Being a first-time living social user is what drove me to Zengo. Normally I would not go to a place that can seat 500 comfortably, for dinner. I'm glad I did though because it was a nice surprise and a great meal. Zengo is japanese for "give and take" and is an uber-trendy happy hour spot in Chinatown. The menu is split between latin and asian influences which sounds nasty, but ends up working. We walked in and there was house music playing as the happy hour crowd was in full swing. After about a 5 minute wait we were seated upstairs. The seating upstairs is a lot quieter, but very very close together.
Our waitress came over and took our drink order while explaining that the food came out as it was ready rather than all at once; this encourages sharing. I had a caipirinha and Danielle had the Yuzu Fresa which is vodka with fresh strawberries and lemon. Both drinks were great, but the Fresa was better. The 5 tapas that we ordered were: The tuna tacos (sushi rice / mango salsa / guacamole), the duck tacos (curried apple / orange-coriander sauce), the veggie sushi roll (grilled asparagus / red pepper / avocado / mushroom / lemon-sake aioli), the kobe beef roll (self explanatory), and the thai chicken empanchile poblano / oaxaca cheese / mango-curry salsa adas).
The tuna tacos came out first and I think they were my favorite of the 5 things ordered. Sushi rice in a taco is such a good idea! It held all of the ingredients together when you took a bite and made the taco crunchy and chewy. The guacamole was yummy, the tuna was seared and spicy, and mango salsa is just fun to say. "A" for that dish. Everything else came out second. The duck tacos were also pretty good, but were a little sloppy for my liking. The apples in the duck tacos were a nice touch though. Between the sushi I think I liked the veggie roll best because it had a little more variety and the kobe roll was a tad chewy. The empanadas were also great, but I still think some of the best empanadas I've had were at the bar at Clyde's (is that wrong?).
The scene here is what draws a crowd, but the food is worth sticking around for. I really like the idea of everything coming out at different times because it makes you feel like you get a lot of bang for your buck (and Zengo can get pricey). Props to LivingSocial for getting me to try a place that I normally would have walked right past.
Lowlights: proximity to next table, dessert sucked
Highlights: Yuzu Fresa and the tuna tacos
Overall grade: A-
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Siroc - 915 15th St, NW
Eating in downtown D.C....do you want Cosi or BLT Steak? Do you want to spend 8 bucks or 200 on dinner? That is basically what it boils "down" to. Danielle's "new"(ish) apartment is in downtown DC and we often find ourself looking for somewhere easy, relatively cheap, and most importantly, good, to eat for dinner.
Siroc is owned by a couple of brothers that put out "lighter" Italian food. You might assume that this means less flavor, but just because they aren't piling on butter and creme does not mean it doesn't taste good. The inside of the restaurant has about 20 tables and is a very romantic setting. The noise level is minimal.
As far as our dishes. For our appetizer we had a composed tower of avocado, mango and roasted shrimp with basil oil and crispy parma prosciutto. This came out looking beautiful, but ended up being one of those menu items that you poke once and the whole thing falls apart like jenga. However, it did taste pretty good. It could have used a little more salt to go with all of the sweet, but it was alright. In the battle of the entrees, Danielle's ended up being much better than mine. She had the house-made black pepper tagliatelle with garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes and seared scallops. This pasta was very very rich in flavor, but was not a belly-bomb that sent you directly into a coma. The scallops were done perfectly and were not too small. The red pepper flakes gave it a little bit of spice, but they did not dominate the dish. I was only shared one bite of the pasta if that gives you an idea of how good it was. The bite I had was excellent and you could really tell that everything was fresh and home-made. My entree order was the pan seared Muscovy duck breast served with a turnip and taleggio cheese torte, roasted pear and a star anise sauce. Unfortunately my duck was not as good. I ordered it medium and it came out pretty rare. The highlight of the dish was the roasted pear. I could have eaten a bowl of the pears without the duck. Normally I really love duck and this was one of the first times I wished I had not ordered it. The pears and the cheese torte far outshined the duck. Next time I eat at Siroc, and there will be a next time, I will stick with the pastas. For dessert...we had gelato. The three that came out were mango, passion fruit, and rasberry. Each of these were so creamy and tart that it was a nice ending to a very savory meal.
Siroc offers great italian food for around 20 bucks an entree. The setting is romantic and the service is average. They arent gonna knock you out with the best meal of your life, but its good for what it is.
Overall Rating: B+
Lowlight - undercooked duck
Highlight - a GREAT martini and perfectly cooked scallops
Siroc is owned by a couple of brothers that put out "lighter" Italian food. You might assume that this means less flavor, but just because they aren't piling on butter and creme does not mean it doesn't taste good. The inside of the restaurant has about 20 tables and is a very romantic setting. The noise level is minimal.
As far as our dishes. For our appetizer we had a composed tower of avocado, mango and roasted shrimp with basil oil and crispy parma prosciutto. This came out looking beautiful, but ended up being one of those menu items that you poke once and the whole thing falls apart like jenga. However, it did taste pretty good. It could have used a little more salt to go with all of the sweet, but it was alright. In the battle of the entrees, Danielle's ended up being much better than mine. She had the house-made black pepper tagliatelle with garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes and seared scallops. This pasta was very very rich in flavor, but was not a belly-bomb that sent you directly into a coma. The scallops were done perfectly and were not too small. The red pepper flakes gave it a little bit of spice, but they did not dominate the dish. I was only shared one bite of the pasta if that gives you an idea of how good it was. The bite I had was excellent and you could really tell that everything was fresh and home-made. My entree order was the pan seared Muscovy duck breast served with a turnip and taleggio cheese torte, roasted pear and a star anise sauce. Unfortunately my duck was not as good. I ordered it medium and it came out pretty rare. The highlight of the dish was the roasted pear. I could have eaten a bowl of the pears without the duck. Normally I really love duck and this was one of the first times I wished I had not ordered it. The pears and the cheese torte far outshined the duck. Next time I eat at Siroc, and there will be a next time, I will stick with the pastas. For dessert...we had gelato. The three that came out were mango, passion fruit, and rasberry. Each of these were so creamy and tart that it was a nice ending to a very savory meal.
Siroc offers great italian food for around 20 bucks an entree. The setting is romantic and the service is average. They arent gonna knock you out with the best meal of your life, but its good for what it is.
Overall Rating: B+
Lowlight - undercooked duck
Highlight - a GREAT martini and perfectly cooked scallops
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