Zaytinya, Mediterranean Tapas at 9th & G Streets - Chef Michael Costa Replaces Mike Isabella

[mr food]

yet another pleasant meal last night on the terrace. Food and wine were good as always and Andy our server was a real star guiding us to new and old favorites on the menu. Resik (sp) at the bar was also great and we had a interesting conversation about Lebanese wine as I sipped a smooth Syrah from the Bakah (sp) valley. A nice Wednesday out.

[DonRocks]

If you get sick of the cold (or sick with a cold), head straight to Zaytinya and get a Turkish Tea Party ($11) - a hot cure-all made with Turkish tea, Hangar One spiced pear vodka, quince syrup, and most importantly, a moustache-inducing crown of cardamom espuma on top. This is the first hot drink I've ordered in a bar this year, and it makes me wonder what on earth I've been waiting for. This is to cocktails, what Pho is to soup.

Equally good (but not hot) is the Flip-Flop ($12), made with Sazarac, juiced Clementine, blood orange bitters, allspice sirop de gomme, and egg white foam. Rachel Sergi, former GM of PS7's, is running Zaytinya's bar now, and is one of the core members of our city's ongoing cocktail revolution.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Monica Bhide]

That sounds amazing. I love eating there and now will have to try the bar as well!!!

[dwt]

Glad to see this thread bumped, reminding me that I should have witnessed for Zaytina after our third visit last Friday. We arrived late afternoon/early evening to sample a few plates at the bar. Don't know diddly about Greek wine, so always ask the bartenders to suggest something, within a few parameters, and they consistently come through with pleasing selections. For food we enjoyed peynirli pide (a little too salty, but still good), swordfish kebab (nicely sauced, pink in the middle), dolmades, and olive oil salmon (a little dull this time compared to previous samplings). The food is on average better than Jaleo IMHO, and the bar area is lively without being hectic -- nice atmosphere all around. It's on our regular Penn Quarter rotation .

[acevedo81]

I haven't had a better Kibbeh Nayeh than the one offered at Zaytinya, it's consistently amazing

[JAC13]

Zaytinya, despite the long waits and sometimes spotty service, has long been a favorite of mine. I find the food to be consistently good and I can always try something new. Tonight I found another reason to keep it in my rotation.

Just to give some background: I have been recently diagnosed with food allergies (all nuts, soym stone fruits etc...) and I am finding it very difficult to navigate the menus of restaurants that I have been eating at for years. To make matters worse, many restaurants and the servers they employ are fairly clueless about these allergies and thus, have trouble steering me towards what I can and can't eat. While I completely understand this lack of knowledge (I was once a clueless non-allergic server myself), it has become very frustrating and unnerving to eat out.

I had been told by someone not too long ago that Zaytinya was very allergy friendly so I asked if they had an allergy friendly menu. I was pleasantly surprised when the hostess not only told me they did but asked me what my allergies were since they actually had several menus geered toward people with all types of dietary restrictions. I was further impressed with my server (Joel), who seemed genuinely concerned about my safety and my ability to relax and enjoy my meal- he asked me several questions up front about what I could and couldn't have and was very willing to work with me and the kitchen to modify items on the regular menu if possible. He double checked with the kitchen on everything and asked about allergies to any foods that could possibly be questionable (sesame in tahini, for instance). Tonight was the first time in months that I have been able to truly enjoy my meal without a fear that some unsuspected dish would cause a reaction. Kudos to Zaytinya for going the extra mile and for another great meal.

[Anna Blume]

The Greek Easter menu begins tomorrow. Mike Isabella and his crew returned to Dupont Circle today to lure diners in, once more w spring lamb, spit-roasted.

Waitman made a crack here recently, distinguishing chefing from slicing. Gotta say both were involved plus fabulous lamb from Eco-Friendly. Had a little dark crust; rosy, tender flesh; and melting fat, all seasoned w herbs and garlic, and after cutting, a lemony olive oil anointed. A little chunky salt. Dusting of fresh green herbs.

