New Zea

Many years ago, Tom and I went to Zea in Covington on a weekly basis. It could be called our date night even if we never officially called it that. We always sat in the bar and had the same waiter that we loved. And then one day we just forgot to go again. Maybe it’s because the tired menu annoyed me, though other places that don’t change their menu don’t annoy me. I just have no idea why we rarely went after that, but even when Tom was ill and our dining orbit really shrunk, we still didn’t go much.

We’d go if they were running some special deal, but never just because. And then a listener called me recently to tell me the brand new one at Clearview, built from the ground up, was open. The one that was in the Clearview Mall was my absolute favorite. I have great memories of the place, which I loved from the very beginning. I can’t remember the last time I was there.

But I felt compelled to see the new place and to see if the new space meant anything new about the food.

My sister, who lives nearby, joined me for lunch to see if any menu changes accompanied the renovation. In short…no. And the renovation is cookie-cutter boring. Yes, it is nice and new and looks like the other locations, but this one, by comparison, elevates dining at the one in Covington to an "experience.” The place has no soul. At all.

The only reason I went to see the new place was the enthusiasm of the regular caller to The Food Show. And when we arrived, we noticed a lunch menu combo special. It's a weekday thing, and includes a soup (corn bisque) or salad. There are three salad choices, including the famous spinach salad. The price depends on the entree you choose, and there are at least ten entree choices. And a drink comes with this. This probably sounds ridiculous, but one of my favorite things about Zea is the size and heft of their embossed drink glasses. So this combo offer was a deal with the drink, one or two sides (depending on entree choice), and the soup or salad. I had to admit this was enticing.

In a search for anything new on the menu, I discovered a cauliflower dish. I’m always thrilled to see anything new at Zea. I was puzzled by their artisan bread thing. And underwhelmed. This was a fried cauliflower dish with jalapeños and onions in a Kung Pao sauce with lime, peanuts, cilantro, and basil. This was surprising and fantastically good. The cauliflower was not too greasy, and the peanuts and peppers and torn herbs made it really different than anything I might have expected. This was huge enough that we couldn’t finish it, and delicious enough not to leave any of it.

We each got a corn and crab soup which was rather ordinary. Too many of these around now. When this soup first arrived on the scene, it was exciting, but everyone is doing it now.

Now that Rumba has set up shop across the highway, those Thai pork ribs have been dethroned. My sister said that, and I agree. She got the ribs with a side of corn grits, and both were the same as she remembered them. The ribs were tender with the delicious sticky Asian glaze,

and her double order of the famous Zea cheese grits did not at all disappoint her. It's been so long I barely remember, but I believe Zea was the first to show everyone that grits were not just for breakfast anymore. These still have no peer, all these years later.

There were a lot of these specially priced entrees, but I went for something from the original menu. Now everyone has a crispy chicken sandwich, but I think Zea is where I saw it first. This one is not spicy. Just crunchy fried chicken on a bun dressed with fresh dressings and Creole mustard sauce.  It has Pepperjack cheese and crispy thick bacon on it too, which is a good flavor combination. This always was, and still is, a good sandwich.

The Honey Island Chicken sandwich is still exactly what it was, even though spicy chicken sandwiches rule now. The fact that it’s still on the menu means people are ordering it. The sandwich came with one side, and I chose collard greens. I love their collard greens, and those too were as good as ever.

I've spent most of this piece complaining about Zea, yet each description of the food describes something very good. Maybe they don't change the menu because they don't need to. Maybe I need to just start going back again. This lunch combo menu deal may be the incentive I need. My Honey Island Chicken combo with a drink and a soup or salad was $17.95. C'mon.