DJ’s Super Honest Food Review: Xetava Bar & Kitchen

The other day, I got to try a BRAND NEW PLACE! It's totally unique and different, and it's called Xetava Bar & Kitchen. It's pronounced Za-Tah-Vuh, and it's out in the Kayenta Art Village. It has THE BEST VIEWS in town, and it's nice because it's a little bit out of town! I tried A TON OF FOOD... So get ready, here we go!

DRINKS:

They have a full bar with TONS of cocktails, but I don't like alcohol. What's cool about this place, is they have A LOT of awesome Mocktails. So if you still like a mixed drink, but don't like alcohol, they can hook it up! I ordered the Guava Coconut Refresher!

The Non-Alcoholic Guava Coconut Refresher has Guava Nectar, Coconut Milk, Lime Juice, Pineapple Syrup, topped with Dried Pineapple and Cherry! It was GREAT! It also had these really awesome sphere ice cubes. Even though that's a small detail, I really liked it!

FOOD:

Like I said earlier, I ordered SO MUCH FOOD.

First, I ordered the Street Corn Quesadilla. I was conflicted in ordering it, because I really don't like Street Corn, but I LOVE QUESADILLAS! The quesadilla was alright, but I wasn't absolutely blown away by it. But I know that's because I'm not a Street Corn kind of guy. It's a cheese quesadilla filled with fired and seasoned street corn, dusted with tajin. It comes with a really good cilantro-lime cream to dip in. 5/10.

Next, I had the Little Bacon Jam Burger. I'm a sucker for a bacon cheeseburger, so I knew it was going to slap! AND IT DID! This burger is small, but it comes with arugula, brie, and a BACON JAM! Then, they even give you some of their cape-cod style potato chips! 9/10.

After that, I had the Lobster Mac & Cheese. This one was interesting for me, because I'm not a seafood guy. So I knew that I was going to pick out the lobster. I know, you're probably rolling your eyes at me, and my dad would disown me if he knew. BUT THAT MAC AND CHEESE ABSOLUTELY SLAPPED! It was delicious, and didn't even taste like seafood. It was awesome. 9/10.

Next, I had the Braised Short Rib! This one was my FAVORITE that I had there! It came with a ton of stuff I don't eat though. It came with pickled vegetables, watermelon radish, micro greens, and pan sauce. I ate the beef, with the pan sauce, and it was SO DELCIOUS. The meat literally shredded with my fork. It was like butter! 10/10!

Then, they brought me the Thai Shrimp Nachos. Right as I saw it, I knew it wasn't going to be for me. I don't like Thai food very much, and I don't like shrimp. But these nachos were REALLY interesting because there was no cheese! It was sautéed shrimp with leeks and peppers tossed in a Thai curry sauce, with scallions and toasted coconut. Not ONE of those ingredients I like eating, but the chips were these fried wonton chips, and I liked those! 3/10. But that's not a fair analysis, because I don't like any of those flavors, ya know?

At this point, I've eaten nearly the entire menu, so I couldn't just stop there right? I NEEDED DESSERT!

DESSERT:

For Dessert, they have two different things. I ordered both. Fried Chocolate Chip Cookie, and Key Lime Pie. The Fried Chocolate Chip Cookie was fried in what felt like a wonton, and it had ice cream with it. It was unique because it was a gooey cookie, but crispy on the outside and I dipped it in the ice cream. But REALLY GOOD. 8/10.

Then the Key Lime Pie... Again, I'm not a fan of Lime. But it was STRONG BABY! That lime flavor came in HOT! They had a whipped cream, that tasted homemade. I really liked that whipped cream, and if you like a Key Lime flavor, you'll love this pie! 5/10. Again... Hard to really judge this one, because I'm not a citrus guy!

All in all, this is a great place for a date. The portions are small, they've got tons of drinks and cocktails, and a GORGEOUS VIEW! Plus, you get to leave town a little bit and go on a nice drive to the red rocks! They staff was INCREDIBLY NICE to me, and the interior was really cool too.

LIKELIHOOD OF GOING BACK: 9/10.

VIBES: 10/10.