Zaytinya’s mezze dining makes for a fun and delicious night out. (Blade Photo by Henry Linser)
|
AMY CAVANAUGH
Friday, February 15, 2008
It
would
be
impossible
to
deny
that
José
Andrés
has
changed
the
way
Washington
dines
out.
At
his
restaurants
Jaleo,
Café
Atlantico,
Oyamel
and
Zaytinya,
Andrés
popularized
small-plate
dining,
a
concept
that
has
inspired
other
restaurants
in
the
area.
All
of
his
restaurants
are
well
regarded,
with
Zaytinya
perhaps
being
the
most
popular.
The
restaurant
is
always
bustling,
and
with
good
reason
—
the
food
is
exceptional
and
the
ambience
is
more
New
York
than
D.C.,
making
it
a
place
to
be
seen
in
the
District.
Zaytinya,
the
Turkish
word
for
olive
oil,
serves
mezze,
small
plates
of
Eastern
Mediterranean
(Greek,
Turkish
and
Lebanese)
food.
The
menu
is
broken
down
into
a
variety
of
categories
(spreads,
cheese,
pides,
vegetables,
meat
and
poultry,
seafood,
soup
and
salad
and
dessert),
each
with
a
number
of
options.
Since
dishes
are
small,
it’s
a
good
idea
to
aim
for
four
or
five
per
person.
Mezze
run
from
$6-$10.
My
dining
companion
and
I
each
ordered
five
dishes,
and
then
shared
everything.
We
started
with
baba
ghannouge,
puréed
eggplant
mixed
with
tahini,
lemon
and
garlic,
and
fattoush,
a
tomato,
cucumber,
onion,
green
pepper
and
radish
salad
topped
with
pita
chips
and
pomegranate
vinaigrette.
The
baba
ghannouge
was
a
bit
heavy
on
the
lemon,
and
had
too
much
oil,
but
was
still
flavorful,
while
the
fattoush
was
a
refreshing
first
dish.
For
the
next
course
we
had
falafel
(chickpea
fritters)
and
spanakopita
(spinach
pie)
from
the
vegetable
mezze
menu.
The
bite-sized
balls
of
falafel,
which
were
slightly
spicy
and
perched
atop
a
pool
of
tahini
sauce,
were
excellent,
though
they
were
outdone
by
the
spanakopita,
a
cigar-shaped
roll
of
phyllo
dough
stuffed
with
spinach
and
feta
cheese.
The
phyllo
was
delicate
and
flaky
and
the
filling
was
delicious,
with
the
tangy
cheese
and
spinach
combining
for
a
wonderful
dish.
Baskets
of
straight-from-the-oven
pita
bread
were
constantly
refilled
and
were
accompanied
by
a
tiny
dish
of
olive
oil
with
a
swirl
of
pomegranate
syrup.
The
pita
may
be
the
highlight
of
the
meal
—
it’s
pillowy
and
perfect
for
scooping
up
dips
or
wrapped
around
falafel.
THE
SHINING
STAR
of
the
evening
was
the
hünkãr
begendi,
a
braised
lamb
shank
with
an
eggplant-kefalograviera
purée.
The
pieces
of
lamb
were
mouthwateringly
tender,
while
the
eggplant’s
light
consistency
made
it
a
perfect
complement
to
the
meat.
With
so
many
options,
it
would
be
hard
for
the
menu
to
be
pitch-perfect,
and
some
dishes
fall
short
of
the
mark.
The
garides
me
anitho,
shrimp
sautéed
with
dill,
shallots,
mustard
and
lemon
juice,
is
overpowered
by
the
dill,
while
the
kotopoulo
youvetsi,
yogurt
marinated
chicken
with
orzo,
tomato
and
cheese,
faces
the
opposite
problem
—
it’s
bland.
Provided
you
haven’t
overdone
it
on
the
mezze
and
have
room
for
dessert,
the
Turkish
delight
(walnut
ice
cream
with
goat’s
milk
yogurt
mousse,
honey
geleé,
orange-caramel
sauce
and
caramelized
pine
nuts)
is
an
amalgam
of
flavors
that
comes
together
well.
Other
choices
include
a
Turkish
chocolate
cake
and
Greek
yogurt
with
fruit.
Zaytinya’s
décor
and
ambience
are
sleek,
with
both
cozy
tables
and
large,
comfortable
booths,
making
it
a
place
for
both
intimate
dates
and
dinners
with
friends.
While
service
isn’t
perfect
—
dishes
are
brought
out
in
rapid
succession
—
Zaytinya’s
extensive
menu
necessitates
repeated
trips
to
try
everything,
and
it’s
already
on
my
repeat-visit
list.
|
 |
