| |
|
|
|
(July 7, 2006)
One of the best things that happened to me in my
six-month long journey into shedding some pounds has been the proximity
of my office on S. Congress to a little Japanese fast food spot called
Zen. Zen is located at 1303 S. Congress next to Amy’s Ice Cream.
Now this is not fast food in the McDonald’s sense of the word.
Not at all. I mean Zen is fast in the sense that you get served quickly.
But unlike Mickey D’s, there is an abundance of healthy and delicious
dishes on the Zen menu that will fill you up but NOT fill you out, if
you get my drift.
And for those of you following the progress of Rob’s
Reducers (my team in the 1-ton-o-fun charity weight-loss event), Zen
has stepped forward to lend its support to my fellow fatties. And what
a great place to go not just for watching what you eat, but for enjoying
every morsel as well.
I like to start with the 7 Pepper Ahi. This features
pristine Ahi tuna rolled in a seven-pepper spice. This is served seared
and rare (normal for Ahi) with pickled ginger and a watercress Wasabi
sauce. And who can resist a good California Roll? This features avocado,
cucumber and krab rolled in Zen’s sticky rice. The taste is fresh
and the texture is kind of crunchy. And dipped in some soy and Wasabi:
it’s the perfect appetizer. I also sometimes get the Teriyaki Salmon
Roll. For $2.59, this is beautifully priced and the taste of the lightly
grilled salmon encased in rice with green onions and teriyaki sauce
is pretty beautiful as well. And you’ve got to try the new Snake
Roll. This has got a Latin-Asian fusion vibe going as fresh Atlantic
salmon is blended with Serrano peppers, cream cheese and cucumbers.
And the taste is marveloso!
The entrees at Zen are called enlightened dishes.
What an appropriate name. Because when I first started trying these
dishes, I indeed felt a surge of enlightenment come over me. As in:
what were you waiting for Rob?
My stalwart choice, my default, is the Spicy Shrimp Bowl. I get the
BIG version and it doesn’t make me feel the least bit guilty. It
has great flavor. It begins with Tiger shrimp sautéed with green
and white onions in a spicy sauce served over brown rice. It ends with
very satisfying taste sensations. If you want to really reduce the carbs,
get it without the brown rice and just add some extra veggies. Delicious
either way. Vegans and those watching their waistlines will love the
Veggie Bowl. They sauté an egg with squash, broccoli, carrots
and onions. The flavors are primal: this dish just grabs you. And it’s
very satisfying. And new on the menu is the 7 Samurai Barbecue. This
features filet mignon with red bell peppers, mushrooms, and green and
white onions in a very compelling BBQ sauce. I don’t know if you
saw the original Kurosawa movie, the Seven Samurai, but most of them
died in the end. Tell you what though, have this dish a couple of days
a week and the only things that’ll be passing away are the inches
on your waistline.
And do try the Bodi Bowl. Fans of tofu will enjoy both the texture and
subtle tastes of this dish. The mixture: tofu, celery, bean sprouts,
broccoli and white and green onions sautéed in Zen’s zesty
sauce.
There’s far more on the menu at Zen than I
have time to share with you today. But this is a good jumping off point.
You can read the entire menu on Dining out with Rob Balon.com. And don’t
forget about their other locations on Guadalupe and Anderson Lane. Also
a new store in San Antonio. We’ll be sharing the story of Rob’s
Reducers throughout the next six months and we’ll discuss our favorite
and most effective (for weight loss) menu choices at Zen.
|
