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written by Michelle
After a lovely summer weekend day, I headed to Zapatas on Hengshan
Road at sunset for drinks and dinner. Everyone knows Zapatas as
one of Shanghai’s most fun (most insane?) party bars. I wanted
to try them for dinner, and sat outside on the patio to enjoy
the evening breeze. The most challenging part of dinner at Zapatas
is also the easiest – choosing which night to go With different
themed special promotions every night of the week, going to Zapatas
on any night means a guarantee of enticing drink specials, food
promotions, and great music.
 We began, of course, with
a house margarita. My frozen mango margarita was perfect – hardly
sweetened, deliciously fruity, and packing a nice punch at the
bottom of the glass. The strawberry margarita was significantly
sweeter, so be sure to ask your date what she prefers JP For starters,
we had the Jalapeno Peppers (deep fried peppers stuffed with cheese),
and a cold ceviche seafood salad cocktail. Although I’m sure many
people will find the Peppers just right, they certainly were spicy,
which helped make the above-mentioned margaritas disappear quickly
(guys, paying attention?). The ceviche salad was also a good counter
to the spicy heat, with the fresh avocados absorbing some of the
fire.
As main courses, we tried the beef enchiladas and the June/July
special fish tacos. The enchiladas were just right, filled with
chunks of tender tasty beef, not the “mystery meat”
mush I find in some other “Mexican” food in town.
We weren’t as transported by the fish tacos: the deep-fried
batter needed plenty of fresh salsa to come to life. The standard
supporting cast of refried beans and rice, however, was excellent.
The beans tasted just right, covered in melted cheese. The rice
was tasty and just the right texture.
 To my surprise, however, the best part of the entire experience
was the service. From the moment of the warm greeting on our arrival,
we received outstanding attentive and friendly service. Ice water
came as soon as we asked for it, and was magically refilled each
time the Jalapeno Peppers demanded it. The food itself arrived
within minutes of ordering, and every additional request (more
salsa, more candles for the table) was fulfilled immediately with
a smile.
As we walked out the door just before 9 pm on Sunday evening,
Zapatas was full of Chinese girls learning salsa moves for that
evening’s main event. If I weren’t so deliciously full…
Zapatas for dinner? Si, baby, Si!
Article taken from: http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/Article1103547.phtml |
