Zandunga Mexican Bistro

Kids love Take Your Kid to Work Day, because they get to bond with their old man about how watery K-Cup coffee is, and how "Steph" from Client Services wants to totally bang. Lock it up, Dad! From a son who made TYKWD every day, hit Zandunga, opening today. From a culinary school grad who spent his youth soaking up knowledge in Mi Madre's kitchen, Zandunga aims south of its parent resto, opting for a modern take on interior Mexican in the same space that used to house Primizie, now a gauzy orange room with staggered high ceilings and wrap-around windows, the Oakleys of natural lighting. Creative entrees range from the Lechon en Salsa de Membrillo (grilled pork chop w/ guava-quince demi glace, Mexican ratatouille, chile de arbol spaetzle), to homemade flour tortilla'd Baja Lobster Tacos (w/ micro green salad, mashed black beans), and the Chile Relleno Two Ways: poblano with picadillo in salsa ranchera, and ancho with young hen in mole dulce, a dish they've subtitled "North vs. South" (leftovers come in carpet bags). Brunch-time plates fearlessly play with breakfast taco expectations via numbers like the Mexican Chocolate Waffle (bananas, Frangelico whip cream), Sopes de Almuerzo (fried masa cakes w/ eggs, beans, avocado, queso fresco), and Huarache de Nopales, a stew made from paddle cactus, the plant that proves hazing is natural. Before getting large, down a marg like the Guava Agave, a frozen mojito, or a cocktail the likes of the Tepachetini (fermented pineapple and rum) or the muddled poblano/cucumber/gin/cilantro Viejo Loco, which translates as old crazy person. That's you, Dad -- Steph was yours to lose!