Quick Take:
Borzi Marashi, a 40-year veteran of Eugene’s restaurant scene, has created an elegant yet approachable dining destination on the third floor of the DAC.
Take an elevator to the third floor of the building housing the Downtown Athletic Club, and you’ll find one of the city’s most delicious restaurants. Zest opened about a year ago in the space formerly occupied by Ax Billy Grill.
The elevator poses as one of Zest’s challenges as well as a reward for diners who use it. A streetside door opens to a lobby adjacent to the Downtown Athletic Club, with the elevator tucked inside. Diners don’t need to enter the Downtown Athletic Club at all, and membership at the club is not required to eat at Zest — although members get a 10% discount when dining at Zest.
“It’s a very beautiful space,” said Borzi Marashi, owner of Zest. “It’s a little bit unique in the sense that you don’t have many other restaurants here with an elevator to the third floor. But it means we also need to work to let people know that it’s very easy to get to this space.”
Owner Borzi Marashi and line cook Erin Kirkman holding one of Zest’s wood-fired pizzas. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield
Zest head chef Chaney Shanley is instrumental in designing the restaurant’s Mediterranean-inspired menu. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield
Zest Bartender Brent Bumpus made Brent Pettit a bourbon old fashioned. Pettit stopped in to Zest for the first time while on his way to a show at nearby Olsen Run Comedy Club. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield
Decades of hospitality
Marashi’s restaurant history in Eugene spans four decades. In 1978, as a University of Oregon student, he was studying general science with dreams of becoming a teacher. But fate had other plans when he started waiting tables at a small South Eugene restaurant called the Gazebo, where Cafe Med is today.
After a few months, the owner, Fred Rouzpay, offered Marashi a partnership.
“I was caught by surprise,” Marashi said. “I didn’t know what to do, but I liked the industry.”
That partnership launched his career, and Marashi learned every aspect of restaurant operations.
Gazebo’s success led the restaurant to move into a larger space in the building that now houses Beppe & Gianni’s, growing from 30 seats to 70. But his family priorities shifted, and in the late 1990s Marashi sold Gazebo and took over what is now Cafe Glendi, a Greek eatery in the 5th Street Public Market, which is managed by his mother, Ashi. That arrangement allowed Marashi to be at home more in the evenings with his young family. His hospitality empire also includes Oakway Catering, which has become a go-to for larger events and special occasions throughout Eugene.
It was through his catering work, serving organizations such as Food For Lane County and Relief Nursery, that he connected with the owners of Downtown Athletic Club (DAC) and learned about the opportunity to take over the restaurant space.
“After COVID, some people chose not to open back up,” Marashi said. “The DAC is not really in the business of restaurants or catering, so they wanted somebody who does that to reopen it.”
Arancini was a recent appetizer special at Zest. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield
Clams steamed with white wine and Calabrian chili is a regular appetizer on the menu at Zest. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield
Roasted cauliflower with harissa labneh is a regular appetizer on the menu at Zest. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield
Basque cheesecake is a dessert at Zest. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield
The special pizza in April was topped with spring pea, housemade dill ricotta, sun-dried cherry tomatoes, prosciutto, and basil chiffonade over a bechamel base. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield
The Rev. Stiggins Punch at Zest is made with pineapple rum, lime, housemade strawberry syrup, basil, and a splash of orange juice and soda. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield
Mediterranean-influenced cuisine
Zest’s menu reflects what the owner calls “Mediterranean rim” cuisine. The rice dishes, Marashi notes, are inspired by Persian cooking, reflecting his Iranian heritage, though each dish is allowed to reflect the kitchen team’s creative touch.
“I give the kitchen a lot of leeway,” Marashi said, “but my philosophy is to be a team. I really like them to feel involved and feel like the dishes are part of their creation.”
