With a few illustrious exceptions, dining in a hotel restaurant is rarely a choice made with gusto. It’s often the last resort of the weary vacationer who checked in close to midnight. Or the sensible option for a business traveler abusing their expense account. At downtown Sarasota’s Art Ovation Hotel, a new concept bucks the bland to offer both its guests and the city a menu as inspired as its art exhibitions.
Called Tzeva—which means color in Hebrew—the concept finds its inspiration in some less well-known Mediterranean cuisines, namely Israeli. Meanwhile, Executive Chef Ken Shiro Lumpkin—who helped Kojo establish itself as a culinary staple and whose resume includes work with a Jewish caterer—infuses hints of his Japanese background into a menu of shareable plates that delight with some unexpected twists. As anyone who’s enjoyed Israeli food already knows, a table full of salatim (Hebrew for salads), a few hummus selections and a stack of toasted pita is a great way to kick off a meal and, in some cases, preclude a full meal altogether. Tzeva’s rotating salatim, served cold and in small dishes much like Korean banchan, might include julienned pickled carrots with herbs or an Israeli corn salad, each light and refreshing. Hardy hummus accompaniments might include the masabacha—best described as a rustic or deconstructed hummus in which most of the chickpeas are left whole—or the vegetarian hummus, which comes topped with roasted curry cauliflower, a dash of sumac and shredded mint. These begin to either whet or squash an appetite depending on how many pita-wielding hands are present at the table.
The small plates selections depart from the purely authentic and introduce some of Tzeva’s more inventive dishes. A toasted feta comes topped with dukkah—a Middle Eastern blend of nuts, herbs and spices—and drizzled with thyme honey. On their own, the cheese, dukkah and honey almost eat like a dessert, but the addition of Castelvetrano olives and house pickles on the side balance the sweet with splashes of salt and brine. The falafel, meanwhile, would be a fine dish even if it only came with the scratch-made chickpea fritters, but served atop a smoked tomato chutney it gets a savory, smokey twist that warrants a thorough cleaning of the plate with whatever pita remains from the opening course.
Al ha’esh (Hebrew for “on the fire”) kebabs showcase more of Tzeva’s blending of traditional and modern flavors. The chicken shashlik comes with perfectly grilled chunks of chicken thighs served alongside hardy Bombay yams. An accompanying apricot chutney establishes a welcomed pattern of bringing sweetness to savory dishes. A grouper shashlik puts a distinct Gulf Coast spin on kebabs and an occasion for the return of the smoked tomato chutney. It also introduces a bit of Chef Lumpkin’s Japanese roots with a puree of kabocha, a type of winter squash found in Japan that yields a rich, creamy, sweet flavor.
For large plates, a lamb shank gives diners all the comfort of a beef stew but with the pastoral flavor of lamb. Like the chicken shashlik, the meat itself isn’t overdone with spices that detract from the pure joy of eating roasted meat. The rich jus at the bottom of the plate is best sopped up with the kabocha korokke fritters that come on the side. By far the most exciting large plate on the menu is the Moroccan chicken. This heaping dish features a spatchcocked whole or half chicken seasoned with ras el hanout, a Moroccan spice blend that includes salt, cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, black and white pepper, cayenne, allspice, cloves and nutmeg. The kataifi threads on top are best enjoyed with the delicious broth, combining the aromatic appeal of a yellow curry with the silkiness of a rich bouillon. A half-chicken order is plenty for two, especially when ordered as a second or third course.
While all options on the dessert menu strike the restaurant’s balance of artistry and accessibility, the black sesame brulee might very well be one of the best desserts in downtown Sarasota. The unexpected juxtaposition of a creamy brulee with the nuttiness of black sesame seeds is at once surprising and decadent. Though the hotel’s guests may very well stumble into Tzeva’s menu by the same paths of convenience, the region more broadly gets another destination dinner spot in a food scene very much on the rise.
