Sama Zama

Anyone know what Japanese Tapas are? Yeah, me either, until I tried Sama Zama. 

Tucked in between Blayney's and The Boot, Sama Zama is trying to differentiate itself from the Thai/sushi/hibachi restaurants peppered along the Plaza and Westport by offering small, simple dishes focused on Japanese comfort food. And they have cool walls...

My first challenge at Sama Zama was interpreting the menu. The descriptions are somewhat lacking so it's difficult to know exactly what you're ordering. I crossed my fingers and went with the Tenguu Ushi (jalapeno teriyaki steak).

The dish consists of  three skewers of jalapeno and teriyaki seasoned steak, sprinkled with sesame seeds and sitting on a mound of Napa cabbage. The sauce was amazing, it was spicy, rich and salty. The meat was not great quality, however. It was tough and hard to cut through, even with a knife.

For $9, the dish was mediocre, however, it could have the potential of being great if they used better steak. The staff on Thursday night consisted of one bartender, one waitress and one chef but the service was not lacking. Drinks were always filled, the food came out quickly and for that I give Sama Zama props.