Zengo in Denver

[fredbram]

We had a good experience in our one visit. They have fairly successfully accomplished an expensive casual restaurant. The design is open, colorful and welcoming, with several guests in shorts and/or tee shirts the night we were there, as well as others fairly dressed up. Menu prices are not cheap, although a good value, I think, especially because the food is good!

They actively encourage people to order family style, like you might at a chinese restaurant, and they encourage lots of apps and just a couple of entrees (which are large portions) per table. There were 5 of us and we had 4 or 5 apps and 2 entrees. It's been a couple of weeks so my memory is failing me on the details of the dishes we had, but they truly blended asian and mexican/latin influences very well. Especially the big plates, one of which, the Mayan chicken, I believe, was a delicious and wonderful sort of coconut curry/mole sauce.

[colestove]

My accupuncturist(sp) said she and her husband an friens went three times within a two or three week period they liked it so well. I intend to try it sometime when I make the long journey to downtown Denver.

colestove

[rlm]

Haven't been yet, but your post reminded me that I need to do this soon. If they were open for lunch, I would've already been there by now.

Incidentally, while doing a Google search on Zengo to check out reviews, I came across an article by our own Peppered Palate for the Denver Metro Convention and Visitor's Bureau.

Destination Denver

[rlm]

Finally checked out Zengo. Very trendy, but fortunately they don't check at the door to make sure you have a Cool Kid card. They recommended for two people that you order two apps from the first panel on the menu, two apps from the second, and then split one entree. We decided to sample five apps and dessert, and that was more than enough food. I did not eat lunch so I would have room to sample more dishes, but felt stuffed after the apps and drinks. I could not leave without trying the Churros and Chocolate, however!

They brought the apps out one at a time, which made the meal last longer, but I enjoyed being able to savor each item individually. I'm not sure if this is a standard practice or if it was because there was no reasonable way to put more than one dish at a time on the tiny two-top tables. I'm a bit of a buffoon with chopsticks, so I sheepishly had to request a fork.

It was very hard to decide since everything sounded wonderful, but we ended up selecting:

1. Azteca Ceviche (rock shrimp, calamari, octopus, scallops with aji panca, which was pronounced to be a Peruvian pepper). The shrimp were the best--the other items were a little rubbery. This was Steve's favorite. Served on a banana leaf.

2. Crunchy Calamari (lemongrass, garlic, lime, orange-coriander sauce). Wasn't listed on the menu, but there were really hot red pepper rings on top as well. My favorite app. of the five.

3. Arepas de Puerco (pulled pork, achiote-hoisin, crema fresca, avocado). Tasted a little like the Tamal al Chipotle from Tamayo. The corn cakes on the bottom were a little hard. Great flavor combo.

4. Empanadas (Thai chicken, rajas, mango-curry salsa). I was salivating when pondering this combo, but it was the only thing I would definitely not order again. Our mutual least favorite.

5. Potstickers (lobster, rock shrimp, mandarin orange-birds eye chile). Pretty good dumplings.

The Churros and Chocolate combo was outstanding. Hot, sugary churros and a parfait of chocolate with a blob of whipped cream on top.

The fruity cocktails are great (Mango Mojitos!) although pricey. Besides Latin and Asian cocktails (including an $18 margarita!), they feature sake, wine, tequilas, and a few beers.

Popped into nearby Denver Cru afterwards. A nice little spot, although the person working there was more interested in watching the Food Network on the flatscreen TV than acknowledging there were customers in the store. The only thing that disturbed me were the bright lights shining directly on the wine bottles. A nice selection of Sancerres, Andrew Will Merlot, Billecart Salmon Brut Rose (75 bucks a bottle! eek!)...

[pepperedpalate]

I think Zengo is fantastic -- unequivically one of the best restaurants to open in Denver since January. And I love sitting at the ceviche bar and inhaling all of the scents drifting from the kitchen.

Cool and tendy, absolutely, but on every occasion I've been, service has been nothing short of impeccable.

They are open for lunch, by the way.

-Lori

[rlm]

They are open for lunch, by the way.

Thanks. They are not doing a good job of publicizing that. You can make reservations at opentable.com for Zengo and it lists only dinner hours.

Opentable.com

Kyle Wagner's review in the Post only listed dinner hours as well.

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,3...2140181,00.html

I looked at Richard Sandoval's Modern Mexican website and Zengo's not on there yet.

Do they start serving at 11 or 11:30?

[pepperedpalate]

Hmmm, their lunch must have been short-lived, because they've pulled it. I suspect they didn't get the foot traffic they needed to sustain it, which is too bad, especially now that it's summer and they have that great patio.

Speaking of Zengo, they and several other Denver restaurants are joining together on June 19th for Surfonturf

Sounds like it will be a wild party!

[rlm]

If anyone missed it, a recent Husted column in the Denver Post says that Zengo is now open for lunch on Saturdays and Sundays. Curious if the menu is different...

Edited June 28, 2004 by rlm (log)

[fredbram]

We went back and it wasn't quite as good as last time, although the joint was jumping on a Wednesday night. Had the Arepas, I agree with Robin--great flavor combination, but the corn thingies were a little tough, I think they deep fry them which might not be the best approach. Also had a combo of 2 ceviches, I liked the Bangkok one better, Mahi with coconut milk, mint and lime. The Anticuchos were my least favorite--fairly generic skewers of beef, chicken and shrimp with an OK, but no more, peanut sauce.