Zen Asian Contemporary Cuisine

I’m having a hard time deciding how I feel about Zen. Obviously the food is good; hence my rating of 5 stars, but is there any other appeal that will keep Zen around for the long run? We visited Zen one evening after a quick beer on the rooftop at Moto-I. Zen was nice both in ambiance, service and food. It was sort of sad to see the place empty though, given, it was a Tuesday evening. We were literally the only table there. My sister, who had been to Zen before, had all good things to say so we all went for a try.

The menu was fairly large with a good variety of soups, noodles and stir-fry. There were also some fish options, some interesting apps and a good wine list. Also, during the weekdays wine bottles are half off, so that’s a plus. The prices are mid-range with dishes averaging about $10 per person. I had the pho which was only about $8 for a large bowl. The pho was filled with rice noodles, onions, scallion, thin cut beef, beef meatballs and a few bean sprouts. On the side you get fresh jalapenos, Thai basil, lime, sriracha and hosin sauce. Pretty traditional pho, but it was filling and the beef slices were really tender.

On our second visit we went with my whole family to celebrate my sister’s graduation. This time the restaurant was a little busier, which was nice and there was even some live music. The waitress was super attentive and personable and overall it was a 5 star evening. The only 2 minor complaints were the ribs were a little chewy (but then again they usually are) and they ended up being out of the New York Strip. Another server came to our table to inform us they were out, but by that point some of our food was already arriving so one person in our party had to wait to eat. Not a big deal, but it wasn’t fun for that person.

I have yet to decide whether or not Zen will ending up filling an empty niche in Uptown or if it will just become another typical Asian joint. It would be nice to see it evolve into something unique and have it be successful in that way. We don’t need anymore average Asian American restaurants here. I see Zen being able to break the mold and I hope they do.