In addition to all the travel that comes with my job, it also somethings brings people to our DC office. This week, one of my most favorite coworkers, Dawn, came to town. Ashley and I decided we couldn't let her visit go by without showing her some of what the District has to offer. Combine the three of us with Hector, one of our favorite bosses, and you have a recipe for a great night on the town.
Our first stop was Poste for happy hour. Housed in the Hotel Monaco in the heart of DC's Penn Quarter, the restaurant and bar are known for their commitment to sustainability and support of the locavore movement. After walking by their open air kitchen, I would be interested to eat there, but I wasn't wowed by their happy hour. Service at the bar was so-so (I don't like having to beg for a happy hour menu), but the wine specials were good for the price and, being a Wednesday night, the bar was quiet enough to actually allow us to talk (and laugh).
After about an hour and a couple of drinks we headed over to Zaytinya for our dinner reservation, still in the Penn Quarter. Zaytinya is one of my favorite DC meal spots. In part it tastes like home, taking advantage of many of the Greek flavors I grew up with. But this mezzedes-style restaurant also leans on Lebanese and Turkish roots and flavors to create a consistently delicious and interesting collection of small plates with a more high-brow feel than the village classics I ate as a kid.
Let me say now there are no photos because I was too busy eating and enjoying the company to be bothered. And for good reason, this was one seriously delicious meal shared with three people who all make me smile, laugh and in one case, nearly cry laughing.
They suggest three to four plates per person to make a meal and since all the plates are perfect for sharing we went about our dinner in rounds.
First up, Labneh, a salty, tangy strained yogurt served with a pool of olive oil and za'atar (in this case, a combo of thyme, oregano and basil) perfect for dipping the warm fresh pita served liberally to every table; Keftedes Kapama, mini-meatballs made with a combination of ground lamb and beef and served in a rich, homestyle tomato sauce laced with cinnamon and allspice; Lamb Bahar, six perfect nuggets of grilled lamb cut kebab-style served over a healthy bed of tabbouleh and tahini and; Octopus Santorini, tender young octopus marinated and grilled, served over a bed of split pea puree with capers.
And the winner is? Hector's choice, the Octopus Santorini. I have to assume the octopus was marinated in citrus and barely touched the grill because it was so tender, lacking any of the chewiness found in ill-prepared versions of similar dishes. Combine the perfectly prepared main ingredient with the smooth, creamy split pea puree and capers (perfect little salty explosions) and you have an absolute standout in our first round. So much so we debated ordering a second plate. But it's important to note that all three of the other dishes were superb, well seasoned and executed in such a way that even your most snooty foodie could find little to complain about. And this was the case for the rest of the meal!
Round two began with Kolokithokeftedes, shredded zucchini mixed with mild, sweet cheese and pan fried, served with a lemon caper yogurt that amps up the whole dish; Garides Saganaki, five tender, juicy shrimp sauteed with tomatoes, topped with kefalograviera (a hard, tangy Greek cheese) and flambéed with an ouzo accelerant; Adana Kebab, ground lamb, compressed and skewered before being grilled with sumac, onions and tomatoes and; Urfa Biftek, beef sirloin grilled to medium rare seasoned with cumin and urfa peper and served over a bed of micro greens.
And the winner is? Dawn's choice, Garides Saganaki. I really have no idea how the ingenious chefs flambéed the shrimp without it getting tough, but it was perfect and juicy with just the right amount of salty bite from the cheese. I should probably mention that this particular cheese is to me, the world's most perfect food. I used to eat it every morning at my Aunt's house in Parga, my favorite place in Greece - my happy place.
Round three, our final round, was comprised of Kotopoulo Youvetsi, kebab-style chicken mixed with orzo pasta, a light tomato sauce and grated kefalograviera cheese; Patates Tiganites me Yaourti, allegedly crispy potatoes topped with greek yogurt and caper salt; Sea Scallop, a huge seared scallop served over a tasty dill yogurt sauce and; Shish Taouk, breast meat chicken served kebab-style with grilled tomatoes, onions, garlic and sumac.
And the loser is? Yes, there was a loser in this round. One of my choices (Dawn made me pick several this last round), the Patates Tiganites were mushy and really should have been described as french fries, "crispy potatoes" was a touch misleading. But there was a winner too! This round was a hard to choose the biggest standout, in part because we were all getting so full we weren't salavating to try every dish the way we had been the first two rounds. But I think Ashley's choice, the Sea Scallop, wins out in the end. It was perfectly prepared, lightly seared and tender. Alone it might have been bland, but with the creamy dill yogurt sauce (not unlike a very light tzatziki) it was delicious.
12 dishes, 11 winners and three big winners. Those are stats any restuarant should stand behind. All in all the seafood really made its mark on our table and now Zaytinya has been labeled a must for future out of town visitors!
Finally, I can't close this post without saying that great food, in and of itself can make a night, but this night was made by the company. There are days when I get very frustrated with my job, days when I wonder why I do it. But the answer comes even quicker than the question. It's the people (or most of them anyway) that make the job worth it everyday. And I got to share my evening with three of the people that top the list of why I get up and go to work every morning. I am tremendously priveleged to share my day-to-day with the smart, charismatic and compassionate people that are Ashley, Dawn and Hector. Thanks for a wonderful night out to all three of you and for reminding me every day why it's worth it!
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