I have been wanting to check out Zest for months but because of the distance, I haven't had the chance. I recently celebrated a birthday and took an extra long weekend (Fri-Wed) so I decided to make the trek out to Sandbridge to enjoy lunch at Zest.Zest is located right at the end of Sandbridge Road and probably as close to the beach as you are going to get. The sign out front is so small that I missed the entrance to the restaurant the first time and had to circle back. There appears to be plenty of parking for the size of the restaurant.
Upon entering I was asked if I wanted to sit up front at the counter or in the back in the dining room. I chose the dining room which was set for dinner. Even though it was about 12:30 in the afternoon, I was the only patron and the lights had to be turned on and the server turned on some music for me: first classic rock, and then she changed it to jazz which I actually preferred. At the door I was handed the lunch menu on a single sheet of white paper which listed a large variety of sandwiches to choose from. I would have preferred a wrap or a salad and I was surprised that there weren't any on the menu. Before ordering my sandwich I asked to see a wine list (still celebrating my birthday). The list was varied and was fine for lunch but I didn't see anything that I would have enjoyed had I been there at dinner time. I ordered a glass of Sauvingon Blanc and a curious sandwich that was called, "I don't know what it's called but it's sooooooo good!"
Seriously.
After that build up, I had to order it. The server admitted to having never tried it but she assured me that everything Zest serves is good. The sandwich was made up of roast pork, roast beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and horseradish on foccacia bread. I had my choice of chips or pasta salad. I ordered the pasta salad which was penne pasta with cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and onions with just the slightest hint of vinagrette. It was light and very fresh tasting. The sandwich was huge and I was able to eat more than half of it. It was so good. I was a little apprehensive when I saw the horseradish but it didn't overwhelm the other flavors at all.
The restaurant itself is small and cute with a beachy feel to it. If it weren't so far from where I live I would really make an effort to visit at dinner time. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my lunch and I'm sure that during the summer season Zest is much busier than when I visited and since the dining room is so small I would recommend making reservations. Check their website for the dinner menu.
312 Sandbridge Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
(757) 301-8553
http://www.zestinsandbridge.com/
3 comments:
Sounds interesting but I have to admit the summer menu they have posted online does not grab me. Did you get a chance to see the current menu? I see that they have had wine tastings in the past. That might be fun.
Laine
The only menu I saw was the one they handed me when I walked in the door ... hopefully they'll update the website soon.
Hey There Friends...the owner of Zest recently asked me to build a new website for them. I am in the process of building it and it should be completed by week's end. Please check it out again soon and come down to visit. Peace!
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