The zen of Zemi: simplicity can sometimes bring out the best in food. Combine that with inventive cooking and top-notch service, and you'll get an idea of what Boca's Zemi has in store for you - Executive Dining Zemi

South Florida CEO, June, 2002 by Johanna Marmon

THERE S SOMETHING TO BE SAID about eating at a chic, agile restaurant on a packed weekend night. The air crackles with the frenetic energy of the waitstaff and foodrunners, and the occasional burst of flame from a chef's saute pan -- just visible out of the corner of your eye -- is an affirmation of the meal ahead. These are restaurants that awaken and enhance each one of the senses, and the ultra-sleek, New American eatery Zemi, tucked away into a corner of the Boca Town Centre, scores on all fronts.

Lush, suede-covered banquettes, scattered with plump suede pillows, line the walls in this narrow restaurant, with dark mahogany tables forming a corridor down the middle. Soft indirect lights set the room aglow, creating a sense of privacy even though there are people all around you. It's a nice setting in which to eat in comfort, for long periods of time; we arrived at 8:30 one recent Saturday evening and left more than two and a half hours later -- and none of that time was spent idly waiting for a server to show up. In fact, within seconds of sitting, our drink orders had been taken by a highly competent, knowledgeable server, and a wrought-iron cylinder of parmesan crisps and soft foccacia-like bread -- studded with caramelized onions and fresh herbs -- appeared, along with a plate of housemade chunky olive spread and garlicky hummus. It was a fitting indication that Zemi's patrons eat very, very well.

There are almost two dozen appetizers, both hot and cold, on Zemi's extensive menu, which offers a wide variety of seafood, shellfish, meat and poultry, and even a few pasta dishes. Masterfully composed by chef John Belleme, all dishes hint at either Asian, Mediterranean or American cuisine with deeply satisfying results. To start, we loved the chicken and foie gras potstickers, six plump and spicy dumplings pan fried to a golden crisp on one side and served with a delicately sweet, sticky sauce accented by thinly sliced green onion. We were equally impressed with the roasted lobster appetizer: a claw and tail served in a shallow bowl in a subtle tomato-lemon broth. The broth was totally unexpected -- it wasn't listed on the menu's description -- but we weren't sorry it was there. It only enhanced the sweet, succulent meat.

Next was an ethereal piece of Chilean sea bass. Miso-marinated and pan seared until caramelized around the edges and on the bottom, the fish fell away into large flakes at the slightest touch of a fork. A lively, gingery slaw of julienned vegetables and a spicy, tangy citrus dipping sauce complemented this light dish perfectly, but we weren't impressed with the cold, tough vegetable roll that also shared the plate. No matter: The fish could have been served by itself and sufficed. We were just as pleased with the mustardcrusted rack of lamb in brown sauce. Cooked exactly as requested -- a perfect medium -- and accompanied by a tomato and mushroom pastry and bright green asparagus spears, the meat was rich and tender. A gratifying surprise -- one that accented the meat very well -- was a fruit compote, made with deep red plums, golden raisins and what could have been dried cherries. On another visit we might be tempted to try the whole, roasted Sonoma chicken, or perhaps the macadamia-encrusted grouper fillet.

A chocolate truffle cake with a thin strawberry jus was a stunning dessert, the plate rimmed with raspberries and dusted with cocoa powder. A whipped-creamstuffed rolled praline added yet another element to this simple dessert. More complicated -- and slightly less successful (but tasty nonetheless) due to just-undercooked arborio rice -- was the whipped orange risotto, a take on the classic French dessert normally made with apricot. Both were rich, yet subtle, endings to a fabulous meal. This restaurant -- cutting-edge in that everything is prepared as simply as possible, each dish's flavors clean and coherent -- is nothing short of a crowd-pleaser.

Zemi. 5050 Town Centre Circle, Boca Raton 33486. 561-391-7177. Dinner: 6 p.m.- 10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., until 11 p.m. Fri. and Sat.