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-
I hear they also run a failing designated driver service.
ReplyDeleteDad's gotta level here, the sushi was NOT the way to go when he ate Zengo. It may depend on the night you go, but Dad wants to give readers a well rounded, honest review.
--EGO amo
Thanks for the input Dad...I can imagine that a huge place like Zengo is pretty streaky
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