Review: Chez Zee
August 30, 2008
Chez Zee is one of those places that you can’t avoid hearing about. Winner of Austin Chronicle’s “Best Dessert” award, I had been wanting to check it out for quite some time. (I do love dessert!). Upon previewing the menu online I saw a large selection of octo-lovo vegetarian selections (salads, pizza, pastas and more), but not a whole lot for the vegan crowd. (View menu)
We arrived at Chez Zee on a Thursday night. It was pretty busy, but there was no wait. The restaurant is very “Austin weird” with a selection of random art work, christmas lights, knick-knacks and an odd collection of games.
We started off with the basil cheese torta, which sounded delicious, but in fact looked like something a kid would make when first learning how to cook. It consisted of cream cheese mixed with pesto which was sandwiched between layers of provolone cheese to create a lasagna like effect. The overall effect, though, was a processed cheese taste akin to cheese wiz. The torta was accompanied by some toasted bread chips that crumbled in your mouth like ash. We we surprised that they did not use the dinner bread with this dish, as their dinner bread was quite good- freshly baked and chewy on the inside with a nice crust. Although the dinner bread was pleasant, it was served with an “olive oil” that was flavored with smoked pepper and garlic. The smokey taste was oddly reminiscent of hot dogs, and upon reading the label we discovered that it is an olive oil and canola oil mix. Not exactly heart-healthy, and it explains their need to cover the oil flavor with the smokey flavor.
After a disappointing first course, we moved on to soup. The soup of the day was a zucchini cream soup with creme fresh. The soup was quite good, in spite of the stingy amount of creme fresh that was squirted on top. It was also laden with tortilla strips which added another dimension to the soup that I found to be pleasant.
For our main course, we had pasta dishes. I had the Jalapeno-Gorgonzola linguine and my husband went for the Mediterranean Pasta. Both dishes were mediocre. The Jalapeno-Gorgonzola dish did not have even the barest hint of Gorgonzola flavor. Instead it tasted like Alfredo sauce with some jalapenos mixed in. the jalapenos were not spicy, which the menu accurately stated and I was thankful that was true since I’m a wuss about spicy things. The pasta simply left a warm tingle in your mouth after each bite. All in all, it was a rather uninspired and bland dish, and I strongly suggest they add more Gorgonzola to the dish or take that descriptor off the menu. The Mediterranean Pasta was significantly better in my opinion- laden with spinach, mushrooms, goat cheese and big kalamata olives, I enjoyed the dish, but found it no different from any Mediterranean pasta I’ve ever had before. The mushrooms were well cooked though, not over-cooked and rubbery like you often find in restaurants. My husband did not like the dish at all because the goat cheese and olives made it too salty for his palate. I happen to like salty dishes so that didn’t bother me.
At this point, we felt dinner was very average, but we had high hopes for the dessert. After all, the people had spoken, and I believe in their opinion! The dessert menu was extensive and we found at least five of them that struck our fancy. However, at $6-$8 a dessert, we simply picked one to share, the Gooey Chocolate Butter Cake with vanilla ice cream. I really wanted to like this, especially with such a yummy-sounding name, but it was simply another disappointment. Similar to an undercooked brownie, I felt that the dish would have been more palatable if it were warm. It was served ice-cold which was contrary to its gooey texture.
Overall, Chez Zee wasn’t worth the money. At $15 a pasta dish, I expect something more than what I could whip up out of a jar at home. Not only was it pricey, but it was more on par with a diner than fine dining. If you like Coco’s or Denny’s, come to Chez Zee and you’ll be thrilled, but if you’re expecting original dishes that you’ll crave and rave about, avoid Chez Zee, it just isn’t worth it.
Vegan Friendly: *
Vegetarian Friendly: ****
Fish Friendly: *
Price: $$$
Service: ***
Atmosphere: ****
Chez-Zee
5406 Balcones Dr.
Austin Tx 78731
512-454-2666
