SPRING IS DELISH AT Z’TEJAS
Review by Sheryll Alexander
Z’Tejas, which is a Southwestern-themed and reasonably-priced restaurant at South Coast Plaza, recently launched its new spring entrée and cocktail menu and we are hooked.
Chef Danny Stevens has done it again with his seasonal spring menu that features four fresh entrees, four splashy new cocktails and one truly delicious dessert. We were also surprised and pleased at the featured spring ingredient: ripe and savory Mission figs.
But first, start by ordering up a spring drink. For those needing to count calories, try the delightful “skinny” raspberry lemonade or the “skinny in pink” martini. There’s also a refreshing raspberry lemon drop ‘tini and a quite unique Chambord ginger cosmopolitan.
Our fave spring entrée is the pork tenderloin scallopine, where pork medallions are flattened, tenderized, dusted and flat-iron seared. Slightly spicy in a good way, these tasty pork tenders are served with an absolutely delicious cornbread fig dressing and finished with a perfectly-paired caramelized sage-guajillo demi glace.
We were also impressed with the smoked chicken pasta roll. Chef Stevens takes a mixture of smoked chicken, roctta and Jack cheeses, garlic and poblano chiles and rolls them in a lasagna-sized pasta. Next, he cuts them into rolls and then breads them in panko, fries them up and serves four huge slices with picante cream and green chile sauces.
The other spring entrée items include a refreshing citrus-glazed mahi mahi with mango salsa and a tender aged filet topped with succulent lobster and a chipotle-infused béarnaise sauce.
Perhaps the best dish on Z’Tejas’ spring menu is the Mission fig beignets. Super ripe and delicious Mission figs are chopped and whipped into the beignet dough itself. The result is a crunchy-on-the-outside, fluffy-and-savory-on-the-inside treat. This indulgent dessert serves enough for the entire table and also features a large scoop of cinnamon ice cream, a little raspberry sauce, some crème anglaise and fresh berries.
Z’Tejas, South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa, 714-979-7469, [url=http://www.ztejas.com]http://www.ztejas.com[/url].
Sheryll Alexander runs a news media agency based in Costa Mesa, Calif., where she is a professional freelance lifestyles editor and writer.
