Zanata

This past Wednesday I went to go check out Zanata in downtown Plano. Some of my friends and I were going to that area for a BYOB painting class at Let's Art Party (if you haven't done one of these classes yet, you totally should. It's super fun. Art and booze! What more do you want for a great time?!? haha.) Anyways, I suggested we go check out Zanata which is across the street. I've heard great reviews about the place.

Zanata
1022 E 15th St
Plano, TX 75074
(972) 422-9999
http://zanatas.com/plano/
Price: $$-$$$

We were there in time for their happy hour. The discounts weren't very good but I was glad it wasn't just limited to the bar area. I really liked the decor of the place. Bright and warm and rustic. It's quite similar to Urban Crust which is just a few doors down in terms of cuisine and architectural structure but the feel is completely different. While UC is more dark, loud and trendy, Zanata is more mild and comfortable. I prefer the latter. It's a place you can have a nice relaxing dinner with friends and you can actually hear each other talk!

I got there before my 2 friends but we were short on time since class starts in less than an hour. I was nicely greeted by our waiter and he brought us some water. Then one of my friends showed up so we decided to go ahead and order.

Here are the HH specials btw... Happy Hour Tue-Fri 4-7PM. $3 off pizzas, $2 off hot appetizers, $1 off specialty cocktails, draft beers, sangrias.

My friend got the "Z" Crush (vodka, seasonal berries, fresh mint, house simple syrup, lime juice) $8~ It was quite tasty and STRONG! Oof! He was feeling it before he even drank half! haha.

We started off with the Mighty Quinn (house sausage, pepperoni, prosciutto, hot peppers, onions) $15~

Their pizzas are hand tossed 12" Neapolitan style and they use fresh ingredients and imported cheeses. I liked it a lot. The crust was a bit thinner than I normally prefer but the ingredients were definitely fresh and delicious. The hot peppers weren't that spicy but added another depth of flavor. The salty sausage and prosciutto with the spice of the peppers and sweetness of the onions all worked together beautifully.

All of us love brie on crackers so we wanted to try the Baked Brie (cranberry chutney, toasted walnuts, lavosh) $11~

It looked really pretty but wasn't as good as it looked. With the brie being baked, it was more pungent than we're used to but I really enjoyed the soft texture of it. It was missing something...it wasn't sweet enough. The cranberry was more tart than sweet. So then I had a genius idea and asked the waiter for some honey. We drizzled it over the cheese and chutney was it was fantastic!!! So keep that in mind! If you want some extra sweetness when you order this, just ask for some honey and it becomes pretty awesome! :P

Brussels Sprouts $5~

You know me...I need some veggies in my meals so we got a side of Brussels sprouts. They are sauteed with bacon. YUM! We all agreed. Plus bacon makes EVERYTHING taste better. The texture of the Brussels sprouts was perfect and there wasn't any of the bitterness that it usually has. It's a great, hearty vegetable.

We ended the meal with a Chocolate Ganache Cake (for 2, cannoli cream filling, roasted pistachios) $10~

All their desserts sounded good but we chose this cuz it looks like it was bigger for sharing. It was a good sized slice of cake. It was delicious. It was moist, chocolatey, decadent but surprisingly not super sweet. The crunch from the pistachios definitely added a nice difference in texture. I really liked the cannoli cream in the middle too, different than your normal frostings or buttercream. We licked that plate clean! haha.

Our waiter was super nice and wonderful. He was there when we needed him and answered all our questions. We also had some complexity in splitting the tab and he did it with no problems. :)

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So... after the painting class, we were all a little hungry. We decided to go back to Zanata cuz we liked it so much earlier! haha.

The first waitress to greet us was uber friendly as she brough us our waters. We had a different waiter take our order and he was nice as well.

Fusilli & Sausage (spicy house sausage, roasted red pepper sauce, pecorino) $15~

My friend ordered this without the pecorino since he's not a huge cheese fan. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. The sausage actually had a nice kick to it and there was just enough sauce without drowning the pasta. It was a great dish.

FM544 (provolone, fontina, wild mushrooms, Brussles sprouts, truffle oil) $15~

The truffle oil was so fragrant but the taste wasn't overwhelming like truffle oil can sometimes be. I think the wild mushrooms were marinated in balsamic or something because they had a slight tartness to them. The addition of the Brussels sprouts on the pizza was wonderful. I enjoyed this a lot too.

We all agreed that the food here is really good. I'd definitely prefer it over Urban Crust in the selection of food as well as ambiance. We all thought it was a tad pricey though. But I will definitely recommend this place for a gathering or date night. And I'll be back for sure. There's many more items on the menu I want to try...especially the S'mores pizza! hehe.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

All-Inclusive BABYYYYYY~~

I went on vacation to Mexico for the first time last month. OMG. One of the best vacations of my life! All inclusive is totally the way to go!! Unlimited food and drinks. YEA!! :D

We stayed at the Secret Silversands Hotel in Puerto Morelos. It's about 20 minutes south of Cancun and 20 minutes north of Playa del Carmen. The food there was FANTASTIC! Upscale, nicely decorated restaurants with great service. It certainly was one of the many highlights of the trip.

