With plan to become local chain, reopened Boise restaurant goes from ‘eh’ to ‘elevated’

Ken Chaffee is candid about how equipment limitations at Naked Fins affected food preparation during its five-year run.

“All our products were ‘eh,’ ” he says.

But now that the building at 1120 S. Broadway Ave. has been upgraded, remodeled and reopened as Zen Baja?

“Everything’s elevated,” promises Chaffee, vice-president of operations for Fins Restaurant Group.

Customers can taste for themselves. On Thursday, Zen Baja celebrated its grand opening. The fast-casual restaurant welcomes diners from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily, both inside and on the outdoor patio along Broadway.

To the distant observer, Zen Baja might seem like a rerun. The sign outside promises bowls, sushi rolls and tacos — like Naked Fins did before its owners pulled the plug earlier this year.

Don’t be fooled. There’s been a change of regime, along with menu philosophy, Chaffee says. “It sounds like the same concept, but it really has changed 180 degrees in a different direction, because we can actually cook things now.”

Roughly $150,000 was sunk into the building, Chaffee says, with about two-thirds of that allocated toward a kitchen remodel. The plan, he says, is for Zen Baja to be the laboratory for a new, multi-restaurant brand in the greater Boise area and beyond.

“We’re cooking real food here,” he says enthusiastically. “We’re doing Kurobuta pork from Snake River. We’re doing Snake River skirt steak on a grill.”

Offering Asian and Latin dishes, Zen Baja’s menu remains purposely all over the map. “We’ve got something for everyone,” its website brags.

During a private, pre-opening event earlier this week, food arrived quickly and on point.

Appetizers at Zen Baja range from a tasty, generously stuffed Chicken Quesadilla ($11) to Jalapeno Poppers ($9), Street Corn ($5) and Pork Potstickers ($9) served with a teriyaki dipping sauce.

That flavorful sauce is a variation of a generational recipe brought from Japan by Chaffee’s family. Zen Baja’s general manager, Luis Loya, also brought passed-down family magic to the kitchen.

“It’s pretty cool,” Chaffee says. “We’re so proud of all of our recipes.”

Sushi rolls at Zen Baja are created with soy paper rather than nori, allowing ingredients to shine. Tropical Heat ($12, ahi tuna, jalapeno, mango, spicy aioli, sriracha) proved to be a fun choice. The standard California ($9) also was solid.

But if you want to take advantage of that shiny new kitchen? Grab a bowl ($12-$14) or an order of tacos ($10-13).

The Teriyaki Chicken bowl should have wide appeal. It’s piled with steamed rice, broccoli and red bell pepper, then garnished with green onion and black sesame seeds that added a satisfying, light crunch. Other bowls range from Southwest Steak and Chili Lime Shrimp to Udon Noodle and Ahi Poke.

Zen Baja’s six taco varieties are served in pairs, with black beans and cilantro lime rice on the side. The one sure to grab customers’ eyes? And throats?

Vampire Chicken.

No, Zen Baja didn’t create the name. This taco is known as “vampire,” theoretically, because of the flour tortillas’ preparation and unique look. They’re encrusted with melted, crisped cheese — vaguely resembling bat wings? Whatever the case, Vampire Chicken tacos have a lot going on in every, well, bite. It’s like a cheesy flavor explosion of verde chicken, cabbage, chipotle crema, avocado, pickled onion and cilantro.

Want to spice things up? Zen Baja offers two traditional Mexican hot sauces — and soy sauce — at tables, along with two housemade condiments. There’s the jar of Baja Jalapenos, pickled with red onion. But the must-taste is Zen Chili Crunch, a garlic oil similar to famed restaurateur David Chang’s Momofuku Chili Crunch. “Dribble a little bit of this love” on any rice dish, Chaffee says, “and it’s amazing.”

The stuff is addictive. Even if you accidentally got some on Mini Churros ($4), which come with chocolate dipping sauce.

If you really want to melt your brain with sweetness, though, try Zen Baja’s other dessert: Deep Fried Cheesecake ($7), also served with the chocolate sauce. Just. Whoa.

In addition to seated dining, Zen Baja offers takeout, along with delivery through the three major services.

But with a fresh interior, new furniture and a retooled menu? It’s worth pulling up a chair.

“We have a full staff,” Chaffee says. “The place is looking good. We’ve been training and training and training.”

All that’s left to do is train Boise itself — that despite bowls, rolls and tacos, Zen Baja is more than a renamed Naked Fins.

This story was originally published June 22, 2023 at 11:09 AM.