MILLSTONE, NJ — Do you yearn for TacoZ, TortaZ and SaladZ?
Then you may want to try the new Z Taco Mexican fusion restaurant that opened recently at 514 Route 33 west in Millstone.
Created by two lifelong friends with a passion for food and entertaining - and the letter "Z," Z Taco features casual lunch and an "elevated sit-down dining experience" for dinner, the owners say.
Dan Bonham and Chris Zinna opened the restaurant June 17.
The lunch menu includes TacoZ and TortaZ, a Mexican sandwich made on freshly-baked, traditional bolillo bread, as well as plenty of AppetizerZ and SaladZ.
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Dinner offers an expanded taco menu as well as a number of entrees such as Pineapple Marinated Ribs and Smothered Chicken. There is also Chorizo and Clams and Street Corn. The menu also includes locally sourced fruits and vegetables from area farmers - and their own gardens, when available.
Bonham said they saw an opportunity to bring a new type of Mexican restaurant to the Central Jersey area, and he said the feedback has been great from customers with a yen for the cuisine.
Z Taco is part of the Biztro Hospitality restaurants that includes Zinna's Bistro in Cranbury, and operates a fleet of food trucks, including New Jersey's biggest food truck, according to the owners.
Bonham and Zinna met when Zinna moved next door to Bonham in high school. Zinna went right to work as an entrepreneur and Bonham went to Rutgers University. Both men are in their early 50s, and so have lots of experience.
Bonham said he worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 20 years and now runs his own human resources and multimedia services companies. Zinna has operated Zinna's Bistro off Route 130 in an office complex in Cranbury for 13 years.
The two also have a big food truck business. Bonham said they have two actual trailers carried by truck cabs that serve major corporate or municipal events - Jerzey Eatz. Again the Z. They also have smaller food trucks, one for tacos, another for grilled foods and one for lemonade.
But despite juggling his many business ventures, Bonham said he is in the Z Taco restaurant four days a week, and Zinna is even more hands on. Plus they have a general manager for the restaurant, he added.
And their attention to detail has reaped rewards.
"The experience and feedback from the greater Millstone community has been nothing short of amazing so far," said Bonham.
And he said he and Zinna hope to build relationships with customers and businesses in the area.
And with special events planned, the locale can become quite a destination.
Some things to look for in the future are TacoZ and Tequila Tasting - and a "few other brainstorms that are in the works," Bonham said.
Co-owner Zinna gave the restaurant staff lots of credit for the smooth opening.
"Our kitchen along with the front of house staff has done a great job in such a short amount of time and we look forward to growing in the future," Zinna said.
The restaurant offers catering too, its website notes. It is open for brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. it is open on Mondays for catering, private parties, and food truck events.
You can keep in touch with the restaurant by following its newsletter. Also, you can follow Z Taco on social media at @EatZTaco and visit the Z Taco website at www.EatZTaco.com.