Amos Zereoue made me lunch

Last week I heard that Zereoue, the restaurant next to my new office, was in fact owned by former Steelers Running Back, Amos Zereoue. I went there for lunch today and on the way out asked the waiter if what I'd heard was true. The waiter responded, "Uh, he cooked your meal."

It turns out that Amos goes in a few days each week to run the kitchen because, well, he enjoys it and he owns the joint. For the record, the man makes an excellent sliced Cajun chicken over mescal. Anyway, the waiter goes back to the kitchen and a minute later, out comes Amos, all muscle and smile.

He was shorter than I expected, probably about 5'10". But even though he's obviously no longer in playing shape -- Zereoue retired in 2005 -- he's still built like a brick shithouse, with forearms as thick as my legs and a handshake I found mildly painful. Nicest guy you'd ever want to meet, too. I had forgotten that he grew up on Long Island and so, upon retiring, returned and opened the restaurant last July. He was humble, enthusiastic about the business, and grateful for the patronage.

So here comes the plug: Eat at Zereoue. 13 East 37th St (twixt 5th and Madison). Works for lunch and would be an ideal date spot. The menu is a nice mix of American, French, and West African fare, very accessible and reasonably priced.