I'm just going to post most of the yummy food pics from the trip (minimal text...cuz there's A LOT of pics!). DEEE-licious! :)

Night 1: RATATOUILLE (Mediterranean):
- Prosciutto and Green Tomato Brochette- Stuffed Beef Ribs (with Porcini mushrooms and a garnish of turned potatoes). This was the best dish of the trip. The only thing that we ordered again! It was so tender it melted in your mouth!
- Special of the Day: Surf & Turf (filet mignon with jumbo shrimp)- Raviolis (filled with duck and pumpkin in oregano sauce) - Chocolate Timbal (with vanilla ice cream)- Creme Brulee (with passion fruit)
Night 2: HIMITSU (Asian & Hibachi):
- Spring Rolls - Fried Rice - Fried Ice Cream - Dragon Roll (Masago, crab meat, avocado and cucumber with unagi)- Salmon, Hamachi (Yellowtail), Scallops Sashimi
Day 3: OCEANA (Seafood):
- Beef & Bean cheesy Nachos- Sea Bass Carpaccio (on fine slices of dill and serrano chile)- Lettuce & Seafood Mix (Roman style mixed lettuce with seafood and tomato dip)- Grilled Red Snapper Fish Fillet (marinated in cilantro served with fresh vegetables)- Hamburger of Mahi Mahi (cooked in lemon butter served with French Fries)- Mixed Brochette (Shrimp, squid, fish served with a shot of garlic "campirina") - Pastel Helado de Tres Leches y Compota de Pina (Tres Leches cake)- Chocolate Ice Cream (with peanut butter cookie)
Night 3: BORDEAUX (French):
- Spinach Salad (with snails burgundy and echalot sauce)- Caesar Salad (lettuce with dressing made from scratch)- Duck Magret (served with brunoisse of pears and apple with balsamic grapes sauce)- Salmon Filet (in pasta filo stuffed with dehydrated tomato and tarragon sauce)- Pork Medallions (served with grilled vegetables and balsamic with parsley oil)- Bavarois (double chocolate and cullis of raspberry)
Night 4: PORTOFINO (Italian):
- Trilogy of Carpaccios (Grouper, Tuna, and Salmon with Modena balsamic reduction)- Mussels in white wine and tomato sauce - Tomato cream soup perfumed with basil - Fusilli pasta with seafood and pesto sauce. PERFECTLY cooked pasta in every dish. I was super impressed!!
- Duck "Osobuco" (roasted on a bed of potatoes and vegetables). It was like BUTTER!!!
- Shrimp (cooked in warm lemon butter on a tomato brochette and pesto linguini)- Classic Tiramisu with mascarpone cream and coffee flavour - Chocolate Ganache Cake with Tangerine panacotta and peach sauce
Day 5: SEA SIDE GRILL:
- Jalapeno Cheese Poppers- Caesar Salad Rolls with Grilled Chicken - Catch of the Day Ceviche - Fajitas: Chicken Supreme with Oaxaca chese, Flank Steak or Seafood- Corn Chowder (with Crispy Tortilla and Tofu) - Cheesecake on Peanut Crust - Warm Three Cheesecake with Blackberry Sauce
Night 5: EL PATIO (Mexican): I'm not a fan of Mexican food. This place made me LOVE it! :)
- Salad "Milpa" Style (Coriander sparks, roasted tender corn, green beans and "cabuches" with epazote vinaigrette)- Tuna Chalupitas (small corn tortilla with Tuna sealed with green pepper served with avocado dip and refried beans) - Milk Chicken in Mole Poblano (traditional "mole poblano" sauce with Mexican rice and a "xaica" scent). Probably my #2 dish of the trip. Chicken was insanely tender and mole sauce was great!
- Beef Fillet (grilled with four different chili sauces)- Los Molcajetes (Mixed: with chicken, sausage and flank steak) - Aztecan souffle with ice cream and Oaxacan vanilla chocolate sauce - Marshmallow with "mole" and chocolate mousse
Night 5: OCEANA (2nd Dinner :P):
- Crab Rolls (stuffed with avocado and roasted peppers with tamarindo sauce)- Papardelle (pasta with prawns, fresh tomatoes and basil) - Shrimp Brochette (with bacon and pineapple "pastor" style) - Brownie with Red Fruit Parfait
Night 6: RATATOUILLE:
- Salmon Gravlax with chickpeas - Beef Carpaccio with Rocket salad and fine slices of Parmesan cheese- Beef consomme with spinach ravioli - Pork Fillet (with artichoke risotto and almond/tangerine vodka sauce)- Scallops and Prawn "au truffle" cream - Cheesecake (with peanut butter and a dark and white chocolate mix) - Dark and white chocolate and coffee mix with strawberry culis
Day 7: WORLD MARKET BUFFET:
- Wide selection of foods - Pasta Bar - Desserts
I recommend Secret Silversands to everyone who is looking to vacation in Mexico. All inclusive, adults only, great food, great service all around...can't beat that!