‘Zesty’ Bistro Opening In Millidgeville This Summer
SAINT JOHN – A new restaurant opening in Millidgeville this summer plans to provide fresh, zesty, food options for the people in the neighborhood and the city.
The Zesty Lemon will be located on 535 Somerset Street. Owner Lisa Hovey and her business partners Cindy and Bill Gray say the location is a busy, growing area that’s in need of more different dining options.
“We just saw there was a significant amount of traffic, even before the YMCA [was built],” says Hovey. “We just saw the demand was not being met there. We know people are looking for something fresh, something different, something they can take home.”
The Zesty Lemon will be a bistro-style establishment serving soups, salads, sandwiches made from their own ham, roast beef, chicken and bacon, all of which will be cooked daily on site. They will also have personal pizzas, hot dishes, breakfast and homemade desserts. Hovey says the restaurant’s sandwiches, in particular, will be a hit.
“We’re going to have a beautiful smoked-meat sandwich that’s going to be steamed,” says Hovey. “It’s going to be kept in the steamer until the customer asks for the sandwich and it will be hand-carved. That’s probably going to be one of our signature sellers.”
The Zesty Lemon will be able to seat up to 40 people, but Hovey says it will also offer take-out options for people on-the-go.
“We’re eventually going to get into some take-home meals. We’ll probably do a launch of that in the fall,” she says. “We’re hoping that will make people’s lives a lot easier on their way home from work.”
Though there are plenty of great places to eat in the city, Hovey says Zesty Lemon will set itself apart by offering fresh, healthy food, whether people want to sit down for a meal with friends or family, or are rushing to take their kid to soccer practice.
“Our chicken, our ham, our roast beef, bacon, everything is cooked on the premises that day,” says Hovey. “We’re cooking stuff every day, so I think people are going to appreciate that when you come in to get a ham sandwich, it was cooked there.”
The Zesty Lemon will even be growing its own herbs on site, thanks to a ‘herb wall’ created by Axil Gardens.
“Where the drive-through used to be, they changed that into a fresh, live, herb wall,” says Hovey. “So when we go to make your pizza with basil, we’re literally taking the basil from the wall and putting it on your pizza.”
Renovations are currently underway at 535 Somerset Street. The Zesty Lemon is expected to be open sometime in July. Hovey says they are looking forward to becoming a part of Saint John’s food scene and the Millidgeville community.
“I think it’s a bit of a different concept. We’re doing it in-house and most of the stuff is going to be made fresh right there. I think people are going to appreciate that and I think they’re going to be really excited,” says Hovey.
“We’re excited about going in that area. It’s a great area and there’s a great community there. We hope to get involved in the community and we’re really excited about it.”