8 Exeter Rd. (Rte. 27 & Hwy. 125)
Epping, NH 03042
(603)-679-8772
www.zampa.com
The old adage that location is everything isn't always that true - but it certainly does help. Zampa, located on a busy stretch of 125 in Epping across from a gas station and bordering no other establishments may have a prime location to spot it while driving home in rush hour traffic but it doesn't have much else to say for itself. From the outside, it looks cute (yes, that's the best was to describe it) and unassuming (read: small) but the inside has an entirely different feel.
Although definitely still cozy, Zampa has two rooms, a main dining area with a bar in it and a smaller more removed side section where we opted to enjoy our dinner. The decor itself was terrific, simple tile tables in checkerboard fashion, Christmas decorations galore, lights, very cozy with relatively comfortable chairs. It didn't hurt dining there on a Monday night either as we were afforded the smaller room entirely to ourselves and the only rowdy-ish person in the place was a middle aged man talking to anyone near him about politics who sounded like a talk radio host droning on in the background. The separation of the rooms made for a nice private dining experience.
The waitress brought the wine menu along with breadsticks accompanied by a delicious chipotle aioli sauce. She was enthusiastic about the entire menu and although one of the first things that caught my eye was not available that night she explained the several specials that were taking its place. We ordered a bottle of Due Torri (Italy) and the Lavender Honey Spare Ribs as an appetizer and placed our orders for dinner.
Our server was attentive with water and the ribs arrived shortly after, four large ones served with homemade chips. The ribs themselves were melt-in-your-mouth soft and although they were not bland by any stretch of the imagination they were not particularly flavorful either. As for the chips that were served with them they were soft and as such not particularly enjoyable. The Due Torri however was quite delicious and went well with the meat.
As it should be with any good dining experience, the food came slowly, the wine poured at the same pace. Our waitress brought out our main courses as we were nearing finishing our bottle of wine.
I ordered the Steak Frites alla Zampa rare (a Porcini dry-rubbed and grilled 12 oz. certified Angus New York Strip steak finished with a Chive compound butter) and had the pommes frites as recommended. We also ordered the Bigoli Bowl (Zampa-made thick extruded wheat pasta tossed with a sauté of wild mushrooms, winter leeks, fresh sage
and garlic in a hazelnut pumpkin cream accompanied with grilled rosemary foccacia). The presentation was nice and although the tables were small they fit our meals and drinks with just enough space to not feel crowded.
The steak was cooked properly rare yet was not particularly impressive. It was chewier than a Niman ranch steak should be expected to be, no matter how it is cooked and although the chive compound butter helped it was still a pretty average piece of beef. The pommes frites and the sweet potato that were served with it though were two completely different stories. Each was a veritable explosion of flavor and had they been served as the main course with a smaller piece of steak it actually would have been a completely acceptable meal.
Although the word bigoli actually means extruded wheat pasta it aptly fit the giant bowl of pasta and extras that were served with it. The homemade pasta was thick, and relatively al dente as a result as well as delicious. Wild mushrooms were certainly in abundance and the hazelnut pumpkin cream sauce wasn't overpowering at all - all in all a terrific bowl of pasta.
Halfway through the meal we opted for a bottle of 2 Princes Riesling (Germany) which was a perfect combination for the pasta and actually proved to be a delicious wine to pair with dessert as it was much sweeter than the Due Torri.
For dessert we shared the Mississippi Mud Bourbon Cake which was served warm with a good deal of homemade whipped cream. Little bourbon could be tasted and the warm chocolate cake barely even tasted homemade. Also, as much as I love a cup of diner coffee, the coffee I ordered here resembled it a bit too much for a restaurant that had just served such a delicious dinner.
All in all Zampa was an enjoyable experience. The atmosphere was beyond relaxing, the waitstaff was friendly and helpful, the food, overall, was quite good, and although I had some reservations about some aspects of what we had ordered I would not hesitate to go here again.
