Ori-Zaba's Mexican Grill

Stopped in to try this new Mexican-style place the other day.  Ordered some Zalapeno balls, the street corn, a skinny chicken wrap and a surf & turf burrito.  Washed it down with a pomegranate-berry agua fresca and finished with a brownie.

The Zalapeno balls are a mix of mashed potatoes, a little cheese and some jalapeno deep fat fried.  They had a nice crust on the outside and the chipotle mayo sauce complemented them well.  I liked them, but if you're expecting more of a tater tot you might be disappointed.

The street corn was disappointing.  A boiled, so-so ear of corn on a stick, slathered decently with a butter-cheese mix and some shredded cheese.  The server had trouble getting the seasoning out of the shaker so it ended up underseasoned.  You shouldn't have to salt street corn to get it to taste good, but I did.  

The wrap and burritos were good.  A very generous helping of ingredients, including a nice scoop of guacamole.  The shrimp for the surf & turf was cooked fresh and was the highlight.  Since it's a build-your-own-burrito place the ingredients were mostly prepared already.  The skinny chicken is 610 calories, and the burrito could have fed four, so the prices perhaps look a bit high but you get a lot for your money.  You don't have to spend a lot if you don't want to, they sell street tacos a la carte so you can get lunch under $10 if you so desire.  They have a liquor license and will sell you a beer as well.

The brownie was decent, very soft and sweet.  Good if you want a sweet finish.  And the drink was great, I love pomegranate and this was a good way to serve it.

The store is clean and very utilitarian--no decoration in the dining area or bathrooms.  The bathrooms were clean and ready when I came.

The staff was very helpful.  The server explained the concept in detail.  This chain is definitely in the same space as Chipotle in all ways--the food concept, service orientation and commitment to responsible sourcing. I find Chipotle's food OK but not particularly special, and I feel the same way about Ori'Zaba. 

My Yelp Review

Nobilitea

This is a new chain of tea rooms that has opened a location in our neighborhood.  My family has gotten drinks there several times since it opened.  It's a really clever concept--a long row of taps for cold tea in various flavors, and many more teas they'll custom steep for you.  Service is polite and incredibly helpful--when I was there last the manager on duty greeted me and helped to choose a drink, which is great because the range of choices definitely threatens option paralysis.  I've sampled their Ohana mix (peach flavor and black tea), the Dragonfruit lemonade, some layered teas, and the hot chai latte.  All very tasty and worthwhile.  

You can't get a real meal there but they do have lots of packaged snacks.  It's a nice clean place to enjoy your tea with friends as well--the marble top tables feel very cool in this warm weather.  The bathroom was clean and ready when I was there.  It's a great alternative to Starbucks if you're a tea drinker, but not in price--you'll still spend plenty to get your tea fix, the specialty tea set me back more than my whole meal at Taco Bell next door.  The quality makes up for it.

My Yelp Review

La Palapa

We stopped in to try this place for a family dinner.  They appear to be going for a more upscale take on seafood--Mexican influence but definitely beyond that as well.

We got started with bolillos, which were excellent.  Nice crusty rolls served with a cheese butter, they were one of the highlights of the meal.

We then had an appetizer.  Went for the pescadillas--corn tortillas filled with a fish stuffing and deep fat fried. Most of the flavor came from the cabbage and lime juice added, but the texture was appealing.  Very innovative, they just need to "punch it up".

For our mains we had the mediterranean sea bass, fettucine alfredo and grilled salmon.  The sea bass came with a salad, a tomato sauce and a vegetable cake.  There was a lot of salad, almost like it should have come in its own bowl.  The vegetable cake was a square of a vegetable, cheese and egg mix baked in a pan.  Not too bad but not much flavor.  The tomato sauce was very tasty and a nice complement to the fish, which was done well and had good seasoning.  Overall pretty good.

The fettucine alfredo was a different take on the dish and had its ups and downs.  The sauce had a strong overtone of what we think was cilantro, giving it a very different flavor.  Maybe would be better with more parmesan--we took some home and can correct that.  Unfortunately the seafood in it was overdone.  The scallops were pretty sad, having been cooked to the texture of chicken.  The shrimp were a bit over, but they had a nice char and were pretty tasty.

The salmon was ok but kind of boring.  The filet was cooked to order--I like it medium--but was still almost dry. It came with a dill sauce and some parmesan crisps for texture, which was OK, but it really showed no signs of the grill.  No skin and it looked kind of microwaved, so the salmon could have been frozen.  The mashed potatoes were just that--no seasoning.  Also some plain broccoli.  Would not get that again.

We got the lemon carlota for dessert, and they brought us a tres leches cake as well (a "duplicate" from someone?).  The tres leches was fine, very sweet so we only ate a few bites but classic.  The lemon carlota is like a key lime pie in a glass--crust on top and bottom and the filling in between.  This was excellent, definitely worth getting.  Not too sweet, not too lemony, really hit the spot.

Service was excellent, the server was very good about recommending dishes.  Very timely with no unnecessary delay.  The plating was very appealing, all the dishes looked beautiful except for the boring salmon which could not be helped that way.  The decor is a makeover of Slim Chickens, and you can still see a bit of that but it's nice.  They do have a bar, we did not try it out.  Even with no alcohol you won't get out under $35 per person so it's not an ordinary evening out.  I would say they are making progress but still have some learning to do.

My Yelp Review

Pho Viet & Grill

Stopped in to this new place for a banh mi and pho.  Have been looking forward to it as there is not currently a Vietnamese place close by, though Ichigo does have pho.  We started with a Vietnamese iced coffee and Thai tea.  The coffee was excellent, if you like iced coffee at all you need to get it.  The Thai tea was good but a bit on the sweet side.  Definitely worth trying the drinks.

We got an appetizer, the rocket shrimp.  These are shrimp wrapped in rice paper like a spring roll but deep fat fried.  These were done just right, so when you bite them the shrimp doesn't pull out.  Very good with the sauce.

The banh mi was classic--I got the chargrilled beef.  It is served on a wonderful crusty roll, they absolutely nailed the bread.  The sandwich fillings were very good but not strongly flavored, so I supplemented with fish sauce.  The banh mis average about $6.50 so if you are looking for an inexpensive lunch in these times they are worth a look.  

The pho was on the other end of the price scale.  We got the Pho Ga, white meat chicken.  The broth flavor is pretty subtle but a hoisin and sriracha supplement worked well.  They have a wide variety, including some traditional ones like fatty brisket and "stripe" (tripe?  Intestine?  Not sure).  

Service was excellent.  The interior is very bright (painted white) and inviting--a very clean look.  The bathroom was reasonably clean and ready.  They do differentiate genders when each bathroom has only one facility, kind of unnecessary.  Glad this option is available near us.

My Yelp Review