Anyone who can, loves lamb, and doesn't is a doo-doo head: lunch option for the next couple of weeks is a sandwich of spit-roasted lamb and tzatziki wrapped in pita for seven bucks. Patio pick-up noon to 2 pm.

More info, of course, on website.

[Xochitl10]

Azami and I headed here for dinner last night. We were lucky enough to be seated on the patio on such a gorgeous night. We started with cocktails: a Tanqueray 10 Martini for him and a house cocktail, "Aphrodite's Pear" (Grey Goose pear vodka, lime juice, St. Germain elderflower liqueur) for me. The pear drink was not overly sweet, unlike other house drinks I've had at Zaytinya. If it was at all unbalanced, it was more toward tart than anything else.

We ordered a number of things, including some old standbys: three spreads (hummus, tzatziki, and Htipiti (roasted red peppers and feta)), dolmades, braised lamb shank with kefalograviera and eggplant puree (wonderful as always). Azami doesn't care for braised meat, so I got the lion's share of the lamb shank while he took most of the crispy skirt steak with green chili sauce. My small bite of the skirt steak was nicely seasoned, and the green chili sauce was mild and very fresh tasting. We only ordered one of the specials whose name I forget: salmon, dill, and potato puree, rolled in house-made phyllo and fried. I found it rather bland and not tasting of salmon at all.

We were too full for dessert, so we finished off with a decaf for Azami and lemon verbena/cardamom tea for me.

[apples]

Had a really stellar dinner there with my Mom on Friday night. We were late for our reservation (she got lost on the Metro-- I'm a bad daughter for making her figure it out by herself) but didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes to get a table. I started with the Eros, a honey vodka based cocktail with rose bits in it-- yum-- and she had a glass of chardonnay. The bread was, as usual, hot, fresh, and delicious with the pomegranate dipping stuff. We had the pipedreams goat cheese (with sweet/savory tomato jam), the giant beans salad, which was rounded out with some spinach and a delicious lemony garlicy sauce, the baby octopus, a really amazing phyllo dough pocket filled with spiced lamb (a special), and a quail couscous (also a special). Mom then had a glass of port, and I had the muscatel. (As a note, they've raised their prices on dessert wines considerably since they last updated the website). I had the turkish delight dessert, and she had the chocolate visne-- both sweet but not overly so. Overall, a really stellar meal. We agreed that the goat cheese was our favorite, and it was also the simplest, but everything was very tasty. I had to get over my moral quandary about going so soon after Mike Isabella demonstrated (or was edited to demonstrate) on Top Chef that he's a pretty big jerk, but I'm glad I did.

Of course, just about everything tastes better when I'm not paying. Thanks, Mom!

[stickmoon]

The bathroom at Zaytinya has the best hand dryer I've ever had the pleasure to use. Not sure why it hasn't caught on...I haven't seen it anywhere else. The food is pretty good too.

[DonRocks]

The bathroom at Zaytinya has the best hand dryer I've ever had the pleasure to use. Not sure why it hasn't caught on...I haven't seen it anywhere else. The food is pretty good too.

Some people are just so, so 2008.

[KMango]

Some people are just so, so 2008.

Also ran into one at the Harry's Tap Room in Pentagon City Mall the other day.

Was only the second one I've seen in the area since Founding Farmers back in June.

(thinking about registering the domain name 10kforadysonairblade.com)

(thinking also about how to somehow map this thread back to Zaytinya)

(thinking mike isabella could have used one to finish his leek dish?)

[Ferhat Yalcin]

You guys should see the ones we have in the basement. Really blows you. if only I can get them installed.

[DanCole42]

Some people are just so, so 2008.

The discerning viewer will also note that Starfleet makes use of them in their sickbays. And here I thought technology become obsolete so quickly...

(Hint: look to the left and right of the turbolift doors)

This is an example of what Jung would call synchronicity: I'd JUST noticed, during a viewing of Star Trek yesterday afternoon, the use of the dryers by JJ Abrams's prop department, and here we are now discussing them! Thrilling.

My life suddenly feels much sadder.

