Why is hummus one of the most delectable creations ever to surface from Mediterranean cuisine? Nowadays you can find just about any variation of hummus, which is really just a puree of chickpeas, garlic and tahini (a paste of ground sesame seeds), in the supermarket or at many Greek and Mediterranean restaurants. One of my favorite types of hummus that you can buy at the grocery store is none other than Trader Joe’s Tomato Basil Hummus- it’s quite good. So I bet you’re wondering why I’m carrying on about one of the most important staples in Mediterranean mezze cuisine? Last night I was able to enjoy some of the best hummus I’ve ever had, and of course who better to blow my mind than Mr. Jose Andres. One of my best friends from college was in town these past couple of days visiting on his spring break- and of course I wanted to make sure I showed him the best time, which obviously includes guaranteeing his exposure to the incredible culinary fare that Washington D.C. offers. On his last night in D.C. I made sure that he was able to experience at least one of the many restaurants Jose Andres owns- over the weekend I was showing Andrew some videos of some of the culinary works of art that are concocted over at Minibar (Minibar is Jose Andres’ exclusive 6 table restaurant here in Washington D.C. that specializes in molecular gastronomy, or the application and study of scientific principles and practices in cooking and food preparation, and where for $250 a guest can embark on a culinary adventure). Check out this video of one of the many creations that arise from the inspired mind of Jose Andres. Last night Andrew and I had dinner at Zaytinya, Mr. Andres’ innovative Mediterranean restaurant whose menu is derived from many traditional Turkish, Greek and Lebanese dishes. I will be very honest, the food at this restaurant was much more impressive than the decor. The restaurant really looked like any other upscale restaurant you might find in a big city-color scheme included chrome, white and dark blue. I can see how the restaurant was trying to create a Greek-type ambiance, but I wasn’t really feeling it. I had high expectations after my visit to Oyamel, but I definitely didn’t feel transported to Greece or anywhere else in the Mediterranean upon walking into Zaytinya in the same way I felt being like I was transported to Mexico when I walked into Oyamel (please see my previous post for my review). Nonetheless, I couldn’t wait to try the food at this highly acclaimed restaurant, located in Penn Quarter.
Zaytinya is another small plate restaurant, where each person at the table should order at least 2-3 plates but all dishes are shared. In Greek, the term mezze literally means appetizer or what the Spanish would call tapas. Upon opening the menu I was quite entertained by the front cover. Andres teases his diners with a very enticing quote, “Are you ready for this- because I believe your life is going to change forever.” That’s quite the statement I must say, so if I didn’t have high expectations before reading the menu, I was definitely expecting to be blown away now. Our waitress began listing the specials for that evening, and right off the bat I was excited because the first thing she said was the special hummus for the day was a roasted butternut squash hummus. I absolutely love butternut squash- it’s definitely one of my favorite vegetables. For me, butternut squash emulates that comfort food feeling that I get when I eat Thanksgiving Dinner. I jumped on the opportunity to try what sounded to me like one of the most amazing things ever to enhance your standard hummus dish. The coloring and texture of the hummus was absolutely perfect. There was a little bit of a balsamic glaze drizzled over the hummus accompanied by roasted pumpkin seeds. I was in hummus heaven 🙂 Andrew left me in charge of ordering the whole meal- smart move on his part haha. I would say majority of my friends and people I have dined out with never underestimate my ability to order the best dishes at a restaurant. I can order for any type of person too- carnivore, pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan, the list goes on… I absolutely love tofu! Anyways, I ordered a total of 6 dishes (including the hummus). Like last time I will rate each dish on a scale of 1-10 (1 being unsatisfactory and 10 being extraordinary).
- Roasted Buttnernut Squash Hummus, a puree of chickpeas, garlic, tahini, butternut squash with a balsamic glaze drizzle and roasted pumpkin seeds. I would give this a 10 definitely- this hummus was by far some of the best I’ve ever tasted. -$6.50
- Kolokithokeftedes or zucchini and cheese fritters in a caper-yogurt sauce. These were amazing. There was a perfect balance of richness from the filling of these fritters and crunchy texture given off from the fried, breaded exterior. You can tell that these fritters were fried with olive oil and all of the ingredients were very fresh- the zucchini was the perfect touch. I would rate this dish at 10 as well actually. -$7.50
- Roasted Cauliflower, prepared with sultans, caper berries, and pine nuts. This dish deserves an 8- the flavor was absolutely incredible in the cauliflower and they were cooked perfectly but at the end of the day it really was just roasted cauliflower. Standard veggie dish with great flavor. -$8.50
- Urfa Biftek, or grilled sirloin steak with Urfa pepper, cumin, heirloom lettuces and caramelized sesame. The meat was seasoned very well and cooked just the way I like it (a little medium-rare). The flavor profile in this dish was so good, I really enjoyed the cumin- I hadn’t had good beef prepared like this in a long time. What’s great is the plate is small so you don’t feel overwhelmed with a huge steak yet you get to try those amazing flavors. I would rate this dish at a 9. -$10
- Seared Salmon, accompanied by a butternut squash puree (I told you I love butternut squash :)), preserved maitake mushrooms, and pomegranate molasses. Salmon is my favorite fish, so I tend to order it when on the menu at most restaurants (I love salmon prepared anyway: sashimi, grilled, seared, poached, baked..). Of course when I saw butternut squash puree I got excited to order this plate! And again, it was perfect. It come with two small, impeccably prepared, pieces of salmon over a bed of the puree and mushrooms. I would rate this dish at a 9.5 because while I thoroughly enjoyed the dish, it really was just an amazing plate of salmon with interesting flavors. I like to be really “wowed” when I give a dish a 10. -$10
- Lamb Special- this dish consisted of lamb baked in a house-made phyllo dough pastry with aromatic spices, and happened to be one of the specials of the night. This was so good- I really was blown away by the flavors packed into this little greek empanada. This was Andrew’s favorite dish of the night and I have to say, it was excellent. The only criticism I have is that it was a little too rich for me. I love lamb, when prepared well and this dish certainly was, but sometimes the meat can be very decadent. I would give this dish a 9. -$10
I really enjoyed my meal at Zaytinya. The flavors presented in the dishes at this restaurant really do emulate what one would expect at a good Mediterranean restaurant. The only other Greek restaurant I’ve been to in Washington D.C. is Cava Mezze on Capitol Hill, which is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in the city. The restaurant is owned by a Greek family (really a group of guys who are all cousins) who truly do provide amazing Greek fare in Eastern Market. To compare these two restaurants is very difficult because both have different approaches to the Mediterranean cuisine- one being exclusively Greek and the other having inspiration from Turkey and Lebanon. Zaytinya means “olive oil” in Turkish. I recommend trying both restaurants and seeing which you like better (or both!) for yourself.
littlechefmary 