Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

LITTLE SILVER: NEW OWNER TRANSFORMS ZOE

081315zoe2-500x292-4115549Laercio Chamon at the chef’s table at Zoe, where a large window offers a view of the kitchen. Below, an octopus and a watermelon salad.  (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

081315zoe4-220x138-5768449With new owner Laercio Chamon at the helm, the once Greek-centric menu Zoe Bistro in Little Silver has a jazzy bossa nova rhythm now.

At 33 years old, Chamon says he’s been working in kitchens for more than half his life, starting as a dishwasher at Doris and Ed’s in Highlands when he was 14.

“I always wanted to be a part of the line,” he tells PieHole. It’s like being behind the scenes of something you see in a movie. There’s something about the adrenaline, the rush.”

081315zoe1-500x341-6164472Servers with Scottish organic salmon served over white cheddar grits and a dish of seared scallops served with sweet potato puree and frisee. Below, the sliced duck with a pot of potatoes au gratin. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

081315zoe6-220x132-8494686Enrolling in a vocational program at Brookdale Community College, Chamon learned the trade of a pastry chef first. “All the high-end ingredients were available,” at Doris and Ed’s. “My name went on the menu as pastry chef.”

Moving on to jobs at country clubs, including the Rumson Country Club, Chamon “liked to learn to work the good and bad parts of the business. It was seasonal and corporate though,” he explained that the menus never varied.

He moved on to work in the kitchen at Jamian’s in Red Bank for three and a half years, and then decided to go into catering. Fueled by a desire to do organic farm-to-table food, he started the Rollin’ Bistro food truck, but soon found that he wanted a more permanent restaurant. After considering a spot in Belford that would require a new kitchen, he approached Charlie Lyristis at Zoe.

Although Zoe, located in the Markham Place shopping, center in  had been on the market and taken off, Chamon says, “a deal was reached, and Zoe changed hands.”

Five months later, the menu reflects his Brazilian heritage.

“I’ve been working for this for 18 years. I’m gonna do it my way,” Chamon says referring to his plan to use pasture-raised animals such as rabbit and lamb. “Ninety percent of the produce comes from local farmers’ markets,” he added. “I’m hoping to separate myself from all of those complacent places.”

The watermelon salad is a good case in point. Chunks of sweet in-season watermelon and fresh Jersey corn served over slightly bitter arugula come garnished with nuggets of juicy, smokey pork belly. It’s dish that showed off what summer is about at the Jersey Shore.

Striking up relationships with vendors at the Sea Bright farmers’ market, Chamon has been supplying his kitchen with pasture-raised pigs and chickens from Green Duchess Farm in Somerset County. A pig-roast tasting menu is one of the featured meals served family style at the enormous half-round chef’s table, which is open to the kitchen and can accommodate a dozen diners. Watching the ministrations of the kitchen staff while dining on great food is gourmet theater at its best.

An entree of sliced duck breast with smoked habanero sea salt, pan-seared and basted in its own fat, came to the table on a wooden board. An accompanying glass of demi reduction was treated with Holly Jolly pomegranate jelly for sweetness. On the same board was a cast iron pot filled with seductive, cheesy potatoes au gratin. To lighten the heaviness, a salad of cold pickled vegetables was included. All of the components of this dish worked together in a most extraordinary way: a little savory, a little sweet, and an intermixture of various textures highlighting the chefs experience.

Specials will change daily, but for now the menu still features some of the original Zoe dishes. Plans for a more Brazilian-influenced menu are in the works. Chamon plans to add Churrasco style barbecue meats to the menu, while bread is brought in daily from Teixeira’s Bakery in Newark.

Zoe is a BYOB open for lunch Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is served Sunday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m.

 

 

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
redbankgreen Classics
Partyline
RBMS HOOPS CHAMPS HONORED
The Red Bank Middle School girls basketball team is honored for their championship season. (click for more)
NAVESINK SUNSET
Sunset sunburst over Riverside Gardens Park (photo by Partyline contributor Thomas Doremus)
RIVERSIDE SUNSET
Sunday’s sunset shot from Riverside Gardens Park. (Photo by Partyline contributor Thomas Doremus) —
MARINE PARK SUNSET
Stunning sunset from Red Bank's Marine Park.
GULLS AND GRAY OVER MOLLY PITCHER INN
On a cold rainy spring day, bulls soared high above the Navesink River and the golden cupola of Red Bank's Molly Pitcher Inn.
Red Bank Commuters Enjoy Stunning Sunrise Over Navesink River
Thursday morning sunrise over the Navesink River, a commuter view from NJ Transit Train 3320. (photo by Partyline contributor Karly Swaim) & ...
SUNRISE OVER MONMOUTH STREET
Sunrise over Monmouth Street Thursday morning (photo by Partline contributor Thomas Doremus)
FINAL STRAW FOR MARINE PARK REMAKE
Workers place a straw covering over the now-dirt (soon to be grass) stretch of Marine Park that had been an asphalt parking lot for generati ...
DEER IN RED BANK
Dear Friends –Original before GPT– Deer Friends
GHOSTBUSTERS ON MONMOUTH STREET
Ghostbusters vehicle spotted on Monmouth Street. (photo by Partyline contributor Roseann DalPra)
BOAT CLUB AND BATTLESHIP GREY
Monmouth Boat Club under the past weekend’s clouds. (Photo by Partyline contributor Thomas Doremus)    
CURBSIDE BLOOMS
Broad Street beautified. (photo and text by Partyline contributor Boris Kofman)  
NEW MURAL TAKES SHAPE AT CANNABIS SHOP
Red Bank artist Michael White, donning a hat fitting for the day of the New York Mets’ home opener, works on a new mural at Canopy Cro ...
CHERRY BLOSSOMS ABOUND IN RED BANK
Cherry blossoms are everywhere! (photo and text by Partyline contributor Boris Kofman)  
DOWNTOWN RED BANK ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON
Downtown on a Friday afternoon. (partyline Photo by Thomas Doremus)  
LIGHTS ON THE NAVESINK
Thursday’s post-sunset clouds over the Navesink (Partyline photo by Thomas Doremus)  
A SPRING IN THE STEP
A man walks carrying a bouquet of flowers beneath the blooming trees in Red Bank. (Partyline photo by John T. Ward)  
ROWING INTO SPRING
Beyond the magnolia trees in full bloom at the Red Bank Library, the Navesink River Rowing Advanced Youth Program heads out for their weekda ...
RED BANK GREEN VISITS AUSTRALIA
Publisher Kenny Katzgrau is representing Red Bank and Red Bank Green at the Local and Independent News Association Summit in Melbourne, Aust ...
MAGNOLIA IN BLOOM
My neighbors’ magnificent magnolia. (photo and text by Partyline contributor Raseann Dal Pra)