[Pat]

A distant cousin I hadn't seen in a very long time came into town with her husband over the weekend. She is on a gluten-free diet. Today we had lunch at Zaytinya. I had narrowed it to the 3 Andres restaurants open on Monday. Maybe I was lazy that I didn't check into what gluten-free options might be available elsewhere, but this was a very easy call. There was a parking garage just around the corner, which was a bonus. I was wary of the snow emergency and no more wanted them getting ticketed/towed than I wanted to lead them to a restaurant where she would get surreptitious gluten. Zaytinya was a great choice.

We had a fantastic meal. Our server was lovely and very helpful. She went above and beyond.

The three of us split a cheese plate that we loved. The rest of the feast: dolmades; soup (squash? and enoki mushrooms); lamb and beef kofta sandwich accompanied by the fries with yogurt; eggplant fritters (Bantijan Bil Laban); and Piyaz. I had the last two and could not finish the kale in the Piyaz. The beans were so good that I devoted myself to them, and the greens got left behind. (Greens were good, just couldn't finish them.) There was also a dessert parfait with pistachios, yogurt and apricot.

The last meal I had at Zaytinya was good, but this was even better. I don't often dine out with someone who has a serious dietary restriction, but it was handled beautifully.

[Kibbee Nayee]

I haven't had a better Kibbeh Nayeh than the one offered at Zaytinya, it's consistently amazing

Have you had it at either of Layalina or Lebanese Butcher...?

[wmsayce]

The last meal I had at Zaytinya was good, but this was even better. I don't often dine out with someone who has a serious dietary restriction, but it was handled beautifully.

As someone who's allergic to both eggs and gluten, it can be hard eating out sometimes, but Zatinya is definitely one of my favorites. I have to ask for both the egg-free and gluten-free menus and then cross-reference them, but the food is consistently amazing (favorites being dolmades, octopus Santorini, and scallops), and everyone always seems knowledgeable about the allergens. It's sister restaurant Oyamel is another great allergen-friendly restaurant.

[weinoo]

You know, as a dyed-in-the-wool, jaded and especially annoying New Yorker - born in Brooklyn, even - there isn't much that impresses me, especially when it comes to restaurants, chefs and food. I mean, we've got it all here, under one roof. Access to the best seafood and produce (try the green market some day if you think I'm kidding), a bajillion restaurants (lots of them good, some great), hot cocktail lounges, awesome kitchenware shops, etc. etc. But there's one thing we don't have, and DC does, which should make a lot of NYers jealous...and that's José Andrés. And as if that wasn't inglorious enough, even LA has him now, or at least has a restaurant of his...and it's a friggin' 4-star.

So, DC, thank your lucky stars...because you've got something that NY doesn't. But now, with Significant Eater and me kinda living in both cities, we've got José too. And the other night, we got Zaytinya...and we got hooked.

First off, we walked out of the metro at the Chinatown station (the metro is basically DC's subway system - but way cuter and cleaner than NYC's could ever hope to be) and there it is. Easy as that. All you drunkards out there - no worries about driving, though if you're getting drunk late, remember the system shuts down around 1 AM. Even though our reservation had changed due to a late cancellation, we were seated immediately, at a great table with a view of the action on the streets as well as inside.

It was soon to be...first the puffy, hot flat bread, along with a cutesy dish of olive oil and pomegranate molasses. I prefer no cutesy, but wtf, it must impress some people, just not me - remember, jaded New Yorker, etc. etc.

Oh, the cocktails surrounding the olive oil weren't bad - SE had a Greek sidecar (Metaxa, cointreau and maraschino), and mine was something or other that I consumed in like 30 seconds; it was that tasty and I was thirsty, after all.

According to our charming waitress, SE and I should probably order between 4 and 6 dishes to be properly sated. HAH! She had no idea who she was dealing with, and as we quickly ordered 9 items, she nodded approvingly.

The first dish to arrive (everything we ordered was paced properly and in the right order; at no time was our table covered with more dishes than two humans could properly consume) was a revelation. Simply fresh roasted chickpeas. In their pods. Like edamame, but so much more, the pods are first roasted and then drenched in an olive oil/lemon juice and dill bath, which we couldn't get enough of. Messy - yes. Lots of bread dipping - yes. Bread runs out and is refilled - yes. What more can you ask for?



