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Venue Review: Zada Jane's Corner Cafe
It takes guts to be idiosyncratic in the restaurant business, and Zada Jane's, from its name to its offerings to its Web site, has guts galore.
Wild colors cover everything inside, including about half the patrons. The menu's a mash-up of organic and local foods, stuff that isn't exactly either but still seductive (i.e. Imladris Farm apple butter for your breakfast biscuits), and more common fare.
Breakfast and lunch come from the Decidedly Folksy School of Restaurateuring, while dinner's a tamer, more serious thing: ribeyes with demiglaze and tomato lobster bisque and seafood specials and such.
I enjoy the dichotomy, but I can see, and have been told repeatedly, how some would wish it more uniform in feel. I also think you can never have too much breakfast for dinner, and though my Baucom's Best ribeye was fine, my non-dinner meals were much better. Co-owner Roger Raymer (the place is named for his two grandmothers, Zada and Jane) says the lineup is being mulled.
Zada Jane's was at its best for me one chilly afternoon, as I dug into a lunchtime plate of Bunny Rancheros with a hot cup of coffee that stayed full and a crowd of apparent regulars milling about. The dish pairs two eggs (usually Happy Eggs from Nashville, N.C., says Raymer) with choice of meat (choose chorizo!), black beans, queso and pepperjack sauce, salsa, guacamole, cilantro crema and tortillas. Oh, and home fries. And it's $8.95. And fabulous.
Fat "TLC" biscuits, Grateful Growers sausage and Anson Mills organic grits also appear on the all-day lineup, along with jasmine green tea from TEA ReX. Three-egg omelets come in multiple variations and, like many dishes, include neighborhood names; the Belvedere (spinach, goat cheese, mushrooms, tomato, roasted garlic and basil) is a favorite, while the Vegless Avenger features five (!) meats.
Breakfast entrées venture into sweets, from Amaretto French toast to pancakes with honey butter and maple syrup. Add a café mocha and you're sugared up enough to start wondering what the deal is with that mechanical goose wreathed in Christmas lights perched near the ceiling.
Also: Note that hours are being discussed. Raymer says he'd like to open at 6:30 a.m. weekdays and stay open through dinner on nights they serve it. Target date (you'll love this): Meck Dec Day. For nonlocals, that's May 20, and celebrates what some claim is the day in 1775 that men from this county declared themselves free from King George III.
A chop and other salads with housemade dressings and toppings from marinated tofu to roasted pumpkin seeds also appear on the all-day lineup, plus there are assorted coffee drinks made with Tennessee's Stone Cup Roasting Company wares and a full bar.
Servers meander and chat, dart and fetch in chaotic patterns and the kitchen varies significantly in speed and execution in my experience, and therein lies a conundrum:
When a home-grown place springs up, how much room are diners willing to give? Do we leave a little leeway for timing and inconsistency, and take responsibility for giving feedback? And if it's sufficiently homespun to have periodic difficulties, does management need to keep a more-pricked-up-than-usual ear to how it's going, quickly comping things that go awry?
Charlotte's got a pretty checkered past with veg-friendly, quirky, not completely consistent spots like Zada Jane's. Personally, I value them enough to want to be a collaborative diner. So: Could you face the goose away from me, please?
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I went there for breakfast a few Sunday's ago. There was a line -- which moved fairly quickly. The food was GREAT (although a little slow coming out of the kitchen), and by the time we left, the line was out the door. That area really needed a GOOD place to get breakfast -- especially on the weekends. All in all -- it was really worth waiting for.
Great sandwiches, great breakfast, and the apple butter, yummmmmmmmm...
I go at least once a week to ZJ's and rarely wait over 15 minutes but never think twice about it. Great place to mingle, people watch, or admire all the art work on the walls from locals. Try the Druther's Clucker sandwich. AWESOME!!!
I'm a PM resident and Zada Jane's is a welcome addition to the neighborhood! Why are diners like this (that aren't smoky old greasy spoons) that serve good breakfast SO incredibly rare in a city the size of Charlotte?? That makes ZJ's even more appreciated in my opinion.
The food is good, I love the atmosphere and the staff is always cheery and helpful. And thank you, thank you, thank you for being all non-smoking!! I wish more restaurants in Charlotte would catch on to that. It's 2008! Kitchen could learn to speed things up a bit and they need a DEDICATED host/hostess to man the door when it's crowded. Sometimes they can't keep track of who's next in line.
I live in Plaza Midwood and enjoy eating at Zada Jane's. I've been several times and had to leave because the line is too long. The food is good - the environment and the charm of the P.M. neighborhood makes it worth the wait.
To the benefit of the staff - they do normally offer coffee and small appetizers or biscuits to those waiting in line for a table and you can sit outside and play shuffleboard while you wait, also.
I'll keep eating there :)
Food is not particularly stunning. Fairly average actually. Have only been for breakfast, but the kitchen certainly needs some help.
Atmosphere is eclectic, but would rather not wait 40 minutes for a couple eggs and grits.
Every time I have tried to go, there has been an incredible line for breakfast. Once I did make it in, service was very slow, food was slow, check was slow. Spent about 2 hours here just to get brunch. There are some growing pains to work out.
I thought the food came out of the kitchen a bit slow, but when it comes out hot, delicious, and shows attention to detail, I'm willing to forgive a little.
Relax, enjoy the coffee, and know that you'll have a good breakfast coming...when it's good and ready.
Creative food that you won't find anywhere else. Friendly atmosphere, great location. Definitely a favorite!
The food's good but man the service is slow. I've been twice with a group of four and we were there for almost two hours to just have lunch.
Whether it's a.m. or p.m., when it comes to dining out inexpensively, breakfast is the way to go. Zada Jane's, at Central Avenue and Thomas Street, offers breakfast options all day. If I judged by the pancakes, egg creations and soup alone, I'd say Zada Jane's is the type of place you pop in if you're in the neighborhood. But if you're looking for a place to relax while eating a bite, it's worth driving a mile or so out of the way.
(Full review)It takes guts to be idiosyncratic in the restaurant business, and Zada Jane's, from its name to its offerings to its Web site, has guts galore.
(Full review)