Exclusive: Cookin’ Out at Koo Zee Doo


BY VICTOR FIORILLO

Shame on me. I still haven’t been to Koo Zee Doo. But chef-owner David Gilberg just gave me yet another reason to try it — and for you to go back. Reached at the restaurant during preparation for Monday-night supper, Gilberg told me that within a few weeks the Northern Liberties Portuguese spot will debut an outdoor charcoal rotisserie grill, built by one of his servers (who owns a Port Richmond foundry, naturally).

As for what will go on the six-foot long grill: a salty-spicy grilled chicken (frango de churrasco) that’s new to Koo Zee Doo but found in every traditional restaurant in Portugal (and in the hopping Ironbound neighborhood in Newark, which you should really get to); the already popular steak picanha; a variety of skewers; and, possibly, a whole fish. “It will help lighten up the menu,” he explains. “And it just seemed like the next logical step.” And so that you can increase your chances of actually getting a table at the critically acclaimed restaurant, he plans to add seats on the front sidewalk and on the back patio, increasing total seating from 40 to just over 60. When asked for a target date, Gilberg responds, “The first week in May,” then pauses and adds: “We’re really behind schedule. We need to buy furniture … We just need to get our act together.”

Koo Zee Doo, 614 North 2nd Street, 215-923-8080; koozeedoo.com.