"The unexpected always happens.”
—Lawrence J. Peter
Cecile and I decided to venture out for dinner at Zazil Mexicana Cocina nestled in the heart of San Jose's Santana Row with friends Bill and Sarah Rothenberg. To beat the crowd we agreed to meet at 5:30 PM with masks on. We chose this restaurant for its wraparound corner location that offers alfresco dining with safe and comfortable spacing between tables. The 90 degrees plus heat of the day was beginning to ease and it felt quite balmy out. Zazil has a reputation for embracing new techniques from around the world that honors Mexican culture. The ambiance was delightful with Latin music playing in the backdrop, the food is tasty and plentiful. The restaurant took over the location once occupied by Consuelo’s and offers cuisine that is freshly prepared with local ingredients.
Complimentary salsa and fresh corn chips were brought to our table. We ordered Guacamole for our appetizer. For our entrees, we ordered a Mexican Salad, Grilled Chicken Fajitas Zazil with bell peppers, corn, mushrooms, salsa, black beans, and rice and sour cream, Grilled Steak Fajitas Zazil, and I had Tacos de Pescado Ensenada (Tempura fish, cabbage, slaw, cilantro, and Morita chile mayonnaise). Vegetarian and gluten-free offerings available. Sarah and Cecile enjoyed Margaritas and Bill and I had a bottle of La Cerveza Del Pacifico beer.
At the end of our meal, we heard the annoying sound of a smoke alarm and looked toward the interior of the restaurant to see what was the source for all the commotion. Apparently, the food on the grill got overheated which is a diplomatic way of saying, that one of the chefs must have burnt someone's food, or was a little overzealous with the cooking oil? The alarm kept droning on and on. I asked the waiter when will they turn it off. He informed us that the regulations require that the San Jose Fire Department must inspect the premises before the alarm can be shut off. Minutes later, we were joined by San Jose’s finest first responders. There were three fire trucks. Several firemen rushed to the kitchen. Everyone was safe, an evacuation wasn’t necessary, and people resumed eating and enjoying their drinks. We chalked it up to our evening’s entertainment. It was nothing compared to the unexpected events of 2020. So, please, if you live locally, don’t let this keep you from dining at Zazil.
