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| - With only one review in for the new Zandru's, my better half and I chose to throw caution to the wind and try it out. Next time, I will hold onto it a little tighter as we didn't have the best experience. For the positives, we were greeted by the manager (a nice touch) and our server was welcoming, upbeat, and attentive. It definitely felt that she was new to serving as she immediately came to our table asking if we knew what we wanted to drink and then checked back every few minutes until we decided. Another clue was that she opened our wine bottle without cutting the foil (just pulled the cork through it). Again, I would rather take an upbeat and nice server than a disgruntled one but she definitely needs more experience and polish. We decided to order light and opted for the sauteed calamari and the shrimp in garlic sauce. As my girlfriend lived in Spain and I have traveled there, we thought these dishes would be a good test for the kitchen. The kitchen earned a D. For starters, the calamari was listed on the menu as being sauteed in white wine, red pepper, and paprika. What we received were some deep fried rings with a chunky marinara sauce. When we brought it up to the server, she mentioned that is how the kitchen always prepares it. Mistake aside, the fried calamari was just average and for $8, steep for the quality and quantity. The shrimp were just ok. The menu describes it as "full of garlic flavor" but it was lacking. The sauce, however, was good to dip our accompanying grilled bread into.
Zandru's is an interesting place and don't know what customer base they are trying to target. From ever changing color LED rope lighting under the bar and liquor shelf to a featured drink menu that offers a drink with Hypnotiq, it screams for college customers. But some entrees above $20 and paella (for 2) around $40, one would think they are going for customers with a little more disposable income.
They have positive staff, which is a start, but they have to smooth out their rough edges. With some prices scratched out and new ones hand written on the menu to inaccurate food descriptions, they have some things to work on. Its going to be an uphill climb, I think.
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