DC Day 2: Dinner at Zaytinya
On my second night in D.C., Kandace and I met up with our friend Carly who I hadn’t seen in over two years. It just so happened that my visit coincided with Carly moving to the D.C. area from Cincinnati. When I say “coincided”, I really mean it. You see, the day before, as my plane was landing, Carly’s moving van was pulling into town! So in the midst of unpacking boxes and painting her new home, she took a break and we all got to spend a relaxing evening catching up.
That alone made for a perfectly enjoyable dinner, but the food at Zaytinya was what created an experience none of us will soon forget.
The Htipiti at Zaytinya
roasted red peppers, feta, thyme
Zaytinya’s Greek, Lebanese and Turkish cuisine is authentic, but at the same time creative and original. Made up of Mezze, small plates, the menu items are meant to be shared. This is my favorite type of dining, because I really hate being stuck eating just a couple of dishes. It’s much more fun to sample a wide variety of flavors and textures, don’t ya think?
With a little help from our server, we chose a series of different mezze from most sections of the menu. First up, three spreads: hummus, baba ganoush, and the Htipiti, all served alongside a basket of fresh, house made pita bread. Judging by the completely clean bowl where the Htipiti once was, I’d say we deemed it the best of the bunch.
Piyaz
imported warm giant beans with kale, oven-roasted tomato, and garlic
From the Vegetable Mezze section of the menu, we chose Kolokithokeftedes (don’t worry, none of us could pronounce it either) and the Piyaz.
While the zucchini and cheese patties (that’s what the K word means) were good, they were overshadowed by the amazing bean dish. Kandace and I were still discussing this the next day, deconstructing and strategizing on how exactly to recreate it on our own at home. Guess what Kandace? I think someone else has already come pretty close to figuring it out for us!
Garides Me Anitho
sautéed shrimp with dill, shallots, mustard, and lemon juice
Moving on to the Seafood Mezzo, the Garides Me Anitho and Seared Salmon. This should give you a clue as to how I felt about the shrimp… today I went out and bought a dill plant.
After that giant bean dish and this shrimp, I’ve become a fan of dill. And I’ve already found the recipe, so I might just be making this over the weekend!
Seared Salmon with braised wild mushrooms, butternut squash puree, pomegranate molasses
After the seafood, we moved on to meat and poultry dishes, one of which was the Kotopoulo Youvetsi, a chicken, orzo, tomato, and kefalograviera cheese dish. It was nice, but didn’t exactly blow me away. However, the lamb did.
Knisa Lamb Chops
grilled lamb chops, smoked yogurt, pomegranate berries
Grilled to perfection, and smartly paired with a cool, creamy smoked yogurt and sweet pomegranate berries, I slowly savored every bite. Oh how I hope that one day I’ll be able to prepare lamb this beautifully.
The Turkish Delight at Zatinya
Unlike the night before when we ended the meal feeling like our stomachs were stretched to the limit, this meal had been just the right amount of food for the three of us. We were feeling good and decided to just order coffees and teas to cap off the evening. That thought was gone within two seconds of looking at the dessert menu.
The Turkish Delight, made up of walnut ice cream, yogurt mousse, honey gelee’, orange caramel sauce, and caramelized pine nuts was a sweet ending to a very sweet night with good friends.
Zaytinya
701 9th Street Northwest
Washington D.C., DC 20001
(202) 638-0800
Interested in D.C. restaurants? Be sure to check out this post too!
Your pics always make me hungry. So want to try the Htipiti. Feta is my new favorite cheese and using it in another way would be wonderful.
Thanks Lizanne! That spread was so delicious, and I’m sure it would be very easy to make!
I have also been wanting to get to Zaytinya for over a year as well–Jose Andres is the man, and next time you’re in the district, hit up his Spanish restaurant, Jaleo. It’s pretty awesome. I really must do better about getting to these restaurants, especially considering how much time I spend in DC. le sigh, and le yum!
ooh, thanks for the suggestion. I’ll be going back again soon, so I’ve added to my list. You guys are so lucky to have so many fabulous ethnic cuisines so close at hand! Can’t say that we have that many great options here in Nashville…
The veg dishes look amazing. And I’m not a fan of traditional Turkish delight, but that dessert sounds like it’s a little bit of heaven. Orange caramel…mmm…
Those giant beans and kale were overall our favorite part of the meal I think. They had such a great zing to them!
Oh my goodness all of this food looks so delicious! Sounds like you had a really great time.
beth, it all looks so good! I need to go back to DC and try this. Plus, the decor is amazing.
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