Head chef Chaney Shanley said the team uses seasonal and local ingredients as much as possible. They also take advantage of their large smoker and smoke their own chickens and other meats and cheeses. Shanley has close to 15 years of experience working for restaurants in Boise as well as Eugene, including Billy Mac’s Bar and Grill.
Shanley said the team often takes a traditional approach to Mediterranean cuisine, while also incorporating influences from a wide range of regions.
“We take inspiration from places like Northern Africa and the Middle East,” he said, adding that although there are also Italian, French, and Asian elements in their cooking, the goal is to “deliver an authentic experience” by honoring the spirit of those culinary traditions when they’re designing dishes rather than replicating them exactly.
Local connections, global flavors
The restaurant takes advantage of Oregon’s agricultural bounty when possible, including sourcing custom-ground beef and lamb from Long’s Meat Market and salmon from Newman’s Fish Co. Everything possible is made in-house, from the flatbread to the hamburger buns to the focaccia and pizza dough for their wood-fired pizzas.
Pizza makes up a quarter of the menu, and there’s a new seasonal pizza every couple of months. For July, the special pizza is topped with chermoula (a fresh Moroccan herb sauce similar to pesto), grilled summer squash, Merguez lamb sausage, roasted red pepper and shredded mozzarella. The Mediterranean pizza on Zest’s everyday menu features Kalamata olives, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and feta.
Zest has several mezze (appetizer) selections, including roasted cauliflower with harissa labneh. The cauliflower develops a sweet and mildly earthy flavor as it roasts, with crispy caramelized edges and a tender, silky interior. It rests on a cooling, tangy, and creamy counterpoint with the labneh seasoned with harissa — spicy, smoky, slightly sweet, and aromatic with the flavors of red chili, garlic, and warming spices like cumin and coriander.
In the clams steamed with white wine and Calabrian chili, the natural sweetness of the clams blends with a flavorful broth.
Diners can choose soup and salad such as a Greek salad with chicken or smoked salmon, or a brisket burger with crispy fried onions, or a lamb burger with chevre and tomato jam, both made with meat from Long’s. Entrees range from a 10-ounce New York steak to wild mushroom risotto to grilled lamb chips with Greek salad and tzatziki and grilled salmon with saffron lemon butter.
Pizzas at Zest range from $17 for a Margherita pizza to $24 for the seasonal pizza, with toppings that vary. Diners can get the house-made focaccia with olive oil and dukkah seasoning to sprinkle on for $6. The braised lamb shank entree is the most expensive entree on the menu at $38, while diners can get the Zest brisket burger for $17 or a full Greek salad for $15. Cocktails are $12 to $16, with mocktails and beers and ciders for $7, with a variety of nonalcoholic drinks for $4 to $6.
Enter Zest on the ground floor lobby near 10th and Willamette Street, then take the elevator. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield
The third-floor location is a challenge for foot traffic, but it’s one of the restaurant’s greatest assets, aside from the food. The space offers something rare in Eugene — a protected outdoor dining area that can accommodate about 50 people with indoor spaces that can seat groups from 25 to 200. The restaurant features two distinct dining areas in addition to the outdoor patio: a livelier bar section with jazz music and silent TVs, and a quieter dining room with classical music.
“I think it’s one of the nicest spaces in town,” Marashi said. “When you walk into it, it feels elegant, but it’s not, you know, stuffy. That’s been our and my prime focus. I feel downtown needs a place like this and we are really appreciating people coming and supporting businesses downtown.”
After 40 years in Eugene’s restaurant scene, Marashi still finds excitement in the nightly service — he comes in to Zest two nights a week to ensure everything runs smoothly.
“I’ve done this for so long, and I still get excited when I’m here,” he said, “and I try to inspire our staff to do the same.”
Want to go?
Zest
A door at ground level adjacent to the Downtown Athletic Club entrance opens to a lobby, separate from the DAC. Take the elevator up to the third floor. Make a right down the hallway past the tables and follow the signs to the restaurant.
https://www.zesteugene.com
999 Willamette St., Suite 300 (third floor)
541-357-1011