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ZÄD modern mediterranean

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John Lisherness

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ZÄD modern mediterranean

by John Lisherness » Wed Jun 04, 2014 6:57 pm

"ZÄD modern mediterranean" is now open on Grinstead at the former Pita Delights location.
This "Eater" article has details:
http://louisville.eater.com/archives/20 ... ranean.php
They have a website with a menu- "Warning! Music Background on Website!" (a pet peeve of mine):
http://www.zadlouisville.com/menu
It was just me so it's a limited report. I had the Pomegranate Mint Lemonade which was quite good, but at $4.75, it was almost as much as my "sandwich", the beef & lamb gyro with tatziki. I also asked if they could do a side of falafel with tahini (not on the menu).
The sandwich was like a thin flat-bread burrito toasted in a panini maker. The heat made the tahini runny and the flatbread a little crispy and dried out.
The falafel side had a nice accompaniment of chopped tomatoes and greens and I was grateful that they accommodated my request. Maybe I've been jaded by Al Watan's falafel, crispy on the outside and tender and flavorful on the inside. These were cooked so that they were a bit hard on the outside and dry and tasteless on the inside.
To be fair, another patron had and was raving over the lamb burger.
I'll give them another try or two and see.
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Marsha L.

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Re: ZÄD modern mediterranean

by Marsha L. » Mon Jun 16, 2014 10:06 am

We ate dinner here Friday and loved it. (Sorry your experience wasn't as good, JL!)

We were big fans of Pita Delite's food in its former incarnation, but didn't often eat there, opting for takeout instead. Not to be unkind, but Pita Delite's interior was a bit scruffy and pretty "lived-in". I always felt like we were eating in someone's living room due to the piles of toys and children's books, and ever-present bevy of the family's kids (not that they weren't well-behaved, they were).

All that's changed. They obviously hauled every last stick of furniture and all tchotchkes out of that place, re-finished the wooden floor, and painted the walls a serene white. Modern art is on display for sale, and really, the whole place feels modern. No more ordering at the counter now; there is table service with knowledgeable staff. (As in, they know what's in the dishes when you ask.)

There is no liquor license, John had the aforementioned (frozen) pomegranate mint lemonade; I had iced tea. I don't normally like mint-y drinks but I had a sip and it was really a "wow" moment for a non-alcoholic beverage in my opinion. I'll come back to the appetizer in a minute. John ordered beef gyros (pre-done strips, not a roasting cone, but dressed and cooked and presented as well as can be possible) and I had the falafel, which came with greens and tomatoes (and I added avocado slices) wrapped in the thin "Arabic" pita. Mine wasn't dry or hard at all, (if just a teensy bit stingy on the actual ratio of falafel to greens), and tasted great. Everything came out on very modern - there's that word again - china in nifty oval shapes, and I saw a salad at another table in a very hip looking bowl with a free-form scalloped edge.

The crowning glory of the whole meal was the appetizer: the "Avocado Bowl". We nearly ordered spanikopita, but John pointed out that, unlike a lot of things on the menu, it wasn't listed as "house-made", so, having had frozen spanikopita many times in my life, I asked about the Avocado Bowl. The server explained it was "sort of like guacamole, but a lot chunkier", so that's what we ordered. This thing was practically perfect. Served with triangles of hot, pillowy "Greek" pita on a side plate, the AB is a medium sized plate of creamy, perfectly ripe avocado cubes tossed with tomato, red onion, garlic, loads of cilantro, and (I think) lime juice. In the center there was this crazy hot green and yellow "salsa". There was no sour cream in this dish and it didn't need it. We took what we didn't eat home with us. All the food came out fast, fast, fast, which we were grateful for since we had tickets to a show downtown and were running a little late.

Two beverages, one shared app, two entrees came in under $27, very reasonable. I will say they must have blown the budget on the cool china, because drinks were served incongruously in plastic (edited to add: "corn" plastic, at least) to-go cups with lids - and the napkin holder on the table held the thinnest, tiniest napkins I've ever seen. The one wrapped around the flatware was a bit sturdier, but there was only one of those.

Sorry for such a long report, but we were favorably impressed and will definitely go back. John, I hope you'll try it again. Get the Avocado Bowl!
Marsha Lynch
LEO columnist, free range cook/food writer/food stylist
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Ron H

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Re: ZÄD modern mediterranean

by Ron H » Mon Jun 16, 2014 10:19 am

I got takeout from ZAD a few days ago with the wife, and I had an excellent eating experience. We had the beef gyro and chicken shawarma with a side of hummus, and we had an experience more like Marsha L's than John's. The hummus was interestingly presented, with some herbs and scallions and some sort of little hot pepper diced on top, but it was creamy and delicious, and the pita that came with it was the fluffier Greek type. The pitas around the sandwiches were thinner and crispier, but not to a negative extent and I was able to stuff my gyro into my face with very little dripping or dropping, which means the bread did a good job of absorbing. The take-out order was about $19 for the two of us for two sandwiches and a side, and it was definitely filling for the price point.
"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2000 of something." - Mitch Hedberg

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