My wife and I arrived for an early Saturday dinner (5:45) and so were not surprised that the crowd was sparse. We were startled and disappointed to be sat at a two-top table immediately adjacent to another occupied two-top. Parallel and adjacent two-tops in a quiet restaurant are a peeve of mine, and in the cavernous space, sitting us there seemed thoughtless. Not a good start.\r
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Our waiter had a quiet sense of humor and put us at ease, however. He suggested the Vietnamese-style beef carpaccio and we accepted. When it arrived, we were both surprised at its appearance: it looked like a mound of shredded material covered in crushed peanuts. I had expected thin strips more or less flat on the plate. We dug in, and IT WAS MARVELOUS. The ginger, lime, and chile was vivid and bright; the beef was thin and rare; the overall effect was intoxicating. It was that good.\r
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My wife had a chicken curry that she enjoyed a great deal and I - not a curry fan - found pretty good as well. Did the coconut milk save it? I am not curry-savvy enough to say.\r
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I suppose I was in a beef mood, so I ordered the Zander's BBQ beef. It was described as being served with toast. Odd, but I figured that the toast would be something interesting. I was wrong. The beef was tender, moist, and flavorful, but the toast was whole wheat sandwich bread. That was the plate: beef chips sprinkled with sesame seeds and sandwich bread toast. Odd.\r
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The place did not fill up by 7:00. For the sake of the carpaccio, at least, I hope business is better for Zander's House at other times.
Pros: Vietnamese-style carpaccio
Cons: cavernous, quiet space is unsettling
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