Zanzibar Restaurant & Pub
The Food Assassin's Review
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| Main Street, Menomonie, WI |
The Zanzibar is a treat; an exotic up-scale surprise in a small WI college town.
I think that the atmosphere is the biggest reason I enjoy going there on the odd special occasion. Transportation happens when you walk through the doors: The warmth of wood and worn brick, the ambient lighting, the intimacy, the art, the glistening of glass, the imitation palm tree...
The staff are eager to please, with a friendly attention to detail.
(I have to say, though that the khaki pants are an unfortunate uniform choice. Come on, classic black, please. For all the obvious reasons).
Once settled in, perusing the Martini, Wine and Beer menu is a must.
It is sheer entertainment, and choosing one of their theatrical martinis is, for me, part of the Zanzibar experience. They are frou-frou girls-night-out gorgeous (with frills, do-dads, and enticing combinations and names) but they also taste divine (top shelf, don't you know, and priced accordingly). There are tiara wearing martinis, martinis coiled in glow sticks, martinis that takes like banana cream pie. You are sure to find one that you don't want to resist.
My go-to Zanzibar martini is the Dirty Stripper, sassy pink with clean taste of grapefruit, sporting play paper money (sometimes in some really nice denominations), and a kick that always takes me by surprise.
The menu varies seasonably
(Which, at times is frustrating. Will I ever be able to forgive myself for passing by the rack of lamb that winter evening? Sigh. On the other hand, fresh is fresh, and it's a good thing.)
Zanzibar describes its menu as American, Asian, Latin or Fusion. It's incredibly creative but this is not fast food, so, don't show up starving. (One martini on an empty stomach is one thing, the second that I unwittingly order while I am waiting for my dinner,
is quite another. And too good of a time was had by all).
At last! Food! Visual perfection!The food decorates the plate. It's a work of art; texture, color, architecture, drizzle. Fresh ground pepper on your salad? (I do hope you ordered the homemade Thai dressing; just the right zing, not overly sweet.)
Soon you will find out if you've chosen wisely.
I've had the best scallops I've ever eaten at Zanzibar,
and I've had a couple of dishes best described as the solutions to scientific questioning:
"Would I order this again?" Not so much. Their gourmet mashed potatoes are something I would always order again, and usually do. Their mashed potatoes are offered with your choice of two flavorings: red pepper flakes, onion, goat cheese, jalapeño, horseradish, garlic, tomato, cheddar or Parmesan cheese. (I know what I like in my potatoes, you design your own.)
Desert is offered if you've saved any room, but then again there's also that classic Grasshopper that had caught your eye in the martini menu, (along with many other temptations).
Location:
Zanzibar Restaurant & Pub
228 East Main St
Menomonie,WI 54751
Hours:
4 p.m. to close
Tuesday - Saturday
Phone:
715-231-9269
Genre: This seems to meet the genre expectations. I would expect a food review to have all the information provided here - atmosphere, drinks, food, etc. I think you could add some specifics on food and drink. What kind of martinis did they have, what are some examples of seasonal options?
ReplyDeleteOrganization: I felt that this was organized well. It seems to flow and wasn't jumbled. I think it will look more organized once there are headings and visuals too.
Voice: I love the voice and sarcasm. It makes it entertaining to read and I feel that that's important in a review.
Headings: No headings yet - I think that will pull the whole review together and make it look much nicer and organized!
Visuals & Hypertext: It is noted that you wanted some visuals and that it was difficult to find some. Try going to the restaurant and taking photos or finding some on their website or Google (and source them).
First Hand Use: It was very clear that you went to the restaurant and experienced it for yourself. I think your part of the review is perfect, now just add some more specific details!
The genre seems to be appropriate. There were areas of the review in which content was missing. T would have been nice to read about some specifics on the for and drinks. What kind of martini did you have? What food did you order and how was the texture, look, etc? The organization seemed to flow naturally. I like how you labeled areas that needed information with the general category. The voice was really nice. All while reading I imagined you having a conversation to me about this restaurant. Your voice seems poetic and very articulate. Great voice. There were no headings yet. I think headings could be used in a few places, but don't use a lot of them. I feel that the review flowed nicely without them, but some are needed. There were no visuals, just text. I would recommend that you include a few visuals of the drinks, food, maybe the interior of the restaurant, etc. It is clear this person has been to Zanzibar and has ate there. Overall wonderful start to the rough draft. I am excited to read the final draft.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...is this meant to look like a poem? I think overall this needs more content and more evaluation of the things that a restaurant review typically reviews. What are those things? I also wouldn't write it as a poem -- while that's nifty, I don't think it is typical of the genre, is it?
ReplyDeleteLol! No poem intention. I just like small visual blocks.
DeleteThe review meets all the expectations for the genre, talks about whats served, the atmosphere and service. A few more details about the food and drinks would be good. It's organized well and flows good. I think adding a few headings or photo's would help to improve the look of page and make it a more scan-able review for the internet. Your tone and voice is enjoyable and makes it clear you've been here before. Visually it needs a little more work but I'm sure adding photo's and such like you mentioned will fix that.
ReplyDeleteThis, to me, would hit the expectations of this genre. I would add a few more details on what other kinds of food and drinks they had there and maybe more specific details on the martini and scallops that you got when dining there. The review had a nice flow to it, from walking in the door and talking about atmosphere to ordering drinks and food. Once the titles and headings are up and in different sizes I believe the flow will be even better. The voice of this review was very entertaining and made me really want to keep reading. I really enjoyed the sarcasm and humor used throughout the review, it really was a really nice touch. I would say the overall tone is very casual and conversational which is appropriate for this genre. I'm guessing you just haven't gotten to the headings yet but making them bigger and bolder than the rest of the content in this review will really help them stand out and make everything more clear to read. For visuals I think it would be best if you could get pictures of the food and drinks and of the outside and inside of Zanzibar. I like where you are headed with the links, I feel like they would be very helpful for someone reading this review and wanting to know more information about the restaurant's menu and hours instead of you having to list a million different things about the restaurant in your review. Obviously, by reading the review you can tell that you have had experience with this restaurant. Overall I really enjoyed reading your review and can't wait to see what you add!
ReplyDelete