restaurant review: Zupas

I've been wanting to try Zupas for a long time, but I never got around to it until last night, after 'Brozy and I got our wedding rings. (Mine is tungsten and I love it. I am almost as excited to wear it as I am for Halo 3. Wilson's Diamonds is always great.)

Huge fan. I think Pudding on the Rice is the evil twin of Zupas. (I hate the sterile feel of PotR. Sell your freaking flat screen swirly displays, buy a couple lava lamps, and make the store feel less like a huge iPod. And get a drinking fountain. [In their defense, they will put the toppings on depicted in their posters if you ask nicely.])

Zupas, on the other hand, is warm, comfortable, and friendly. Everything's in orange and red and green, and even the plates and bowls are beautiful. It's a cafeteria-line setup, not a sit-down restaurant, but they bus your tables for you, and they'll spontaneously offer soup samples.

My favorite part, though, is the chocolate strawberries that come with each order. I can't believe they find such ripe, sweet berries at this time of year.

'Brozy and I got an ultimate grilled cheese and chicken enchilada chili soup, both of which were delicious. All of their sandwiches are grilled on ciabatta, and the grilled cheese has cheddar, muenster, tomatoes, and pesto sauce. The chili was very flavorful, and the tortilla strips are both tasty and aesthetically pleasing.

It is a bit pricey for a Subway-style restaurant; a sandwich and half order of soup is seven or eight bucks. I'll be going back soon again, though.

Also, I got Goldeneye 64 the other day. It's amazingly fun.