Alongside the chickpeas were served kolokithokeftedes, zucchini and cheese patties in a caper/yogurt sauce...an order of 4, brown and crispy outside, smooth and creamy in. The perfect combo, no?

As we moved on, it became apparent that these guys really know how to cook. Sure it helps if you love the cuisines of Greece and Turkey; lots of yogurt, dill, capers, feta, mint, garlic, etc. - and we do. Though smoked white asparagus with smoked yogurt sauce isn't your everyday Greek fare, and drew a comment from SE as to it's deliciousness...

It's obvious from above - a vegetarian can eat quite nicely at Zaytinya. Sadly, they'd be missing a lot. For instance, the Garides Me Anitho, shrimp sauteed with shallots, dill, lemon juice and mustard almost caused a fight to break out at our table; it was that good. They couldn't have the spiced quail couscous, with little chunks of quail and butternut squash strewn throughout. Nor the lamb ravioli, filled tonight with lamb's tongue and brain, served in a thick tomato sauce, and which might have been our favorite dish of the night.

Might have, had it not been for our final savory course, the spit-roasted lamb (we spotted the lamb roasting as soon as we walked to our seats), encased in a crispy package floating atop it's dill-feta-yogurt sauce without a care in the world...

As dinner came to a close, and we wrestled with the decision as to whether to have dessert or not (3 baskets of bread'll do that to you, but we did have some ice cream/gelato and a small portion of something chocolate-y), SE and I both agreed that we need to return to Zaytinya - soon.
Because - there was a lot we didn't get to try.
Because - the price is right...cocktails, a couple glasses of wine and a beer along with all that food was $125.
Because - there are great specials offered at happy hour.
Because - the service is warm, friendly and proper.

And because - there's nothing quite like this in NYC. Thanks for having Jose, DC.

My full blog post with pictures can be found by clicking here.

[Anna Blume]

And because - there's nothing quite like this in NYC. Thanks for having Jose, DC.

I admire José Andres, too. One thing ThinkFood Group does right is hire talent. Anyone who enjoys this restaurant has to be grateful to the Executive Chef of this restaurant, Mike Isabella, and his sous chef, Juan Rivera.

[JimRice]

I had lunch there yesterday, and the outside patio is a treasure. It costs money for the restaurant to have al fresco dining space that can't be used from November to most of April, but for May through September and part of October, this is one of my favorite places to eat outside. You pay for it with $10 glasses of wine, but it's worth it.

[MC Horoscope]

One of the specials last night was a "spring stew" with ramps, fava beans, and a marinated egg yolk. Wow! We had that and, among other things, spit roasted lamb wrapped in phyllo dough. Outstanding. We gravitate toward the specials and they usually do us well. Wish I had tried the black cod too.

[Pat]

One of the specials last night was a "spring stew" with ramps, fava beans, and a marinated egg yolk. Wow! We had that and, among other things, spit roasted lamb wrapped in phyllo dough. Outstanding. We gravitate toward the specials and they usually do us well. Wish I had tried the black cod too.

Any further information on the marinated egg yolk? I'm curious. Sounds interesting.

[MC Horoscope]

Not much further information on the egg yolk, sorry! All I can remember the waiter saying was that it was marinated in chicken broth, salt, and sugar. It broke up easily and was soft and liquid. The dish had a nice saltiness to it, which I like. A lot of restaurants seem to leave out the salt, then the dish is missing something, but that's just me.

[weinoo]

Yes, there's certainly no problem with salt and Zaytinya. Restaurants that know how to salt make me happy. And that's why, a mere 3 weeks after our first visit, I dragged some friends and was back on a Saturday night. Very happy friends, I might add.

While the pacing was a little more frenetic than on our first visit, the food was just as delicious. Those chick peas again, a sampling of spreads, sauteed shrimp, fried soft shell crab and crab cakes were all mighty fine. The roasted mushrooms were great (if only a bit too salty - gotta know when to stop, too).

