Zaytinya

If you ever find yourself near Gallery Place in Washington D.C., why not treat yourself to an Eastern Mediterranean-style meal? Across from the National Portrait Gallery is a spacious, modern restaurant called Zaytinya that serves Greek, Lebanese, and Turkish inspired cuisine by mezze - small plates. 

Zaytina means olive oil in Turkish and it is served with vinegar to dip the complementary puffed pita bread. My friends and I named it "air bag bread" for its unique appearance.

The seafood plate that cannot be missed is Octopus Santorini – grilled Mediterranean octopus with marinated onions on a yellow split pea puree. Presented colorfully like an art piece, the octopus is easily chewable and tender, unlike the toughness of usual octopuses.

Lamb dishes make up most of the meat section of the menu. We ordered the Lamb Bahar plate which is a kebab of spice-rubbed lamb cooked medium-well. Another meat plate called Keftedes Kapama offers beef and lamb in the form of meatballs. Bathed in a pool of sweet and salty tomato sauce and sprinkled with feta cheese, the four balls of skewered ground meat with a pinkish middle satisfied the whole table. We also loved the Seared Skuna Bay Salmon for its soft fish meat and crispy skin.

For dessert, the delectable Turkish Delight is a popular pick at Zaytinya. A scoop of walnut ice cream encircled by yogurt mousse, honey, and orange-caramel sauce dusted with caramelized crushed pine nuts make the dessert nutty and not too sweet.

Every plate, though a bit small in portion for the price, has an artful presentation with different colors and textures on white dishware. I definitely would come back to try more mezze creations in the future.

Zaytinya

Address: 701 Ninth St. NW, Washington, DC 20001

Phone: 202-638-0800

Hours: Open at 11:30 AM every day, and close at 10 PM (Sunday & Monday), 11:00 PM (Tuesday-Thursday), and midnight (Friday & Saturday)

Website: www.zaytinya.com

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