News & Reviews
New cafe in Aptos center provides oasis of great food for lovers of all things Meditteranean.
Santa Cruz Sentinel
by Josie Cowden, Sentinel restaurant writer
When Breadstix Deli closed its doors in the very busy Aptos Center, it was eagerly anticipated what would take its place. Welcome to Zameen Mediterranean Cuisine!
Taking months to completely remodel the old deli, no stone was left unturned to make this eatery a tasteful new destination. One has to admire the beautiful decor — the impressive tiled floor, the Moorish-style interior, the inviting counter with its lovely glass screen. Now, there is colorful artwork up on the walls, banquet seating is covered in vibrant fabric, Indian leather chairs surround tables, hand-carved Moroccan-style furniture and mirrors add enormous eye appeal, and a stunning Indian buffet in red wood has been transformed into a trash receptacle.
After living in Greece and Turkey for more than a decade, the sort of food I crave is exactly what Zameen is serving up — and it dares to be different. Not many places in this neck of the woods offer hummus, creamy smoked eggplant, Persian herb mezze, Marrakech slaw, tabbouleh salad — to name but a few.
My friend Lee and I meet for lunch and check out the menu. Food orders in Zameen are not taken at the table. This Persian/Moroccan/Middle Eastern/Mediterranean-style eatery requires that you go to the counter to order, and when the food is all ready, it's delivered to your table. Casual and straightforward, the cafe offers a good way to experiment with unfamiliar fare without breaking the bank. And, best of all, one can choose small, medium or large portions as Zameen's entrees come as a Wrap starting at $5.75, a Salad starting at $8.75, or as a Platter starting at $10.25.
Lee orders a glass of chardonnay $6.50 and I get a merlot $8, from a small but adequate wine list. From a selection of mezze appetizers we pick out Dolmas $4.50, the popular grape leaves stuffed with rice. Lee picks out Slow-Roasted Lamb $13.95 on the menu, which really appeals as it's braised in a pomegranate sauce. I go for the Spicy Chicken Kebab $11.95, which comes marinated in Zameen's exotic spicy dry rub and grilled on a skewer.
Lee loves his tender lamb, jazzed up with pomegranate, and a side order of Moroccan Skewered Potatoes $1.95 is enhanced with yogurt mint sauce and fig chutney.
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My Spicy Chicken Kebab is steeped in ancient Silk Road flavors. Zameen makes its own exotic spicy dry rub, and it coats each morsel of chicken. The café also makes its own flatbread, which we found a bit chewy, but a second batch came out light and tender. A side order of Saffron Barberry Rice $1.95 is delicious — the bright red fruit adding an unusual tangy pizzazz.
Halloumi, a traditional Cypriot cheese, is rarely found in local restaurants. Grilled to perfection and served with red pepper and red onion, you won't have to fly to Cyprus when you taste Zameen's delicious Halloumi Cheese Kebab $9.50.
Lee has to dash off to a meeting, and I sit and linger with a heavenly dessert of Citrus Yogurt Cake $2.25 and a splendid cup of coffee — roasted by Aptos Center neighbor Pacific Coffee Roasting. I'll return to Zameen before you can say baklava!
Josie Cowden is a freelance writer, proofreader and wine tour guide. Contact her at ravenone274@comcast.net.
{ Cuisine: Very good. Service: Good. Value: Excellent. Ambiance: Casual, very friendly and comfortable in beautiful Middle-Eastern setting. Cost: Very reasonable. Entrees from around $6 to $14. Zameen, 7528 Soquel Drive, Aptos. Details: 688-4465 or www.zameencuisine.com. E-mail: info@zameencuisine.com. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed Monday. }
More on Zameen
Owners are Ed Watson from Newcastle, England, his wife Katie (who he met through work in London), and Katie's father Mike Assar, who hails from Iran. Although Mike retired from his high-tech job in Silicon Valley, he has always loved to cook. He makes a lot of typical Persian-style sauces himself, such as torshi (pickled vegetables) and spicy harissa (bright red chiles). "I have cooked since I was 15," he tells me.
The café has an excellent Condiment Bar with pickles, yogurt sauce and all kinds of spicy additions.
"We're trying to do elegant fast food," Watson says. "We wanted to bring something a bit different to Aptos, and I want to get people excited about the flavors. We want to knock people's socks off"
Watson and Assar plan on adding a deli selling items such as Persian yogurt, pickles, spices and cheeses. Right now, they are extremely busy with the cafe and with outside catering. Customers can also carry out ready-made kebabs to grill at home and other convenient to-go items.
Zameen's music is a wonderful mystic assortment of Middle Eastern/Persian/Mediterranean. And if you're dining on the beautiful outdoor patio on a Wednesday lunchtime, you can listen to the Greek/Russian Gypsy/Italian music of local duo The Falcos.
Mimi Snowden (restaurant consultant extraordinaire) is responsible for all the planning - interior, menus - you name it. She has a wealth of experience - and it shows throughout the whole cafe. She sums up her passion for Zameen - "If you put enough love into the food, you can taste it".
*Check out the full article online at:
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2007/September/21/style/stories/09style.htm
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