Last night my wife and I had dinner at "Zoot" (509 Hearn Street, 477-6535). It was a very nice meal; I would certainly recommend the place. I ordered the pan-seared salmon with potato & leek cakes and yellow tomato sauce, and my wife had the roast chicken with corn custard and sauteed kale. The food was perfectly prepared-- everything was nice and hot without being soggy or overcooked. The corn custard that came with my wife's dinner had a superb smoky flavor, and the kale was also very good (most of the the kale I've ever had has been somewhat woody and tough-- not so in this case). My wife also had a spinach salad as an appetizer, which was quite tasty. Portions are moderately sized; I wouldn't recommend going there after fasting for a couple days. Service was quite good; the waiter was attentive without hovering. They also did a good job accommodating my wife's special requests (no garlic or onions). The atmosphere was reasonably quiet, which suited us fine. All in all I would rate it an 8.5 of 10 (keeping in mind that 10's are reserved for the really exceptional places in New York and New Orleans).
Austin, TX