By Susie Timm, Chief Operating Foodie

When my husband and I bought our house, we were very excited about its proximity to several cool places. Whole Foods Market, Paradise Valley Mall, and of course Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill.

I have been known to celebrate happy hours, birthdays and various fun occasions with the famous (and very infamous) Chambord Margarita. This drink is so potent they cut you off after 3. Even better that it’s “Stumbling distance” to my house if I get too carried away.

Z’Tejas started in 1989 in Austin, Texas, but soon after moved 2 more locations to Scottsdale. It’s been a permanent fixture in my “scene” for the past 17 years.

Needless to say, I was pretty excited when I had the chance to sample their New Year’s Weekend dinner menu earlier this week.

My newest dining buddy recruit Christa, joined me for lunch at the Scottsdale Fashion Square location.

We were seated in the middle of the very busy restaurant and settled in for a multi-course dinner. For lunch.

Z’Tejas’ corporate chef was in town and he came by the table to introduce himself and explain he was going to cook us the entire menu and let us share each dish.

We checked out the menu while we waited for the first course and I was shocked to see their New Year’s Weekend menu (Goes from December 31-January 3) costs only $25.99 for three courses (or you can order each item a la carte).

Christa decided to try the Winter Berry Cocktail (after hearing my stories about the Chambord Margarita, she decided to opt for something less potent at 11:30 AM) it was a very berry blend of berry puree, vodka, St. Germain, lime and mint. It was very sweet, but the mint offset the sweetness well. The raspberry sugar rim was a nice addition as well.

Christa and her cocktail

Our serve put down the signature Z’Tejas cornbread and I dug right in. I love how consistent the taste is over the years and was delighted to pair it with our next course: seafood gumbo.

The cornbread, mmmm.

The gumbo was chock full of shrimp, fish, andouille sausage and chicken. It was spicy enough to make my nose run and I found it to be a great warming soup. Next time I am sitting across the street in my office freezing cold because our landlord keeps the AC at 60 degrees, I now know I can warm my body and soul with the gumbo from Z’Tejas!

Spicy and warm gumbo

As we were finishing the soup, our salads arrived. The Z’Side Salad is fairly simple as salads go combining greens, peppers, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and topped with house-made fry bread croutons. For us, the key differentiator was the ranch vinaigrette dressing. This dressing was phenomenal as it kept the creamy goodness taste of ranch without being overly thick and goopy.

Z' Side Salad

Next, they presented both entrees offered on the New Year’s Weekend menu. Chilean Sea Bass and Prime Rib.

The sea bass was prepared “en papillote” which means its steamed inside a paper wrapping with poblano peppers, salsa fresca, white wine and butter. It was creamy, very moist and delicious. It was served with asparagus and a cheesy potato cake

I typically don’t order sea bass so I don’t proclaim to be a connoisseur of it, but I found it to be satisfying and tasty.

Creamy Sea Bass en Papillote

Next, we dug into the prime rib. Here’s my general prime rib thoughts: Prime rib for me over the years has been a few things. Over cooked. Under cooked. Waaaay too fatty. Not fatty enough. Meager portions. Cold. Congealed. Etc.

So that being said, when I see it on a menu, it is extremely RARE that I would order it because although it seems simple enough (slab-o-beef) it is very easy to screw it up.

They set down a plate with enough prime rib to serve 2 large males. Or Fred Flintstone.

It was a nice pinkish red in the middle and brown around the edges. It had a small amount of visible fat and served with au jus and horseradish cream.

Prime Rib: Flintstone & Timm approved.

We each cut off a piece and tasted. It was “wow worthy” for certain. Tender, moist and the “crust” was seasoned just enough to flavor the whole piece. Even the more rare portions were warm and juicy.

At some point I had to cut Christa off by reminding her that meat-coma level 5 would surely ensue before 2 pm if she kept eating it.

In the mood for prime rib, I would easily recommend Z’Tejas for this superb dish.

Finally, they brought out the Chef’s special dessert: chocolate mousse with raspberries.

The prime rib reigns for me as the afternoon’s best dish, however the mousse was a close second.

Chocolate Mousse

It was spiked with a coffee flavored liqueur and it was rich and decadent. However, unlike some mousses, it was not so rich that it was impossible to finish it. Christa and I unanimously decided “there’s always room for chocolate mousse.”

Crazy cocktails, great happy hours, excellent corn bread and prime rib—who knew? Z’Tejas may be a venerable Scottsdale institution as it’s been in business here for 17 years, but their new menu options and affordable prices make it a must visit this winter.

The menu I reviewed is available from today through January 3, 2010. Get it before it’s gone! Happy New Year!!!