ZimZari California Coastal Grill

ZimZari
4964 Merrick Road, Massapequa Park, NY

Neil: When I pulled up, I was pleased to see that the doors were chocked open inviting me to come inside and experience some Left Coast Cuisine. The menu was comically over sized and in the shape of a surf board. We were seated promptly at a table for two which had a cool lamp emerging from plumbing supplies. I opted for the a dish called the Chicken Napa Bowl which came with organic soba noodles tossed with coconut peanut sauce, sesame seeds, carrots, red peppers, bean sprouts and snow peas. I was considering getting the edamame but then we got complimentary tortilla chips with salsa. Jill tried the Green Habanero sauce that was on the table, as did I, but I think I put too much on my chip. Needless to say, my first attempt at the Habanero sauce was my last. Our food emerged promptly from the kitchen which was in plain view from where we were seated. My dish was OK. I don't quite know why I ordered an Asian-inspired dish from a place that specializes in burritos and fajitas. Overall the dish tasted the way I expected it to from the menu description. However, the consistency was a bit gloppy and underneath it all was a sizable puddle of oil. Despite my setback, I would still recommend this restaurant but definitely something else on the menu such as the Sun Burned Steak Burrito that Jill ordered which I admired from across the table.


Jill: I was pleasantly surprised to find this restaurant located in a nearby strip mall in a predominantly residential area that was nicely furnished and not at all crowded. (It may have just been an "off" night, being during the week.) It seemed to have the flair for a place you might find along a boardwalk for surfers and such. The restaurant is not on the huge side but could accomodate a decent number of people dining with small parties and had a nice bar area. I liked the surf board menus from a honkin' piece of wood, despite them being slightly cumbersome to use without knocking out the person accross from you while turning over to see the back side and while seated at a small table for two. I ordered the Sun Burned Steak Burrito filled with cheddar and jack cheese, baby spinach, cilantro lime ranch dressing, ginger lime rice, chimichuri sauce wrapped in a smoked chipotle tomato tortilla. I opted for the Zimzari style with broiled cheese on top that had a beautiful bronze crust! The steak was a little more medium well, which is the way I prefer it normally but not at all too chewy for those prefering it on the rarer side. I thought it had a nice flavor and liked the change in rice from the kind you would find in a Mexican joint. I tried Neil's dish which I agree was OK but not something I could see myself ordering on a return trip. I think the sauce was a little too salty and soy based that conglomerated in the bottom of the bowl in the form of an orangy oil, which does happen when sauce separates but I expected more of a peanut sauce that you would find in a thai place on something like pahd thai. I would definitely visit again, perhaps it would not be a regularly frequented eatery but visited from time to time for something different.