Restaurant Week: Zengo

My second stop on the Restaurant Week tour brought me to Zengo. The highly lauded Latin American/Asian fusion restaurant in the Chinatown/Metro Center area. Favorable reviews from the Washingtonian, along with several suggestions from friends, forced me to try this place out during restaurant week.

Walking in one is overcome by the sheer hipness of the place. Some nouveau pop music plays in a dimly lit tastefully furnished bar area. Most of the tables sit upstairs. Our table wasn't ready right away but given the fact that it's restaurant week, that's certainly to be expected. Our server was lively and attentive at first. As is typical during restaurant week, once he realized we were in fact broke students this attentiveness seemed to quickly flag. The mix between Asian and Latin American was at first hearing a bit strange, however the food certainly proved it a delicious if interesting match.


I chose the Give-and-Take Salad for a starter. This delicious and light appetizer was full of Asian noodles, mandarin oranges, an pecans. My friend began with the Miso soup which he likewise enjoyed. The appetizers came out within minutes of ordering, obviously prepared ahead of time to deal with the restaurant week crowds. As a main course I went with the beef brisket served over creamy mashed potatoes. The brisket was as tender as it was tasty. My friend's salmon and spinach was likewise quite nice. Unfortunately, my main course was served while I was barely halfway through the appetizer. My friend's main course was served a while later. The food again tasted as if it had been prepared ahead of time, otherwise undermining a very good dish. For dessert I had the guava flan. It was absolutely delicious; sweet, fruity, and fantastic. Ultimately, a great deal for the price.

The service was a bit lackluster throughout but given the circumstances of restaurant week, it is certainly understandable. I will likely not be making a repeat restaurant week visit in August but definitely recommend the place for any first-timers.