Zoës Kitchen: Good, Healthy Eats Anytime
4357 Legendary Drive, Destin Commons, 650-6525
By Bruce Collier February 10, 2005 Issue
3/4

There’s nothing especially dramatic or luxurious about the atmosphere of Zoës Kitchen. In fact, my friend found it a little chilly. She meant only the temperature, though. The young staff people were all friendly and accommodating and the food is worth whatever drive or walk you take to get to it.

The color scheme is bright pastel—blue, green, yellow and orange. Tables, stools, and chairs are utilitarian, though comfortable. Customers order from a menu posted behind the service counter. You pay when you order, and a server brings your food when it’s ready. Zoës isn’t exactly fast food, just rapid enough to keep you on schedule while at same time assuring you that it was made to order.

The menu offers sandwiches, hot plates, salads, soup, drinks, dessert, and a children’s menu. Also available are takeout dinners, a salad sampler, and a “beach basket.” No alcohol is served, but Zoës does have a nice fresh squeezed limeade, soft drinks, strong coffee, Orangina and Yoo Hoo. The latter, widely lauded as a nostalgic treat, tastes more like chocolate water than chocolate milk to me, but that’s just one man’s opinion.

If you like sandwiches, Zoës is your place. Chicken and turkey get a good workout here, though you can find tuna and ham as well. Chicken comes grilled, baked, or in salad. Bread choices include tortilla and pita wraps, wheat, rye, 7-grain and sesame buns. Most sandwiches include one or more of the following: lettuce, tomatoes, calamata olives, feta, Swiss or American cheese, onions both raw and caramelized, cucumbers, pickled peppers, and dressings.

Zoës Famous Slaw, a scalliony mix of cabbage and feta, is a tasty variation on cole slaw, with the cheese supplying the creaminess. Other salad choices include flavorful pasta and potato salads, both served cold, the latter dressed with vinaigrette. You can also have rice pilaf and fresh fruit. The single soup choice is homemade chicken with orzo.

My friend and I both went for hot sandwiches. She ordered the “Gruben,” grilled turkey, Swiss cheese and spicy mustard on rye, with slaw on the side. I got the chicken roll-ups, grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, feta and caramelized onions wrapped in grilled tortillas, with salsa on the side. All sandwiches come with potato chips and your choice of sides—salads, slaw or fruit.

The Gruben was just what the cold and rainy weather needed—hot, crunchy, creamy and substantial. The roll-ups were expertly prepared. Most wraps and roll-ups tend to fall apart or leak, requiring a knife and fork to finish. These stayed rolled, thanks in part to the delicious holding power of caramelized onions. The kitchen cut the two rolls in half, making four easy to handle portions that could be dipped into the salsa.

Other sandwiches and hot plates included lean turkey pita, grilled chicken plate, protein power plate (no bread or rice), chicken or vegetable quesadillas, grilled pimento cheese sandwich, egg or tuna salad, Mediterranean tuna pita, and a takeout Greek chicken dinner for four.

The sole dessert item is a chocolate sheet cake. The simple, slightly crackly icing gave it a basic, homey appeal. My square was moist, but my friend found hers a little dry. The squares are already boxed up on the counter, so choose wisely.

Folders placed on each table detail the history of Zoës Kitchen, complete with family photos. The folder highlights various menu items as being in accordance with low carb, heart-healthy and other popular diet regimes. You can purchase bottled spices, dressings, coolers, T-shirts, etc., and most of the salads are available by the pound.

We ate lunch at Zoës Kitchen on a wet weekday. I arrived a little before my friend, and I noticed a goodly number of people coming in out of the rain for takeout orders. Judging from their lack of rain gear, I guessed they were employees of the neighboring stores. This is a variation on the old advice about “eating where the locals eat.” Once again, the locals have it right.

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