But the stunner was the spit roasted all-day lamb shoulder, all black and crusty and drippy - and be forewarned - I was doing the ordering and asked for lamb shoulder for the table, figuring we'd get four portions - chef rolled the shoulder up on a cart, carved up four plates with a bit of sea salt and chimichurri and that crust on each, served us up the four plates, and then carved up the rest of the shoulder and plattered it up right in the middle of our table! Oh, man - we ate a lot of lamb and it was as good as it gets.

Is there any other place that hits it this right, this often (well, only been twice but I get the feeling that it's no fluke)? This level of execution at this price point?

[ema]

I was also at Zaytinya this weekend and I saw the black crusty lamb roasting in the kitchen, but nobody ordered it, and it wasn't on the menu. Can you get a small order of this lamb or is it a whole shoulder or nothing kind of deal? How much was the whole shoulder?

[weinoo]

I was also at Zaytinya this weekend and I saw the black crusty lamb roasting in the kitchen, but nobody ordered it, and it wasn't on the menu. Can you get a small order of this lamb or is it a whole shoulder or nothing kind of deal? How much was the whole shoulder?

I don't know if you can get a small order, because while I thought I was ordering 4 "orders," it was the whole shoulder that ended up center table.

The whole shoulder was a most reasonable $75. Easily could've fed 10 normal humans.

[Pat]

Tim Carman reports that Mike Isabella is leaving Zaytinya. He plans to open his own place in Penn Quarter, serving Venetian small plates.

[weinoo]

It will be interesting to see if Zaytinya maintains it's high standards and/or how long that standard will take to settle in under a new executive chef. Some places don't miss a beat.

It will also be fun to see if Mike is able to make it on "his own," although there must be a major money backer behind the scenes. I love cicchetti.

[fuzzy510]

Not sure that it's terribly surprising that, in the post-Top Chef afterglow, Isabella's going out on his own.

I am, however, a bit surprised that he's sticking around DC, but I'm not in the least bit upset about that.

[fuzzy510]

Apparently Michael Costa of Pazo in Baltimore has been named as Mike Isabella's successor.

[Rhone1998]

Zaytinya is always crowded so it was hard to tell if there was any surge of folks trying the place one last time before Mike Isabella leaves, but it was hoppin' Thursday night, and the chef was making the rounds on the floor, all smiles and handshakes. Four of us ordered about a dozen plates of varying success. My mom, on her first visit here, unfortunately couldn't be convinced to order outside of her comfort zone for Greek food, and predictably the dolmades, tabouleh, and falafel she got were among the most boring plates on the table. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the spanikopita, however, which I would order again next time I'm there - a fresh, tasty spinach and cheese mixture that was rolled into a log of crisp fillo. Very nice and I appreciated the innovation of the shape, which gave a higher filo to filling ratio than you'd get in the traditional preparation.

For me the real highlights of the meal were the fresh chickpeas (messy, but so hard to stop eating), a plate of wonderful little crabcakes, and the roasted cauliflower with raisins, pine nuts, and capers, a flavor combination I adore. The most eagerly anticipated part of the meal was easily the most disappointing - a lamb shank prepared sous vide before being roasted prior to serving. My dad hit the nail on the head when he described it as "mushy." Flavors were ok, but it was pretty hard not to be distracted by the off-putting texture. A miss.

[ema]

For me the real highlights of the meal were the fresh chickpeas (messy, but so hard to stop eating), a plate of wonderful little crabcakes, and the roasted cauliflower with raisins, pine nuts, and capers, a flavor combination I adore. The most eagerly anticipated part of the meal was easily the most disappointing - a lamb shank prepared sous vide before being roasted prior to serving. My dad hit the nail on the head when he described it as "mushy." Flavors were ok, but it was pretty hard not to be distracted by the off-putting texture. A miss.

I find Zaytinya's vegetable mezze to be superior to their meat mezze for the three times that I frequent the place. The best dish I had was probably a peach based salad on the specials menu.

