Zuzu's Tapas and Paella's in Napa

 

Zuzu Tapas and Paellas in Napa

Downtown Napa is a beautiful place full of quaint shops and boutiques as well as restaurants with character and there's enough variety within walking distance that your chances of finding a nice place to eat at almost any price range is pretty good. 

My wife and I decided to come to Napa for one of our date nights to try someplace new. My Yelp search led me to Zuzu for tapas. I chose Zuzu because we hadn't eaten at a tapa bar in a while. The last time was in San Francisco at one of our long time favorites - Cha Cha Cha in the Mission. I thought this could be just a good. They do serve sangria after all!

Zuzu is a nice little restaurant with excellent ambiance. Music, close quarters, full tables with a cacophony of conversations that give the place a nice feel. We walked through the first floor dining area towards the back near the bar to ask the hostess for a table. A short 10 minutes later, we were lucky enough to get seated in the upstairs dining area. I recommended upstairs if you want it a little quieter and more intimate setting so you can have nice quiet conversation. Downstairs was louder but not annoyingly so.

Top of the stairs waiter station at Zuzu in Napa, CA

Sangra to start off the night!

My lady and I started off the night with sangria. Sangria is pretty tricky - it's good and so good sometimes that you may not stop consuming it until you're too drunk. That's why we split one because we're cheap dates and from my experience, one full glass would be more than plenty for us. I guess I was wrong. Either my alcohol tolerance level has increased or the sangria wasn't as potent as Cha Cha Cha's version. It tasted good but not even a buzz. Oh well...

John Gamboa with his wife at Zuzu

We were lucky to get a table for two against the window that faces Napa's Veteran's Memorial Park and the Napa river. The windows are tall as you can see in my picture with my wife above.

Zuzu - Menu with a glass of Sangria

The service was pretty good as one would expect in downtown Napa. We never ran out of water or bread throughout the dinner but we didn't make any special requests so that was to be expected.

John and his wife at Zuzu in Napa, CA

View of Veteran's Memorial Park from the Second Floor of Zuzu in Napa, CA

On to the food. We ordered the Gambas Al Ajillo, a shrimp dish, the Croquetas, a chicken dish, and the Paella Del Dia - a paella with clams and sausage.  Being a tapas and paellas restaurant you expect to get appetizer sized servings and Zuzu lives up to that aspect. The great thing is that you can order several dishes and not get to full when the night is over.

Gambas Al Ajillo at Zuzu in Napa, CA

Gambas Al Ajillo

We love shrimp. And just like Bubba said, it can be prepared so many ways. So why not try this one, right? It wasn't a little of a let down but nothing to write home about. This dish was a little bland but the sauce was good enough to keep to dip our bread into.

Croquetas at Zuzu

Croquetas

This chicken dish was't what I expected. The presentation was excellent and it has great texture. Unfortunately, just like the Gambas Al Ajillo it was too bland. 

Paella Del Dia at Zuzu in Napa, CA

Paella Del Dia - a little redemption

This was the best dish of the night. Again, good presentation. And this time good flavor. 

Conclusion

Will we come back. Maybe. Ambiance and location, yes, we'll be back for those and maybe try some other dishes. The ones we had just didn't make us go "Wow!" I wish they put more flavor into their food. Maybe it was an off night for the kitchen.

Just like people, I believe this deserves a second chance. After all, they do server sangria!

The Habit Burger Grill in Vallejo

Vallejo's The Habit Burger Grill

The Habit Burger Grill - Vallejo

Ever crave a good burger with fries and a shake? Ever wish you could find a place that's different than the average burger dive or fast food hamburger franchise? In Solano County, Vallejo to be exact, there is such a place - The Habit Burger Grill.

 The Habit serves awesome burgers as well as other good foods. Tri-tip sandwich, anyone? Or how about a grilled tuna filet sandwich or a veggie burger? They have those, too.

Custom Built Quality Food

Double Charburger, Fries, and Strawberry Shake

Tuna Filet Sandwich on Grilled Sourdough

 Grilled cheese with crispiness that's incredible! Sweet potato fries and Onion Rings, too! And not just shakes, but malts as well! A nice assortment of salads are available for consumption by those friends who are forced to eat with you while you get your juicy burger on.

Menu

 The seating area is bright and always kept clean by the staff. The modern design is cozy and inviting. It's a far cry from the Wendy's that used to occupy this building. Although I miss Wendy's Spicy Crispy sandwich, I am extremely glad The Habit opened up in its place.

Modern interior

 A nice touch at the Vallejo restaurant is their outdoor seating area complete with space heaters above. On a nice warm day, you could relax outside with friends and family enjoying great food all at the same time.

Patio Seating - Vallejo

  If you're ever in the Benicia or Vallejo area, The Habit is an excellent place to eat. If you're in Napa-American Canyon, don't fret, there are 2 Habit restaurants in that area to serve you. As a matter of fact, there are dozens popping up around northern California - Walnut Creek, Alameda, Vacaville, San Leandro, Novato.

 It's nice to see a great burger concept that was once was a Santa Barbara exclusive, expand into other parts of the state, especially ours!

Good eats in Vallejo – The Original Red Onion

Located off of the i-80 freeway in Vallejo, CA, a small bedroom town between two other small towns, Benicia and American Canyon, is The Red Onion. If you’re passing through on your way to Tahoe or Reno and feel like some good food, try this place out.

Their burgers are made to order right in front of you in their open kitchen. Prepared with care and grilled to perfection, these burgers are great. One of my favorites is the Burger Supreme. It comes with an egg, mushrooms, cheese, and all the regular toppings. It is yummy. Their chili burger which is served open faced and drowning in chili is awesome, too, as are the jalapeno rings. The jalapeno rings are deep fried to a crisp and served with ranch which goes perfectly with them. My wife craves their garlic fries each time we go. For the kids, they love the grilled cheese. Many times one of my kids will order a second one because they think it's that good.

They don’t only do burgers, they have a wide variety of items on the menu. From fish dinners and fish & chips to pizza sandwiches and grilled chicken salads. Deli sandwiches, Philly cheesesteak and pulled pork sandwiches. Quite a variety that I’m sure you’ll find something you’ll like.

If you prefer Asian bubble drinks or smoothies over standard soda or iced teas, they have a place they order from that’s on the same property. From there you can have Thai iced teas, strawberry-banana smoothies, and other slushy type drinks. They are made quickly and brought to your table.

I’ve yet to try Karl’s homemade desserts which many say are quite good. From the looks of them nicely displayed in a glass case by the front, I don't doubt them. I’m just too stuffed by the time I’m done with my main meal that I’ve never had any room. As soon as I do though, you bet I’m going to blog about it!