ZZ's Clam Bar
ZZ's Clam Bar was a seafood restaurant in New York City. The restaurant, run by Major Food Group, was on the same street as their restaurant Carbone. ZZ's Clam Bar received a Michelin star in 2014, and retained the rating until 2022. The restaurant closed in 2023.
History
Major Food Group originally planned to open The Lobster Club, a sandwich shop, in the space occupied by ZZ's Clam Bar. The Lobster Club menu would have included "triple-decker sandwiches" and would have incorporated a take-out counter. Jeff Zalaznick, a partner in Major Food Group, claimed the change to the more formal seafood menu of ZZ's Clam Bar was in part due to the founding team consuming "so many lobster club sandwiches we didn't even want to look at one anymore" during the process of planning the restaurant. Major Food Group later opened a restaurant using the "Lobster Club" name, located in the Seagram Building. The Lobster Club does not resemble the restaurant originally planned for ZZ's Clam Bar's space; the organization refers to the restaurant as a "Japanese brasserie".ZZ's Clam Bar opened in 2013, and the inaugural menu included trout crudo, prawn ceviche, and seared fish. Thomas Waugh, a "barman" at Carbone and Death & Co. known for creating elaborate cocktails, also initially operated the bar at ZZ's Clam Bar. Major Food Group leased the spaces for ZZ's Clam Bar and Carbone from the same landlord, and was able to obtain a favorable lease as no one could previously find a use for the small space. The 200 square foot space seats twelve people. The restaurant's founders have said it "celebrates" Umbertos Clam House, another Manhattan seafood restaurant founded in 1972 and located in Little Italy. In 2014, The New York Times referred to ZZ's Clam Bar as a "raw-bar-and-haute-cocktail-saloon", along with New York City establishments the Leadbelly and Maison Premiere.