Zest Spirited Dining

Since we did a late dinner, we were seated promptly in a booth in the dining room. The signature drink, Zestini, had a nice citrusy taste, but packed a powerful punch, so it's truly for the vodka lover in you. Our meal began with a tasty salad of peppery mesclun greens that contrast well with the sweetness of the citrus dressing and the cranberries and the creaminess of the gorgonzola, with a nice pecan crunch. The salad is included with all entrees, and is assembled fresh tableside. Next was the delicious eggplant cheesecake. It's a creamy, savory cheesecake with a hint of eggplant flavor (blended in? I couldn't see it...), and topped with a delicious tomato sauce. Yum! The best dish was the tequila-citrus shrimp appetizer. The five jumbo shrimp were marinated and basted in a spicy, citrusy sauce. They came hanging out of a large glass filled with crunchy corn cole slaw topped with a generous portion of guacamole. Beautiful presentation of a seriously tasty dish. For an entree, the short rib provided a hearty portion of beef that was again marinated perfectly (even if the beef was a little bit tough) on top of ginger flavored spaghetti squash (a perfect, light contrast) and crunchy snap peas. The three dishes above were plenty for two...portions were generous. The dessert menu sounded remarkable (chocolate bread pudding with bananas foster?), but we couldn't fit another bite. Service was prompt and friendly, especially the host and the salad server. I can't recommend Zest enough!