Mediocre Mediterranean at Zoë’s Kitchen

The first things I noticed about Zoë’s Kitchen were the colors. Lime green. Vibrant red orange. Yellow. Lime green umbrellas decorate the patio. The doors are outlined in vibrant red-orange. Inside, the walls are decorated in a happy yellow paint.

After reading a menu displayed outside of the restaurant, my friend and I stepped inside to order.  We heard cheery pop music as soon as we open the doors.  Combined with the bright decorations, Zoë’s already gave me good vibes.

Like the decor, the food was bright and colorful.  The hummus trio came first.  Pita bread,cucumber slices, tomatoes and pita chips surrounded three appetizing scoops of red, green and tan hummus.

I tried the green pesto hummus first.  It tasted like what you’d expect– pesto and chickpeas grinded together.  It wasn’t exceptionally good and I was a little disappointed.  I expected it to taste stronger, but instead the pesto was drowned out by the chickpeas.

I dipped some of the pita bread into the thick red pepper hummus.  It tasted smokey and the flavor complimented the red pepper taste.  This one was my favorite.

I spread the final “classic” hummus on a slice of cucumber and bit down with a satisfying crunch.  This one’s the least exciting.  The classic Sabra hummus I get at Price Chopper is better than this.

Overall, the hummus trio was good, but that’s about it.  I wasn’t impressed with any unexpected or rich flavor.

My friend and I then moved onto our main dishes. My Greek chicken pita was ginormous. It came with a bowl of brown chunky sauce that looks like gravy.  I could barely take a first bite ofthe pita.  It was a little too thin for everything stuffed inside it and it tore.  The chicken was the most dominant flavor.  It was well-cooked and flavorful.  The carmelized onions, tomatoes and feta cheese were also prominent. Its flavors were zesty and went well together.

I poured some of the sauce on the sandwich. It’s a thick, unappetizing liquid, and it didn’t have much flavor. It kind of tasted like gravy but wasn’t not as strong. I don’t really like it that much and didn’t put it on the rest of my pita.

My friend got the turkey stack and let me have a bite.  It was a sandwich with crispy sourdough bread and feta, chicken, mozzarella and lettuce.  The flavors blended together really well.  I liked her sandwich even better than my pita.

We had originally found a small booth inside, but ended up deciding to sit at a table outside since it was sunny.  Only a few people had accompanied the tables, most likely because Zoë’s was still new.

The service at Zoë’s was friendly and quick.  We only had to wait in line five minutes before wegave our orders to a cashier up front.  My chicken pita, the hummus trio and a small drink cost
$15, which I thought was pretty good for two dishes and a drink.  Also, our food only took less than 10 minutes to come out.

I don’t have any complaints about the service.  And I barely had any about the food, except that the hummuses were dull and I didn’t like that thick gravy stuff.  Zoë’s is pretty easy to find.  It’s next to Jack Stack Barbeque on the south side of the plaza. The best part of Zoë’s was the lively and upbeat atmosphere and it’ll be the reason I come back.