Zaidi's in Naperville

Has anyone tried it? I searched and came up empty. It looks like they've only been open a few weeks but there are some good reviews on Citysearch. I'm thinking about trying it on Friday.


Zaidi's Restaurant
Southeast corner of Rte. 59 and 83rd St.
1975 Springbrook Square Drive
Naperville, IL 60564
http://www.zaidisrestaurant.com/
630-355-4400

I would have guessed by the name that Zaidi's was an old time Jewish Deli. Imagine my surprise upon opening up the link to their website and discovering it to be an upscale place specializing in steaks, seafood, and sushi!

I can tell you, the only thing close to sushi that my zaidie would have eaten was the lox on his bagel!

Buddy

BuddyRoadhouse wrote:I would have guessed by the name that Zaidi's was an old time Jewish Deli. Imagine my surprise upon opening up the link to their website and discovering it to be an upscale place specializing in steaks, seafood, and sushi!

I can tell you, the only thing close to sushi that my zaidie would have eaten was the lox on his bagel!

Buddy

Lol - I had the same initial thought. But I thought that a Jewish deli might be a bit out of place in Naperville. Love your comment though!

The menu is intriguing. Let us know your thoughts if you go.

We went to Zaidi's this evening. We were very happy with the decision.

Zaidi's is a fairly large place with a good sized bar area and a large dining room that is split into two sections. Since their specialty is sushi and seafood the decor is built around this theme. When you walk in the front door there is a large picture of a mermaid and the divider between the dining room section has glass "bubbles" hanging above it. The dining room was tastefully decorated and the tables were covered in black tablecloths. We sat at a table and the chairs were comfortable. The booths looked roomy.

The service was great. Our waiter took the time to explain the menu and tell us about their special for the evening (slow roasted prime rib with or without a lobster tail. The combo was $50). The support staff was attentive and out water glasses were never less than half full. The menu was as shown on their web site (except the prices are shown on the actual menu ). The wine and sake list was extensive, but the prices were a little higher than I would have expected. The least expensive chardonnay, for example, was a J. Lohr at $9 a glass. Chilled sake started at $8 and went up to $14 for a typical sake carafe. Other sake choices were available by the bottle.

We bypassed the appetizers and went straight for the entrees. My mother and father ordered the Marinated Roast Chicken ($19, I think) which is "Marinated in sake, togarashi soy, garlic & cilantro, served with chicken leg Cuban cigar". The waiter asked them if they wanted it cooked "medium". We had never been asked that when ordering chicken so we asked what he meant. he said that some people like the chicken well done, meaning that they roast it longer so it gets crispier. They went with medium. It was cooked perfectly and was nice and moist and had very good flavor. The Chicken Leg Cuban Cigar had leg meat and rice but was a little bit salty. Not bad, but a touch more than necessary.

My wife ordered the 7 oz Filet ($22), medium. It was also cooked perfectly. It was a nice filet, tender and tastey, but my wife commented that mine at home were better. I don't think the beef was aged and that may have been the difference.

I went with the Four Star sashimi plate ($22) which had two pieces each of Maguro, Sake, Himachi and Bincho Maguro (Albacore). The sashimi was fresh and the cuts were generous. The Himachi was the best of the bunch. I also ordered the Fire Fighter Roll (Spicy tuna, jalapenos, spicy scallion, torched tuna ) ($14). The roll was cut into eight pieces and was very good. As expected, it was spicy, but not overly so. The nigiri and sashimi prices seemed high compared to other sushi places in the western 'burbs. Both were priced at $4 per piece. Rolls ranged from $7 for spicy tuna to $20 for a Toro and Sake roll.

We decided to try four sides to share. We ordered the Lobster Mac and Cheese, Fresh sauteéd baby spinach with applewood smoked bacon, Asian fried rice with crispy wonton and Edamame. The Edamame was a bit disappointing (the beans were a little mushy) but the rest of the sides were excellent. I think the fried rice was probably the best of the other three.

We also decided to spit two desserts. We ordered a chocolate cake that was served with chocolate mousse and almond brittle ice cream and a banana bread sundae with roasted bananas and ice cream. Both desserts were very good but the chocolate cake was the better of the two. My father had coffee which he said was very good and I ordered a double espresso. I normally don't order coffee or espresso in restaurants since i am a bit of a coffee snob , but the waiter told me that the espresso was Lavazza brand so i decided to try it. It wasn't bad. It wasn't great, either, but was drinkable. What was odd, however, is that it was served in a regular coffee cup, not an espresso cup.

