Restaurant Review - Colonizing the ‘burbs
Zapata a shoo-in for moderate Mexican
Zapata is a restaurant not best judged by its exterior. This Mexican newcomer is situated along Peachtree Parkway, a semi-deserted stretch of no man’s land off I-285 dotted here and there with pioneering strip malls. It’s a short, 20-minute drive from the heart of the city, but there’s an almost eerie quiet out here that makes you feel as if you’re having an unscheduled cameo in an episode of the “X-Files.” On top of that, Zapata’s purple neon sign is already burned out, making the restaurant tricky to spot from the road.
Fortunately, the restaurant’s lively dining room has been so sharply appointed that any misgivings dissolve once you step inside. Walls tinted ochre, terracotta and creamy lime foreshadow the hues of the earthy, aromatic cuisine. Funky, modern art — from the collection of owner Alí Silva Chapellín — is way more provocative than the soothing landscapes you typically see in restaurants.
“This is colonial Mexican food, which existed before Texas became part of the United States,” proclaims the waiter proudly as he hands us our menus. “Colonial” seems to be another term for the more refined south-of-the-border cuisine that is also labeled as “authentic,” “regional” or “traditional.” It’s part of the burgeoning culinary aesthetic — first seen locally at Zocalo in Midtown and Oh...Maria! in Buckhead — that eschews gloppy Tex-Mex in favor of the more indigenous flavors and presentations of Mexico.
Which is not to say that there isn’t plenty of melty, gooey cheese to go around. Queso fundido ($6.25), the Latin answer to fondue, is served with little ramekins of accompaniments — chorizo sausage, roasted poblano peppers and pico de gallo — to jazz up the little tacos you make with the cheese and warm corn tortillas. It’s one of my favorite ways to start a meal here, but work fast: the melted cheese starts to harden into a solid mass quickly.
Niño enveulto (which sounds much more appetizing than its English translation, “swaddled child”) is unusual but operates on the same principal ($6). It’s a slab of cheese that’s been melted on a griddle and then wrapped around chicken, peppers, bacon and onion. You slice a chunk off the cheesy rectangle, plunk it in the middle of a folded tortilla and dig in.
Two of the appetizers miss the boat altogether. Sopes tricolores ($5.50), which are typically savory little creations of masa corn cakes topped with salsas and crema, here are strangely piled with mounds of limp iceberg lettuce that completely ruin the texture and flavor of the other ingredients. Tacos de arrachera ($4.85) are tortillas filled with tough, lackluster pieces of beef, with a smidgeon of guacamole on the side that does little to enliven the bland tacos.
Five months old, Zapata is still working through its culinary kinks, and though an excellent meal can be had here, careful navigation is required through each section of the menu. First, some dishes I would avoid: the cream of poblano soup ($4.50) is a lovely shade of green, but the spices need to be turned way up, and the generic brand croutons floating on top need to disappear. Pescado a la Veracruzana ($11) — a classic Mexican dish of red snapper in a briny, chunky sauce of tomatoes, capers and olives — needs tuning. The tomato in this rendition has been dumbed down to a thin sauce, and the whole thing comes off tasting more like a Lean Cuisine entree than the vibrant melange it can be.
Arrachera ($9.95) has an exotic, appealing description on the menu, but appears at the table as a disjointed plate of dull, rather tough rib-eye steak with a few plain roasted potatoes, a single, odd cheese-stuffed mushroom, and a few slices of ripe avocado.
OK, so let’s talk about some of the good dishes. If you’re in the mood for soup, the fragrant chicken or the tomatoey sopa azteca (both $4.25) are equally warming, flavorful choices.
The concoctions served in a molcajete ($7.50-$11.25) are a lot of fun. The black, nubbly mortars made of volcanic rock are put to good use filled with either shrimp, chicken, beef or mushrooms tossed in a tangy, smooth tomatillo sauce. Cactus, scallions and peppers are also thrown into the mix. Scoop some of this tasty mishmash into an ever-present tortilla for consumption. It’s a great dish for sharing.
Cochinita pibil, a traditional pork dish of the Yucatan, is faithfully executed here. The meat is marinated in citrus fruits, wrapped in banana leaves and cooked slowly in the oven, resulting in tender chunks of meat. A traditional habanero-pickled onion salsa on the side pleasantly turns up the heat.
There’s not much of a wine selection (choose from the house red or the house white), so I’d stick to margaritas, which are well made. For dessert, go for the warmed crepes covered in delicious cajeta (caramel sauce) and served with walnuts and a yellow, French vanilla-style ice cream that tastes straight from the freezer of your local grocery store.
Zapata has a generous spirit, an enthusiastic staff, and some soulful, vibrant cooking at reasonable prices. I’m hopeful that the misfires in the kitchen are part of the adjustment period that comes with a new endeavor.