Dining out: Hankerin’ for Tex Mex?
by Lynn Williams
maindish@baltimoreguide.com
Zen West Roadside Cantina, The Texas ex-pat in me likes to imagine that Zen West gets its name from the fact that a perfectly-made tamale can send the Tex-Mex lover straight to Nirvana.
The reality is more prosaic: the restaurant shares ownership with Café Zen, an Asian restaurant on the same block near Belvedere Square. But who could blame us for seeking a little inner peace, especially if it comes with a side of guacamole?
Zen West (5916 York Rd., 410-323-3368) is an attractive spot, part urban chic (pendant lamps, gleaming hardwood floors) and part agreeable road-trip kitsch (a vintage gas pump, a hint of corrugated tin roofing over the bar, and lots of oversized murals depicting roadside attractions of an earlier era). The menu also suggests a swing through the Panhandle, with such down-home Southern entrees as chicken-fried steak ($14.95) and BBQ ribs ($20.95) rounding out the menu of updated Tex-Mex favorites.
After indulging in entirely too much of the house salsa, which was chipotle-smoky and well-laced with cilantro, we tucked into our appetizers, a slightly soggy but melt-in-the-mouth-tender calamari ($7.95) served with two dipping sauces, and chili con queso ($3.25); the queso was okay, but my hunt goes on for the definitive Baltimore version of this wonderful Texan comfort food.
We bypassed the belly-busters in favor of lighter fare: crab and corn quesadillas ($9.95) and blackened tilapia tacos ($10.95). The quesadillas were, indeed, amply stuffed with lump crab. However, the promised guacamole garnish was missing.
(It was worth waiting for, chunky and flavored with fresh lime juice.) The flavorful fish tacos were served with sides of beans and rice that were so simple and minimally seasoned that they were almost, well, Zen.
Alabama BBQ Company, (4311 Harford Rd., 410-254-1440) With its pale green walls, vintage kitchen implements and Crimson Tide banners, it’s cute enough for sit-down dining, but the presentation is strictly no-frills.
Your food will be served in a plastic basket, and your sole utensil, for barbecue and soup alike, will be a plastic “spork.”
But wow, what barbecue! And what soup! The latter, a chicken chowder ($4 cup) is a heavenly brew, lightly creamy and packed with smoked chicken breast, hickory-smoked bacon, potatoes, corn and carrots.
The kitchen was out of ribs, so we tried the chopped brisket sandwich ($7), and a pulled pork dinner ($12). Both featured slow-cooked tender meats, rich with deeply smoky flavor. Top your choice of barbecue with mild or spicy scratch-made sauces, including a mayo-based white sauce with a vinegar tang - an Alabama regional specialty - designed for chicken, and a raspberry sauce for ribs.
We were also enthusiastic about the sides, which include excellent barbecued baked beans, finely-chopped collards and a macaroni and cheese that’s gooey and savory, enriched with a little green pepper and mustard. Also available are applesauce jazzed up with melted red-hots candies, and pineapple-spiked “tropical” slaw.
Desserts are also homemade. Slices of key lime and chocolate pies ($3), both with crumb crusts, were delicious, if a bit dinky. Or maybe we were just greedy. Pie can do that to you.
In addition to the usual “Q” suspects, the proprietor promises that seasonal specials may turn up some weekends. The mouth waters at the thought of smoked roasted duck, smoked crab cakes and smoked scallops. If you hear such items may be in the offing, get there early. We might have gotten there first.