So... Overall we all agreed that we would go back. The food was very good, the service was great (we were even visited by Mr. Zaidi) and the prices weren't too out of line. After a couple of drinks each, the entrees and sides, and two desserts we averaged just over $50 per person.

Zaidi's Restaurant
Southeast corner of Rte. 59 and 83rd St.
1975 Springbrook Square Drive
Naperville, IL 60564
http://www.zaidisrestaurant.com/
630-355-4400

Zaidi's is a great restaurant, but is far from being a deli. I've had lunch and dinner at Zaidi's many times over, and each time I go there, the food is great and the service is incredible. The big draw for me is the sushi. No one expects to find great sushi in the burbs, but Zaidi's is THE exception. They have this one roll called the Fire Fighter that is twice the size of your typical sushi roll, and is like a spicy tuna roll on steroids. The steaks are great (especially the marinated kobe flat iron) and the seafood is amazing. The drinks are very generous (big martinis). Most nights feature live jazz. I did another search and found their blog (zaidisrestaurant.blogspot.com). If you're coming down Route 59, keep your eyes open and then hang a left on 83rd street.

That sounds like an advertisement not a review...

quesabes wrote:That sounds like an advertisement not a review...

Agreed. This "review" seems a little too enthusiastic for a first post.

That's what the little exclamation-point button is for: so behind-the-scenes folks can check out posts that seem odd, and new posters who might be enthusiastic don't get scared away by a pile-on.

I'm sorry if my "enthusiasm" sounds like an ad. It was not intentional.

I live out in the burbs, and most of the places along Route 59 are just okay. The food at Zaidi's was refreshing. Everything there is always great. To me, consistency is important.

I also like that it's one of the few restaurants that's not a chain. Riva, Sullivan's, Rosebud, etc., are all owned by big companies. I don't have a problem with that, but I like the fact that this place is owned by one person, and the fact that Zaidi seems to care a lot about the quality. Zaidi always comes over to the table, pulls up a chair, and shoots the breeze. He's a nice guy who really wants to make his place work.

My apologies if my enthusiasm overwhelmed your standards.

BTW...have your little "behind the scenes" fellas check me out. I'll show them a pile of receipts from Zaidi's so that my review is authenticized.

Hey, here's an idea: Maybe you should give lessons on how someone should write a first post (lol).

Silly.

DrMarc wrote:My apologies if my enthusiasm overwhelmed your standards.

DrMarc,

Enthusiasm is what make LTHForum spin, welcome and I'm looking forward to future enthusiastic posts.

DrMarc wrote:BTW...have your little "behind the scenes" fellas check me out.

This is a culinary forum, there are no "little" behind the scenes people.

Enjoy,
Gary

Sorry, DrMarc - my post was not directed at you. We have, in the past, had a real problem with PR firms masquerading as enthusiastic first-time posters, something that's not allowed here, and many posters are sensitive to that. However, when there's a question, checking with the poster is a job for the moderators, which is what I was trying to express - because I, for one don't want to make an enthusiastic new poster feel unwelcome.

I'm certainly apologize if that's happened here - we'd love to hear more about your dining experiences.

Gary and Mhays,

Thanks for your replies.

No masquerades here...just someone who appreciates good food and great service

Thanks for extending the welcome!

...Marc

DrMarc wrote:BTW...have your little "behind the scenes" fellas check me out. I'll show them a pile of receipts from Zaidi's so that my review is authenticized.

Hey, here's an idea: Maybe you should give lessons on how someone should write a first post (lol).

Silly.

Honestly, that's not silly. It's not uncommon on long-lived internet discussion sites, and attention to those kinds of details are part of what makes the difference between a usable forum and a noisy mess. (Rather, I should say that you can find parts of LTH that are a noisy mess because of past pile-ons. Despite the mesmerizing, train-wreck-like fascination that sometimes sets in, I for one would rather "we" learn from history.)

That said, I don't think we have one.

Things like that can be sanctimonious BS, but they don't have to be.

DrMarc - Thanks for the explanation, and sorry that I jumped to the conclusion that you were "shilling" (as it sometimes has been called). Zaidi's sounds like it is worth checking into. Thanks for the info.

According to their website, they have $5.00 martini's and $2.00 sliders on Thursday night. I'm going to stop in this Thursday and have a look.