New Restaurant 2/12 in 2015: Formosa Zen

Taking some time away from blogging means that I'm really behind in writing about our experience at another new (to us) restaurant. This is the second of 12 for the year (you can read all about the first new place we tried this year here), and it's also the second new (to us) Asian restaurant we've visited. What can I say, we love Asian food!

Formosa Zen offers a variety of dishes, including noodle soups, curries, and a few "higher end" dishes (including a Chilean sea bass and lamb chop). The menu isn't huge, but there were enough options to make it a little difficult to decide what to order.

I wish I'd taken some pictures of the interior of the restaurant, but I failed there. It was definitely fancier than Asian Dragon House, but I'd still categorize it as a casual restaurant. The restaurant was decorated mostly in black and red, and several lovely paintings hung on the walls. While it's not what I'd consider a "special occasion" kind of place, it definitely had a cool atmosphere.

I first heard about Formosa Zen when I read a review in the local paper. It sounded like the kind of place Eric and I would like, so I was excited to try it. The food was good, but I don't think it will be taking the top spot as my favorite Asian restaurant in town. I will say, though, that the crab rangoon there was so amazing that I'd go back just for that (and the delicious cocktails, of course!).

The restaurant had 3 different versions of the Moscow Mule. Eric had the "Tokyo" and I had the

"American." Both were phenomenal!

Here is an awkward picture of me enjoying my drink.

The crab rangoon was, in my opinion, the best part of the meal!

Eric had the Amazing Curry with duck. The sauce was fairly spicy, but the breaded duck was a bit disappointing.

I had the Lemongrass Duck. Again, the sauce was good but I was a little disappointed that the duck was breaded.

I think I should have read the review a little more closely because when I looked at it again after our dinner, I noticed that the reviewer mentioned that the duck was breaded. I probably would have ordered the salmon if I'd remembered that. Duck is already a pretty heavy, somewhat greasy meat, so the breading was kind of overkill. I think I would have enjoyed my meal a little more (and been able to finish more of it!) if the duck hadn't been breaded. 

Overall, I had a great experience at Formosa Zen. The service was friendly and attentive, the atmosphere was nice, the cocktails were strong and tasty, the crab rangoon was fantastic, and the meals were good (other than the breading on the duck). Eric enjoyed it as well, so I'm sure we'll be going back in the future ... I just won't be ordering the duck again.