THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Zaidi’s

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Zaidi’s Restaurant Review:

Proving you don’t have to go to the city to experience swank, sophisticated dining, this handsome room---in an easy-to-overlook strip mall---oozes class with loads of dark wood, mermaid-inspired glass partitions and black, blown-glass pendant lights that are a sight to behold. As if that’s not enough pizzazz, the small sushi bar is flanked with mesmerizing, flaming columns. We only wish the food, a Japanese-Latin hybrid, would succeed more often. We especially like the Fire Fighter maki roll, spicy tuna, jalapeños and scallions enveloped in “torched” tuna and have no quips with the impossibly tender, slow-roasted short ribs with complex Oaxacan mole. Less appealing, in no small part due to temperature inconsistencies, was the grilled (but not warm) halloumi salad with too-hot tomatoes and whirls of aged balsamic and walnut vinaigrette. A fun cocktail list (try the fruity Geisha martini with an orchid garnish) and impressive, but pricey, boutique wine list give the place a date-worthy edge.