Monday, July 13, 2009

Xooro

Date: 7-13-09
Dining Companion: Joy R.

Xooro (pronounced Sure oh) opened a new branch in West Hollywood adjacent to Sweet Lady Jane?  Risky?  Maybe.  Tiny?  For sure.  The "restaurant" is more of a walk up stand than sit down eatery.  There are only two tables with two uncomfortable odd barstool type chairs each.

The restaurant only serves churros or as they call them "Spanish Fritters" and some coffee beverages.  The churros come in a variety of flavors.  Apparently, the churro is the new cupcake!  Flavors include Dulce de Leche, Black and White, Mississippi, and Original.  Some flavors were not available in the West Hollywood location that are shown on the website (including mango, turkish hazelnut, chocolate coconut, triple chocolate, raspberry, and maple bacon).  At least one flavor at the West Hollywood was not found on the website- an Italian flavored churro with pistachio filling.  The man behind the counter informed us that the Santa Monica location carries other flavors and they have temporarily discontinued the gluten free option.

We ordered two and split them.  The first time around they messed up the order and it took a while to do both orders.  The churros were disappointing in that they did not seem freshly made.  When I think of a churro I think of a golden crispy outside and a soft warm center.  The churro base was definitely not made to order.  The cook took the pre-made churro "shell" and filled it with some fun looking machines in front and then dipped it in front of us.  So, the flavoring was done on the spot, but the best part of the churro was not.

The flavors are nice but very sweet.  Don't expect to have more than one.  They are pretty gooey too.  The flavors and the concept are very unique, they have an interesting appealing look, and they're priced well (under $4).  However, this seems like a fad and I'm not sure how long this will be able to stay open, especially next to dessert powerhouse like Sweet Lady Jane.

A nice feature is that the churros are fried in rice bran oil which the company touts as a healthy less greasy alternative for frying.

Xooro offers parking in the rear and is open in the afternoon/evening.  The company has new locations set to open in Orlando, San Antonio, and San Diego.  The website is phenomenal looking.

www.xooro.com

8360 Melrose Avenue #107
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 951-9592

125 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 260-2919

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