardines with oranges, and tuna carpaccio with foie gras and bone marrow. ZZ's also offers oysters and clams on the half shell, caviar, and "toasts" topped with beef, uni, or foie gras. To drink, the bar serves a menu of elaborate cocktails from Death & Company's Thomas Waugh.

As you may recall, the Torrisi crew originally wanted to a sandwich shop called The Lobster Club in this space, but they decided to go the high-end seafood counter route instead. The space is tiny — just 12 seats — and currently, ZZ's is only open Tuesday through Saturday from 6 p.m. till 1 a.m. Check out the menu below, and do send any early reports our way.
Previous Coverage: Coming Attractions, 06/10/13
Further Reading: TONY, New York Magazine, New York Times.

ZZsClamBar-Menu FOOD 6.17.13 by Eater NY