20022 Tue May 28 01:07:20 -0700 2002 1 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 68291 Just want to echo the great report Jennie Sheeks gave (linked below) on Zuzu on Main Street in downtown Napa. We went there for lunch today, assuming we wouldn't be able to get in, but got a table with no problem. We had: Pepino Salad with Sweet Bell Peppers, Cucumber, Apple, Red Onion & Feta; Mexican Corn soup with Scallions; Sizzling Prawns; Brazilian Style steamed Mussels; and Sautéed Mushrooms with Garlic and Sherry -- all delicious. It reminded us of the fantastic tapas we'd had several years ago at El Farol on Canyon Road in Santa Fe. Had two glasses of Tempranillo (Spanish red wine) that were perfect. A really good, fun place. Their Web site is at: http://www.zuzunapa.com. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/19913#67641 Tue May 28 01:07:20 -0700 2002 0 Wendy-san 1 70240 I'll add my nod too and a few more things to for the list of good things to try and what to avoid. I had a client dinner at Zuzu on Monday night. The place was more than half full at 5:30, and completely full with people waiting at the bar by the time we left. We had a table on the mezzanine away from the din below. It was really refreshing to see $4 and $5 items on a menu! My favorite was the sizzling prawns - loved soaking up the saffron garlicky sauce with bread. The tapas toppings that Jennie described were all very nice, the manchego/white bean spread disappeared first. A little early for melon, but we had ok fruit with some very good Serrano ham. I liked that the cured meat place had lomo (cured pork loin) and chorizo sausage, not repeating the ham. The one criticism is that the halibut special was less than the peak of freshness, maybe they were trying to get rid of weekend leftovers? Likewise the clams and mussels were somewhat tired in a paella which was otherwise very tasty (beef shortrib, fresh peas, prawns, and cubes of serrano ham) with rice that was cooked just right. Also, the baked goat cheese in tomato sauce was weak. Our wines by the glass (nice to see $5's and $6's there too!) were the 01 Falling Star Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc, 00 Gascon Viognier, and NV Hidalgo "la Gitana" Manzanilla Sherry. All recommended, yet I'll point out that even though the bottle of sherry was opened fresh for my pour, it may have been from a lot that was bottled too long ago as it lacked the verve in the nose that la Gitana is known for. We had two desserts - chocolate pot de creme and crema catalan. Both were nice, with our collective favorite the crema which had a nice crackly crust, silky creme brulee like custard, lots of vanilla bean, and a haunting citrus flavor. Total bill for 5 cold plates, 4 hot plates, 4 glasses of wine and 2 desserts for 4 people came to $115 with tax and tip. Wed Jun 26 04:13:33 -0700 2002 68291 0 Melanie Wong