Zoopa Tempts With Choice, Atmosphere

Zoopa, 393 Strander Blvd. 575-0500. Open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

-- TUKWILA

The look and feel of a public market tempts the senses the instant diners set foot inside Zoopa.

Flowers, everywhere, tumble from shiny tin cans and hanging baskets. In an outer arcade, the Saladome offers fresh greens and a selection of ``housemade'' dressings. At the ``Signature'' salad bar, there's Chesapeake Coleslaw and tangy Oriental noodles.

Fruit buckets beckon in one corner, fresh-baked muffins and brownies in another. Spicy African chicken noodle soup and other soups are lined up side-by-side, next to an international pasta kitchen. The scents of spices and herbs blend in the air.

Restaurants Unlimited's newest venture in Tukwila is about casual dining, in a jazzy cafeteria-style. The food, all-you-can-eat, glows beneath neon lights.

Zoopa director of operations Cathi Lindstrom says the restaurant allows consumers more freedom to choose what they eat, how much they eat and how much time they spend there.

``The '90s lifestyle means people want a little bit of this, a touch of that,'' she said. ``We want people to feel that eating is not a big production. They can stroll around and have what they like.''

It took more than two years and hordes of research consultants, but Restaurants Unlimited, which owns the upscale Cutters, Triples and Palomino restaurants in Seattle, thinks it has another winner in Zoopa.

Since it opened in April last year, shoppers and the daytime business population in Tukwila have flocked to the restaurant, general manager Craig Russell says. He cites Zoopa's visibility and location, across from Southcenter Mall, as factors.

In Italian the term zuppa means ``soup,'' but Lindstrom says, ``We chose Zoopa because it's playful, it suggests something memorable but fun.''

The restaurant focuses on high nutrition, with specials like a 15-bean soup and fat-free salad dressings. It also fills orders for takeouts, picnics or group meetings.

We tried the patriotic potato salad, slices of pumpkinseed muffins, old-fashioned chicken noodle soup and several helpings of tomato tortellini, all tasty.

Regulars say they like the prices: $6.50 per person for soup or salad or pasta at dinner - or $6.95 for all three. Lunch prices are $1 less in either category.

``Everything appears fresh and there's a great selection,'' said Tukwila resident James Elkins. ``This area has needed a place like this for a long time.''

Russell said the Seattle-based Restaurants Unlimited, which operates Cinnabon bakeries and has opened 20 restaurants nationwide, is positioned to franchise Zoopa someday.

Zoopa provides seating for 210, and its multi-colored tables and booths are set in geometric patterns. Silk plants and broad-leaf trees add to the gardenlike ambiance.

Restaurant reviews are a regular Wednesday feature of the South Times section. Reviewers visit restaurants unannounced and pay in full for all their meals. When they interview members of the restaurant management and staff, they do so only after the meals and services have been appraised.