[dcandohio]

Lunch at the bar Monday was my first visit since Mike Isabella departed. The menu was edited and prices seem to have crept to the point that I questioned the "value" of small plates. Service at the bar, as always, is efficient and friendly. Only shared three dishes: roasted cauliflower (delicious, but not a large portion for $8), the chicken shishtwook (fine, also small) and the grilled octopus. The bartender recommended the octopus as the signature dish. The meat was grilled crisp, and rendered a bit dry. It was still very tasty. But, for $12, it was maybe 8 small pieces - and the puree underneath is not enough to boost this to "filling" status. Of course, I enjoyed the hot bread with the oil in large quantities.

My last bar lunch at Jaleo had me thinking "this is a pretty good value for the money," and I had the opposite feeling at Zaytinya. I still love the bar, and the bright dining room, and the wonderful patio, but I don't think this place will lure me back soon as there are just too many other choices in the area and/or at the price point.

[Tweaked]

Brother was in town over the weekend for a conference, along with the vegan sister-in-law. They booked a table for Zaytinya for a saturday night, during RW, and I somewhat cringed. But a table of seven of us sat down and ate and ate and ate. And we ate well. Some highlights:

HORTA SALATA salad of cooked and raw greens, smoked olives, fava Santorini, ladolemono, pistachios. So good we ordered it twice!

CRISPY BRUSSEL AFELIA brussel sprouts, coriander seed, barberries, garlic yogurt.

SEASONAL MUSHROOMS sautéed mushrooms, dates, toasted almonds. Didn't sound too exciting but perhaps one of the best dishes of the night.

HÜNKíR BEĞENDI braised lamb shank, eggplant-kefalograviera puree. Love this dish.

ADANA KEBAB skewered ground lamb, house-made harissa, grilled tomatoes, sumac, onions.

FRIED SQUID crispy squid, garlic-yogurt sauce. Super tender squid.

ÍMAM BAYILDI roasted eggplant stuffed with onions, tomatoes.

After some tired meals at the downtown Jaleo (a recent trip to the Bethesda Jaleo was good) and a mediocre meal several months ago at Oyamel, I would have to easily rate Zaytinya the best of the Jose Andres Empire right now.

[mr food]

Lunch at the bar Monday was my first visit since Mike Isabella departed. The menu was edited and prices seem to have crept to the point that I questioned the "value" of small plates. Service at the bar, as always, is efficient and friendly. Only shared three dishes: roasted cauliflower (delicious, but not a large portion for $8), the chicken shishtwook (fine, also small) and the grilled octopus. The bartender recommended the octopus as the signature dish. The meat was grilled crisp, and rendered a bit dry. It was still very tasty. But, for $12, it was maybe 8 small pieces - and the puree underneath is not enough to boost this to "filling" status. Of course, I enjoyed the hot bread with the oil in large quantities.

My last bar lunch at Jaleo had me thinking "this is a pretty good value for the money," and I had the opposite feeling at Zaytinya. I still love the bar, and the bright dining room, and the wonderful patio, but I don't think this place will lure me back soon as there are just too many other choices in the area and/or at the price point.

This generally represents our feelings from a recent visit. Wine prices are also higher and the choices not quite as interesting. Still a fun place to dine-we always sit at the bar.

[NovaLawyer]

A bit of a follow-up on my recent series of posts on luncheon spots in DC. I have had lunch twice recently at Zaytinya, in addition to a dinner. I think the lunch deal is superb, a Greek/Mediterranean mezze-style luncheon of four courses for $22. For this price, if you forego vino, I think you will find the best spot in DC to have lunch without wine.

But for me, I ALWAYS have a cuppa with my food. Sometimes two glasses. Or even occasionally three. Or if there is no work to be done in the afternoon, four!

There are a number of excellent experiemental choices for mezze, mix and match and have fun.

My favorite thing on the menu, however, was the variety of not-too-common Greek wines by the glass, at reasonable prices.

This is one of my favorite luncheon spots in DC - for dinner, I thought it a bit too pricey for the grazing style of dining, but perfectly acceptable.

[Genevieve]

SEASONAL MUSHROOMS sautéed mushrooms, dates, toasted almonds. Didn't sound too exciting but perhaps one of the best dishes of the night.

