Zappa - 2005.12.03 -- 5.4

The Scene.
Last time I was at Zappa, I took lunch outside around the corner at the last table they had in the alleyway. So it was quite a different experience this time sitting inside. We showed up without reservation at 7 to a sparsely seated room. Yet the waitress told us we were lucky to get a table for 2. About 10 minutes after we sat down, the whole place suddenly filled up, with old, Mediterranean folks in big family groups or as cozy old couples. You know how you judge a Chinese place by how many Chinese people are in attendance? The same seems to apply to this downtown Mountain View restaurant.

Our waitress, I took an immediate liking to. She had a singularly interesting face, at once gentle and strong; her accent pleasant and unplaceable. In an amicable one-minute chat, my friend found out that the Turkish woman had a love for Amsterdam. So naturally I sought her opinion on our order.

We started with the "Tapas of Five". Green grilled eggplant. Turkish hummus. Lebanese pear something, a special type of tortilla, and another. Most were spread-type foods that accompanies tortilla wedges, all piled on a plate atop a silver elevator rack. They were all quite good, though I wish we had gotten some other non-starchy appetizers. On the lower rack sat our today's special, a trio of (that is, three) grilled prawns with orange, fennel, and pomegranate pearls, which were excellent.

The tower of filling appetizers were soon replaced by our main courses. A chicken pizza dotted with pancetta and pesto, medium sized and relatively thin crust. A braised lamb shank with polenta. Both very appropriate dishes for a Mediterranean restaurant which embraces an old-fashioned, and increasingly rare, sense of classicism. And as one would expect, both dishes tasted right on the mark, nothing overwhelming but perfectly good.

My friend and I were split on dessert. I was easily tempted by their special of the day, strawberry and white chocolate gelato cake; but my friend would have none of that. We compromised by getting the gelato cake along with a flute of Essencia, a californian moscato infused with intense orange honey scent. Well, the cake turned out to be somewhat of a flop, but the Essencia, while tasting somewhat artificial, was very pleasant nevertheless.


$77 for 2 with doggie bag, tx included.