Zengo - Superb Latin Asian Fusion & Tequila

Zengo – Superb Latin Asian Fusion & Tequila

By Jennifer Shanteau

I don’t know if you’ve read my other posts, and already know what I’m about to confess, but I have to admit whenever I hear the words “fusion restaurant” I am at once instantly both intrigued and excited. Discovering the fusion was Latin Asian, two of my absolute favorite types of food, put a giant smile on my face. Now imagine my delight when to top it off, I see Zengo has one of the largest collections of Tequila, over 400 different kinds! Yes, things just kept getting better and better, and that’s exactly how I would describe my experience at Zengo. Just when I thought surely, this was as good as it gets, it got better.

Let’s start with the show stopping space. It’s one of those places you walk into and gaze around like a curious child trying to take it all in. It’s gorgeous, and enormous, especially by New York standards. A great place for large groups….perhaps for brunch? Oh, did I mention they have a bottomless tapas and drinks brunch for only $39 a person? It would be the perfect place to go for happy hour with coworkers, too, because of their diverse and inventive selection of tapas, all perfect for sharing. Oh, yeah, and they have happy hour specials, too, at La Biblioteca, their Tequila bar. See? Better and better……and I haven’t even gotten to the food yet!

We started off as any intelligent person in a restaurant offering over 400 different types of tequila and ordered two cocktails made from that delicious libation, the Cucumber Serrano Martini and the Zengo Margarita. The Cucumber Serrano Martini a combination of El Silencio Mezcal, cucumber, serrano and citrus was my favorite cocktail of the day. If you can take a little spice and don’t like sweet drinks, this is your “go to”. However, if you aren’t like me, and do like a little sweetness in your beverage, the Zengo Margarita is your amigo. Made up of Agavales Blanco, blood orange, serrano, cilantro and citrus, it was sweeter than the martini, but still well balanced and not too sweet. Besides, when do you ever get the chance to drink a cocktail made with blood orange juice?

Chef Richard Sandoval created a menu with so many interesting dishes it was difficult to know where to start. The Thai Chicken Empanadas with chile poblano, Oaxaca cheese and mango curry salsa was the perfect place to begin. It was a melody of Latin, Thai and Indian all in one harmonious dish. The chicken was well seasoned and perfectly cooked. The empanada was crunchy and reminiscent of an Indian samosa, and the fresh mango salsa and Thai curry added a great depth of flavor.

Next, we dove into the various ceviches offered and decided upon two, the Fluke Ceviche and the Bay Scallop Ceviche. The Fluke Ceviche was delicate and light with coconut, charred pineapple, red onion, basil and bonito flake. While eating this, I couldn’t keep from thinking about my best friend who is a die-hard fan of Tom Kha Gai, (Thai coconut soup). Anyone who likes Tom Kha Gai will love this ceviche. It wasn’t spicy, like the soup sometimes can be, but it shared a lot of the same flavor profiles.

Since I already divulged my love of spice, you won’t be surprised to find out that the Bay Scallop Ceviche with Thai chile, avocado, peanut, mint and crispy shallot was my pick of the two. I could eat this all day long. Both ceviches came with fresh tortilla chips that I’m sure were made in house, but I ate this with a spoon! I couldn’t help myself. I became obsessed. I took a little home to try to replicate the sauce, but just ended up devouring it as soon as I walked in the door, and licking the container clean. Oops!

Now, let’s talk entrees. This entrée really had a big act to follow, and I wasn’t sure it could stand up to the delicious morsels of heaven I had just eaten, but like I said in the beginning, things just kept getting better and better. Enter Chipotle Miso Glazed Black Cod with daikon radish, asparagus, steamed jasmine rice, kabayaki and lemon togarashi aioli. Wow, perfection. Well done, Chef Sandoval, well done. I’m a huge fan of miso glazed black cod anyway, but the addition of chipotle to the glaze with the lemon togarashi aioli really put it over the top. There were so many delicious sounding things on the menu, but after tasting this, I don’t know how I could go back and ever order anything else.

Now that our bellies were full of food, we felt able to take on a small portion of the 400 different types of tequila Zengo offered. Add one more thing to the list of all the cool things Zengo does….. Tequila Flights! They all have various interesting themes, but the one we chose was the Mexican Spirits Tasting, chiefly because there were two spirits listed that we as accomplished drinkers had never heard of. Gasp! This simply would not stand, so we set out to educate ourselves at once.

The Mexican Spirits Tasting offered a taste of Tequila (Gran Centenario Plata), Mezcal (Fidencio Clasico), Bacanora (Cielo Rojo Blanco) and Sotol (Hacienda de Chihuahua Silver). See? You haven’t heard of them either! I have to say if there had been a “Spirit Education” class in college, I would’ve been the first to sign up. This was so much fun! I imagine it would be a great ice breaker for a first date, too. How could you lose? If the date goes sour, just keep on tasting!

As we are a self-proclaimed Hedonist and Shedonist, we are into educating ourselves and trying things we have never experienced before in the pursuit of pleasure, so we dove in and customized a tasting just for us. For all my fellow Hedonists and Shedonists out there, here is what we tried: Tanteo Jalapeno Tequila, Tanteo Cocoa Tequila and Riazul Anejo. I mean, its not everyday you are able to try Tequila that tastes like jalapenos or chocolate, so why not?

The jalapeno tequila would be perfect to use in a cocktail when you want a little kick. I can definitely see it mixed in with some citrus to balance out the heat. Perhaps make a Bloody Mary with a new twist by using this instead of vodka? The cocoa would be great in a dessert cocktail or even as a shot. Our favorite though, was the Riazul Anejo that our bartender, Jessica recommended. So that’s proof the bartenders here know what they’re doing. Wine Enthusiast gave this anejo 96 points, and I concur. Exuding caramel, agave, clove, almond, butter, vanilla and cinnamon, this anejo needs to be sipped and savored. If you’re interested, it retails for around $50. How do I know this? Well, I was so infatuated, I went to my local liquor store, after I came home and devoured the last of the ceviche, and ordered a bottle. Mama has to have what Mama has to have.

Next, Mama wanted dessert. I’m usually not a big fan of sweets, so my plan of attack usually involves drinking dessert, rather than eating it, and luckily they offer a liquid dessert menu just to my liking. I ordered the Buenos Noches, one, because being a “word person”, the title amused me, and two, because it was comprised of Semental Anejo, Alvear Pedro Ximenez Sherry and Aztec Bitters. How scrumptious does that sound?! Scrumptious it was!

We also ordered the Croquetas de Chocolate which were molten chocolate croquettes with amaretto sauce and caramelized almonds. Ok, I know I just said I wasn’t a dessert person, but this was one dessert I could get into. It wasn’t sickening sweet. The chocolate that oozed from the croquettes was a dark chocolate, the amaretto sauce gave it a unique kick of flavor, and the caramelized almonds provided the perfect crunch. Not a bad way to end a meal.

I have to say I left Zengo being more impressed than I thought I would be, and am definitely planning to return. Writing this is making me want to eat everything all over again, and, after all, I haven’t had the bottomless brunch there yet, and there are 392 tequilas at La Biblioteca I still haven’t tried!