This is the one thing I order absolutely every time. Rich, savory, unexpected flavors. Mushrooms are one of my favorite things, but even people who like them equivalent to other vegetables have sighed and asked if we should get another round of them.

[schulju]

Like NovaLawyer above, we took advantage of the $22 lunch deal yesterday. Miracle of miracles, Hubby pronounced his small plate meal as quite good and an excellent value!

Highlights were the crispy eggplant, the fattoush salad and the beef and lamb meatballs.

[Pool Boy]

Went recently. Have not been in quite a while.

Tried to avoid some things I have ordered before, and they always seem to have new stuff anyway, and specials, so this was not too hard to accomplish.

Good/Satisfying items were the Bantjan bil lana (crispy eggplant), the midyes (fried mussels) and a few other items.

Misses - the spiced veal sweetbreads. The spice on the dish we got so completely overwhelmed the sweetbreads, these could have easily been anything covered in this spice and tasted the same. Like chicken nuggets. This was a clunker.

Interesting dish for me was the kibbeh nayeh. I love tartare and I have not had this before. It was good and interesting, but nowhere near the peak of all things tartare. I would not be disappointed if I ordered it again even.

The WINS. The octopus santorini is sublime. Perfectly cooked, great combination of flavors and ingredients. A real stand out. But, by far (this is saying something because I love octopus), was the crispy brussels afelia. I could eat this every day and never get tired of it. So, so, so good. This is the perfect example of a dish you have someone try who says 'I hate <insert food item they hate>!', in this case brussel sprouts. A seriously great dish.

[Mark Dedrick]

I had also not been in a couple of years before we stopped in for lunch on Monday after encountering (not unexpected) 90 minute plus waits at Hill Country and Jaleo. It was a great choice for our group of folks. I completely echo the praise for the crispy brussels sprouts from Pool Boy. I loved them, and two self-proclaimed Brussels sprouts haters both tried them because they looked so good, and loved them. The crispy eggplant was also great. The only thing close to a miss (and it was still solid, just not great) was the cauliflower.

Solid service as well. We need to make it back sooner next time.

[B.A.R.]

Jose Andres. Call your office.

[jrichstar]

Kind of amazed that Zaytinya has had only 4 posts in the last year! I've been at least 5 times over the years and it's amazing how the quality of food consistently is high with some dishes being more than special. Went last night---had 10-15 dishes for our family of 5. All good-to-great. The two that were extraordinary were the octopus santorini (expertly charred and mixed with grilled onions and capers over a bed of pea puree) and hunkar begendi (braised lamb shank over a bed of a delicious eggplant-cheese puree). I will no doubt order these two every time I eat here going forward.

The space is large and airy, service relaxed yet crisp. It's a rare place that has excellent food like this where we can take our kids (ages 7-13) and everyone can have a good time.

It seems that the Jose Andres restaurants don't change much and do things so well that there's not a lot new to say about them. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[RWBooneJr]

Kind of amazed that Zaytinya has had only 4 posts in the last year! . . . It seems that the Jose Andres restaurants don't change much and do things so well that there's not a lot new to say about them. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Zaytinya is better now under Michael Costa than it's ever been. It's gotten its fair share of praise from Sietsema and Kliman lately, which is reflected in Zaytinya's ranking in DCDiningGuide (the ratings in the guide are an aggregate of based on Tom's, Todd's, and Don's assessments, adjusted for time and other factors). I think it generates comparatively little interest here because it's been around for a while so there's not much buzz. Also, the fact that the face of the brand (Think Food Group) is, for lack of a better description, a "celebrity chef," probably doesn't help endear it to "foodies."

[DonRocks]

Zaytinya is better now under Michael Costa than it's ever been. It's gotten its fair share of praise from Sietsema and Kliman lately, which is reflected in Zaytinya's ranking in DCDiningGuide (the ratings in the guide are an aggregate of based on Tom's, Todd's, and Don's assessments, adjusted for time and other factors). I think it generates comparatively little interest here because it's been around for a while so there's not much buzz. Also, the fact that the face of the brand (Think Food Group) is, for lack of a better description, a "celebrity chef," probably doesn't help endear it to "foodies."

