10/17/08

Portions are shrinking, prices are rising!

by grl27

I live in Tustin and used to love this place, I always sit in the bakery section which has a cute patio with heat lamps. I always order the medditeranean salmon salad. Its sooooo good, always has been. However, this place is sooooo stingy! They will give you one individual loaf of bread, and if you want more you better ask because they aint offering. In the past two years since I've been coming here, the prices have risen twice. The salad is now over $16 and not only that, but the salmon is half the size it once was. Its pretty rediculous. The last time I came here, my friend and I showed up half an hour before they close. We didnt get any bread at all, so I had to request some. Then they brought me a hard roll, nothing like the typical fluffy ones they usually have. It was like a bad batch... not only that but it was cold! When I told the waitress, she heated up that same broken open roll instead of getting us a new one! I was disgusted by the entire visit and probably wont return. The owner isnt there anymore, greeting people, but he should be because this place is going down.

• Pros: Mediteranean salmon salad is still a winner
• Cons: For a cafe style restaurant they really need to lower the prices, especially when they are so stingy.

05/12/08

Two strikes! I quit.

by TobyFan

I used to live in Tustin and dined here often. The Owner's always came by our table and greeted us and asked how our experience was. Six years later my wife and I came back for our 26th Anniversary. The place has changed quite a bit. The warm cozy dining room has been replaced by a cold impersonal patio add on. The stew my lamb was smothered in was not very good and did not compliment the meat. Since I didn't see the Owner's, I am sure that they are on to bigger and better things. I kept my mouth shut and my comments to myself.

My last visit was to the Bakery on Mother's Day. Out of desperation the day before, I called every bakery in the region searching for fresh brioche. I remembered, Zov's now has a bakery! So, I called and confirmed that newly baked brioche would be available at 8:00 AM. I snuck out of my house at 7:30 AM the next morning and made the drive from Anaheim Hills. Upon arrival, a cheerful hostess informed me that the brioche would not be out of the oven until 9:30 AM! Since when do Baker's have Banker's hours? When I left, I had a very sad feeling that I wouldn't be back. I really used to love this place!

I called my disappointed kid's and told them to divert Mom's attention from my absence. I then drove all the way to Newport Beach and obtained exactly what I needed (and more) from good old reliable C'est Si Bon. Mom was happy and I didn't ruin her morning with my story. As far as I know, she probably still loves Zovs. Since I always pay the bill, I'm sure I won't be back.

03/04/08

Finally tried it

by ciba777

I've been hearing about this restaurant for a while so finally tried it out. The place is quaint and cute, we sat in the front tented area. We were seated quickly and the drinks were quickly served and good. We wanted to try the pasta as an appetizer but said they couldn't do that, so we ordered one pasta entree size to share with 3 ppl. The pasta was cooked good but the sauce was just OK and the sausage dry. The Pork main course was cooked perfectly but the sauce was a lil flavorless. I expected more from the desserts since it was a bakery but was not impressed. The apple duo was flavorless and tasted refrigerated. All in all an average restaurant.

• Pros: cute place
• Cons: food was so so

02/03/06

Popular, contemporary Eastern Mediterranean bistro and cafe also houses one of the best bakeries in O.C.

by Andrea Rademan

The Scene
Zov Karamardian's sleek triple threat bistro-bakery-cafe started as a mom-and-pop enterprise and it still is--while she oversees the kitchen, her husband and son (along with a perky staff) cosset every guest. The original hole in-the-wall, now greatly expanded, has become a local institution with an all-day bakery and cafe adjacent to, but separate from, a slightly more formal dinner-only bistro.

The Food
Because Zov's recipes are as grounded in culinary knowledge as intuition, her modern cuisine and fresh twists on traditional dishes seldom miss. Mezzes (starters) such as the Mediterranean plate with lebni (yogurt cheese), baba ghanoush (roasted pureed eggplant) and such, plus signature classics like the hefty pork rib loin, crispy from its rotisserie ride and juicy with plump sour cherries, do both bistro and cafe duty. Not so for baked goods such as chocolate box, wispy cake and creamy mousse wrapped in chocolate, or a blissfully understated, cooked-to-order apple crisp.

01/06/06

Great Mediterranean Dishes

by exilekiss

Tucked away in a busy shopping mall in Tustin lies Zov's Bakery & Bistro. It's a simple, relaxing setting (their patio and inside) for a great lunch. We tried out the Bakery / Cafe side for Lunch and their Moroccan Salmon Salad is wonderful! The Salmon was wonderfully seasoned, with Moroccan spices served on a bed of M'jaddarah and fresh goat cheese and baby greens. I'm not a salad person, but it was well-done and very satsifying. My friend had the Grilled Lamb Sandwich which was very good also.

Great bakery of fresh-baked pastries and desserts were available also. Note that the Bistro is on the other side of the Bakery Cafe (same building).

• Pros: Ambience, Food
• Cons: A Little Pricey, Busy