We love to eat, and we love to eat out. Our friends frequently ask us for dining recommendations, and we try to stay current with all the new restaurant openings. We aren't professional restaurant critics, and our day jobs have nothing to do with the food or restaurant industry. We pay for all our meals.
There's just two of us, so we may only have the opportunity to visit a restaurant once before writing a review. We won't have been able to try a number of the menu items, so we invite you to share your experiences.
Thank you for visiting our website, and happy dining!
This entry was posted on 3/23/2008 10:15 AM and is filed under Old Reliables.
Channeling Bobby Flay, we held our own throwdown: Spinach Quesadillas. The Veteran -- Ziggy's Healthy Grill -- versus the Contender -- Zoe's Kitchen. And the winner is ... Ziggy's by a knockout in the second round.
Zoe's Kitchen, located on Shepherd near the Southwest Freeway, is the newest healthy choice entry to the Houston restaurant scene. A small franchise operation, Zoe's offers various allegedly healthy menu items. Although fresh tasting in the sample graciously offered to us by the counter staff, we question how healthy the chicken salad and pimento cheese could be when we are told they are made with full fat mayo. We found the food fresh and o'kay tasting, but the portions were small for the price, particularly compared to Ziggy's. Apparently, Zoe's wants to assist us in our efforts at portion control. But value dining is not part of the deal. We tried the chicken wrap (two skinny wraps, with a few pieces of chicken), served like many of the menu items with a choice of a side and chips. We picked the pasta salad and cole slaw, which were nicely seasoned (sans mayo) and laced with feta cheese, a popular cheese at this eatery. Feta was also included in the aforementioned Spinach Quesadillas. A white(!) flour tortilla housed a small amount of chopped spinach that appeared to be frozen. Also served with salsa and a side. Not at all memorable. And overpriced at $7.45. The atmosphere at Zoe's is clean and new but somewhat sterile.
Ziggy's Healthy Grill, where we have dined on numerous occasions on a number of items, maintains its well deserved reputation as a great choice for healthy dining. With wider menu choices than Zoe's, larger portions, more focus on healthy eating with lots of fat free and low fat choices, and a funkier, more comfortable atmosphere, it's hard to beat Ziggy's. The Spinach Quesadillas, grilled (without fat) on a large whole wheat tortilla, are chock full of fresh spinach and mushrooms, with low fat cheese, sided with rice and beans, salsa, and fat free sour cream. Although a little pricier at $9, they are more than worth the difference compared to Zoe's version. The one of us who does not like spinach has scarfed down the chicken quesadillas on a number of occasions. Not to mention the angus beef and buffalo burgers, on whole wheat buns, accompanied by very tasty sweet potato fries.
Age and experience wins out over youth this time around.
