One hour at Cafe Zaiya

I stopped by Cafe Zaiya for some grub before meeting with JL and JS to drive up to Hunter Mountain for the weekend. Inside, I hemmed and hawed over the many choices, wavering between the combo pack of three half-sized sandwiches—tuna salad, egg salad, and ham, perfect for the indecisive—or a plate of mentaiko spaghetti. In the end I settled on the "Spicy Chicken Sandwich."

It was still warm when I bought it, as you can probably tell from the condensation on the plastic wrapper. The breading was still crunchy and the chicken was juicy; an abundance of a chili-and-mayonnaise sauce would probably provide moisture if it wasn't. The slightly sweet roll was squishy and even a bit chewy, good traits for this combination. Tomato and lettuce added little but weren't objectionable. Despite its name, this sandwich was not spicy in the least. Slightly gloppy, overall tasty.

Along with the sandwich, I got this mochi donut. I love mochi and I love salty-savory-sweet combinations in general (hence the name!), so for me this was a perfect snack. The smattering of sugar provided the perfect amount of sweetness for the chewy, crisp-edged mochi. I only wish it had been just a bit less greasy.

Not particularly healthy, but a thoroughly enjoyable meal.