My last full meal at Zaytinya was in September, 2011, so it has been nearly two years. That dinner was memorable for one thing only: some of the worst service I'd ever gotten in a restaurant (not *the* worst, but certainly "top 20 worst"). This was as damning an evening as there could possibly be, with two open-minded customers walking out asking why we would *ever* want to come back here? Poor service is remembered long, long after poor food.

Late last Sunday, two of us stopped into the bar where we ran into our friend Adam, who works in the industry. He was leaving work and going for some dinner (so obviously he's a fan), whereas we were just having a nightcap. So I've been as recently as a week ago, and spent a large amount of money (big spender bought everything, and left the wonderful bartender, clearly a friend of Adam's, a monster tip), but I didn't try any food at all.

So I guess it's time for my semi-annual 'Sighhhhh,' when I hear 2-3 people raving about Zaytinya, or Jaleo, or, Oyamel, or Hank's, or DC Coast, or PassionFish, or any of twenty other locally owned corporate restaurants that always range from "meh" to "very good," and accept the fact that I'm going to be $50-75 poorer and unthrilled, but at least I'll be current. One thing that has *always* remained consistent at Zaytinya is the "assembled" nature of the dishes, the individual ingredients seemingly placed onto the plate just before going out, generally resulting in pleasant flavor combinations (the flavorist for ThinkFoodGroup knows what he or she is doing) without much depth or persistence. One thing I do acknowledge (which is why Zaytinya is in Italic) is that I seem to be in the minority in never having loved the restaurant - are there flaws here that only a grizzled cynic who eats out every night can see? If so, then what good is that person's opinion anyway?

[CanY]

I visited Zaytinya twice in the last month, service is subpar, but food is well made. As a Turk, it's a great escape to sip on Efe Raki and eat pastirma and hunkar begendi. Until I discover another Turkish restaurant with above average food, Zaytinya will be my default choice for Turkish food.

[johnl]

At Zaytinya tonight, during DC's unseasonably warm spell at the end of December 2015 we had nice service from Farouk. One runner dropped the first Baba Ganoush unceremoniously and said something unintelligible but, other than that, the runners, bussers, and Farouk did a nice job.

Oh, and the food (lentil soup, eggplant, roasted cauliflower, medley of 'shrooms with dates and such; dolmades; Bronzino), why yeah... It was pretty dang good. (Exception: I didn't really like spicing on the batatas.)

[Tweaked]

Zaytinya continues to be our go to lunch spot when my parents are in town.  Spending an hour or so under the umbrellas on the patio during a day of museum-ing is the way to go.  The quality is still consistent after all these years, although the pita bread seemed a little drier.  Favorites include the french fries with yogurt sauce, roasted eggplant with onions and tomatoes, adana kebab, seared halloumi, oyster saganaki, and crispy brussels afelia.  Best to get there before 12:30pm on a Saturday, by 1pm the patio and restaurant was pretty much full.   

[Pool Boy]

Had a good meal here in the past few weeks. Still tasty from my perspective.

[DonRocks]

On 3/19/2018 at 2:16 PM, dcs said:

Lawsuit accuses celebrity chef Mike Isabella of ‘extraordinary’ sexual harassment, by Danielle Paquette,  March 19, 2018, on washingtonpost.com. at 1:06 PM Email the author

What I don't understand is why people - on either side (this is not a partisan post) - haven't produced ex-Zaytinya employees: José Andrés was most likely never there, and if there are any problems, they probably would have also existed at Zaytinya; if there aren't, then Zaytinya would probably have witnesses for the defense.

[funkyfood]

On 4/30/2018 at 9:52 AM, DonRocks said:

What I don't understand is why people - on either side (this is not a partisan post) - haven't produced ex-Zaytinya employees: José Andrés was most likely never there, and if there are any problems, they probably would have also existed at Zaytinya; if there aren't, then Zaytinya would probably have witnesses for the defense.

Perhaps because much of these allegations seem to be that Isabella ran an organization that had a culture of sexual harrassment.  If Isabella wasn't a partner/owner at Zaytinya, it's a bit less relevant.