Zaytinya

We love food, so DC Restaurant Week is the best thing ever! For those of you who don't know what restaurant week is, it's something that happens every 6 months of so in major cities. Typically expensive restaurants agree to provide a set menu for lunch and dinner at a set, discounted price. Mind you the set price is still pricey, but it's less than the usual cost.

We found out about the winter one a bit last minute, so we ended up at 701 restaurant because we could get reservations. It was nice, but the food was not great. We definitely wouldn't spend full price on the meal we had, but it was still fun to dress up and have someone wiping crumbs off the table, etc.

For the summer Restaurant Week, we were prepared. I knew about it a week in advance, so we were able to research a bunch of places and pick the one we wanted. We ended up picking Zaytinya because it was close to Jesse's work and sounded delicious. The restaurant serves Mediterranean-style tapas. There was way more food than I could handle. I definitely don't remember as much about the third and fourth course because I was pretty stuffed by that point.

Here's a list of what we ordered:

FIRST COURSE

HOMMUS puree of chickpeas, garlic, tahini 
Exactly what you would expect. Served with delicious pita bread that kept coming out warm and fresh.

HORTA SALATA: kale salad, smoked olives, fava Santorini, ladolemono, pistachios
I loved this. I don't usually like kale, but this was fantastic. The pistachios were probably my favorite part though, and of course Jesse ate all of the olives.

SECOND COURSE

CRISPY BRUSSEL AFELIA brussel sprouts, coriander seed, barberries, garlic yogurt
I have recently discovered brussel sprouts to be delicious, as long as they aren't too soft. The waitress told us that this is one of their most popular dishes, and it did not disappoint. The sprouts were the perfect medium between raw and cooked, and the mix of savory and sweet elements in the sauce were amazing. I like a wide variety of veggies, but I think I would be even more happy about eating vegetables if they had delicious sauces over them!

GARIDES SAGANAKI sautéed shrimp with tomatoes, green onions, kefalograviera cheese, ouzo
The shrimp were one of my favorite dishes. The flavors were just right in my opinion.

THIRD COURSE

SEA SCALLOPS seared scallops, yogurt-dill sauce
The texture of the scallops was perfect, and I loved the sauce.

I can't remember what else we ordered for the third course, so maybe Jesse will remember...

FOURTH COURSE

ADANA KEBAB skewered ground lamb, house-made harissa, 

grilled tomatoes, sumac, onions
This was a spicier dish. The grilled flavor on the lamb and tomatoes was really yummy. Jesse ate most of this because I was saving room for dessert!

SEARED SALMON cucumber tzatziki, ladolemono, dill
I love salmon. My favorite way to make it is with tons of herbs, like dill, on top. I don't remember disliking it, but again, I was saving room for dessert.

DESSERT

GREEK YOGURT AND APRICOTS muscat soaked apricots, vanilla yogurt cream, apricot sorbet, pistachio powder
I'm so glad I saved room for dessert! My only complaint is that it was a really, really small serving! We shared everything else equally, but the desserts we kept to ourselves. This was such a nice mix of flavors and textures. I loved that the vanilla yogurt cream was a less sweet, mild layer in between the stronger flavors of apricots and sorbet.

TURKISH DELIGHT walnut ice cream, yogurt mousse, honey geleé, orange-caramel sauce, caramelized pine nuts
I had a bite or two of Jesse's dessert. It was also delicious, but I was happy with my choice. Again, we both really liked how they mixed strong, sweet flavors with the mild, not so sweet yogurts.



We didn't take any pictures, but I think we'll be back to this place even if it isn't a Restaurant Week deal. I highly recommend it!