What I Ate: 1/9/2010

I'm not sure of the totals because I'm in DC and didn't measure my food as much as normal, but here's the list!

• 1 packet Starkist albacore tuna (90 kcals, 18g protein, 0g carbs, 2g fat)
• Brunch at Eatonville Restaurant: 5 large shrimp that were supposedly steamed, but I think I saw some butter/oil remnants on the plate; about 1/4 cup sauteed spinach and tomatoes; about 7 small strawberries, 1 raspberry, 4 small pineapple chunks, and 3 grapes. The shrimp, spinach, and tomatoes were from the deconstructed shrimp and grits that I ordered. I asked the server to hold the grits and the gravy.
• Protein mocha: I ordered a tall decaf coffee in a venti cup from Starbucks, then added about half of a chocolate Oh Yeah!. This was exceptionally rich and tasty, except that the Oh Yeah! seemed to have been sitting at Vitamin Shoppe for a little too long and had clump issues. Oh well - wasn't perfection, but was still pretty darn good. (110 kcals, 16g protein, 1.5g net carbs, 4.5g fat)
• Dinner at Zengo: Way too much edamame (maybe 2 cups of pods?) and camaron (shrimp) ceviche with avocado and passion fruit. See my thoughts on Zengo below.
• Another protein mocha, prepared as above (110 kcals, 16g protein, 1.5g net carbs, 4.5g fat)
• Approximately 7 pecan halves (70 kcals, 0.7g protein, 0.5g net carbs, 7g fat)

Thoughts on Zengo.
Tonight was my first time at Zengo, a Latin-Asian fusion restaurant in DC's Gallery Place/Chinatown neighborhood. I've passed by the place numerous times over the years, but I never felt motivated to dine there until friends suggested it. As mentioned above, I went with the simple and safe choices - or so I thought - of edamame and shrimp ceviche.

Zengo found a way to make edamame, ordinarily a very smart choice, greasy. Zengo serves two styles of edamame: (1) steamed and grilled, and (2) "xo style," which is non-vegetarian. I ordered the normal ones thinking they would be the healthiest choice, as I wasn't looking to splurge. To prepare Zengo's normal version of edamame, I think they steam the pods and then grill them in something oily. My hands were shiny after eating these. Seriously - why would you add grease to edamame?

Admittedly, the greasy-grilled edamame have a delightful smoky scent. I enjoyed eating them. However, none of that rustic flavor is imparted to the edamame beans themselves. Zengo's edamame grilling method imparts unctuousness and aroma, but not flavor.

The ceviche was pretty good - a nice balance of tangy, sweet, and spicy. Nothing to write home about, but tasty. I asked the server about oil/mayonnaise, but I forgot to ask about sugar which I'm sure was in there. I'm actually not as uptight about a little added sugar as I am about added fat, mostly because I tend to have worse reactions to hidden fat than to added sugar.

Dessert: I dipped the back of a spoon into the sauce on my friend's lemon-yuzu cake, which comes with Chinese five spice custard sauce, ginger ice cream, and a sesame lace cookie. I didn't taste the cake, but I was underwhelmed by the sauce. It had a little too much anise in it, I think - the licorice flavor overwhelmed the other flavors. I could pick up a slight bit of the ginger flavor on a second taste. My friends' reviews of the lemon-yuzu cake were mixed - one enjoyed it; two hated it. The churros y chai (churros served with a chocolate chai mousse) apparently taste divine.

Finally, a word about the service: I think our server meant well, but he seemed to think we were idiots who couldn't possibly know anything about food. I asked him whether there was oil added to the marinades for either the ceviche or the tiradito. He launches into an explanation of what ceviche is, seeming to think that the mere fact that ceviche is "cooked" in citrus juice means that the chef doesn't add oil on top or in the marinade. I cut him off, responding, "Umm, I know what ceviche is; I'm just asking whether there's any added fat in the marinade." I think I forgot to ask about sugar because he was so patronizing when I asked a straightforward question about fat. All he should have said was, "No."

Likewise with the server's response to my question about tiradito, which I know for a fact is sometimes marinated in aiolis or other oil-based sauces (see Chef Michelle Bernstein's spin on shrimp tiradito, which incorporates mayonnaise.) His response, "No, no oil, tiradito is sashimi." (That's not completely accurate, by the way - like ceviche, there's acid in the tiradito sauce/marinade which sometimes "cooks" the fish slightly, unlike traditional sashimi. Tiradito is sliced sashimi-style. See here.) But even if tiradito were as raw as sashimi, that wouldn't necessarily mean that the marinade has no oil. I mean, if you add oil to edamame, you could add oil to anything, right?

Overall, I had reasonably tasty food and was happy that the servers didn't force us to leave even though we sat there and chatted for about 2 hours after dinner and paid with five separate credit cards. Zengo was very group-friendly tonight. Would I return? Definitely wouldn't suggest it, but I'd go back at someone else's behest. There are a few other things on the menu I'd like to try. I'd hope for a different server, however.