The "Zen Toast" at Zen Thai & Japanese Cuisine

In yesterday's "Lunch Bucket List" post, I wasn't blown away by the red curry that I had at Zen Thai & Japanese Cuisine (9250 Watson Road, Crestwood; 314-842-0307). However, I liked my appetizer, "Zen Toast," very, very much.

"Zen Toast" ($4.95) is a slice of French bread, five to an order, topped with ground chicken and then deep-fried. Haute cuisine, it ain't. This is a snack food, probably best enjoyed with a cold beer, but still damn tasty on its own.

It's best to think of it as frybread accented by lightly seasoned chicken. The texture is half the fun: crunchy and chewy, sometimes in the same bite.

I should mention my bias here. As a kid, when my parents ordered cheap Chinese takeout, my favorite dish was shrimp toast, thin slices of bread topped with a thick shrimp paste and then deep-fried. Zen's toast reminded me of how awesome (and underrated) shrimp toast is.