Last fall, DCist assured you that you could sample Eric Ziebold’s cuisine at the CityZen lounge for less than $60. Though our penchant for drinks made it a stretch for us, we could certainly see how less thirsty diners could enjoy a pure eating experience without breaking the bank.

Fast forward to spring 2006. Don Rockwell files a post gushing about CityZen’s three-course tasting menu at the bar for $45. Said Rocks: “These are EXACTLY what you’d get if you ordered the same three courses in the dining room. . . Do you guys realize just how inexpensive this menu is?”

Notwithstanding Chef Ziebold’s credentials—one of Food and Wine‘s “Best New Chefs” of 2005, a Thomas Keller acolyte, and among Bon Appetit‘s “5 Chefs to Watch”—few tourists or locals are taking advantage of Ziebold’s presence in the District. Rockwell reported that the bartenders thought only a few customers a week were ordering the tasting menu and, furthermore, in the winter, “multiple weeks would pass without serving any.”

Although the restaurant is somewhat isolated in the Mandarin Oriental over in Southwest, I still thought it was surprising and made a mental note to visit again soon. So this week, when a friend asked if I was free to join a group at the bar Saturday night, I jumped at the chance.