Sudha had done some extensive eye-popping internet browsing… a.k.a. research (apparently), in the days leading to our trip (to DC), and had gathered a list of restaurants that we could try. So, right after we came out of the embassy, we decided to get some lunch, go back to the motel to drop off the bags we were carrying, and then come back to downtown to visit a museum/hang out. Zaytinya, happened to be the closest from the embassy, so called and made a reservation for two….
Best way to get to this restaurant is via the Gallery Place/Chinatown station.. The restaurant is right across from the station (I think)… The menu is available online.
My thoughts about Zaytinya:
Before I get into details about what we ate, let me say that this restaurant serves little plates, so do not plan to go there if you are a square-meal person… The restaurant is described as Mezze, which I gathered from the website that it is some sort of ‘party food’. So the servings are really small, but surprisingly rich, and filling. Only problem – one has to order 2-3 courses to feel that one has had a decent lunch.
Similar to mexican restaurants giving unlimited nachos, we are given unlimited Pita, which is amazing in itself, and quite different from the regular Pitas we get in American restaurants. We ordered a main course and a salad each, one spread and a cheese to sample. Yes, this restaurant serves various cheeses as regular dishes, in sampler sizes. The pricing is of course..how shall I put it… ah! upscale… everything about this restaurant is upscale for that matter…. in lay man terms – small portions and high prices. So if one does not feel particularly adventurous, this restaurant might not be a very good choice.
What we ate: Htipiti, Tulumu, Tabouleh, Baby Squash Salata, Spring Bean Plaki, Roasted Cauliflower, and quite a few Pitas. The Htipiti is a spread…which has cheese, diced tomatoes and such… very simple taste, but delicious! when eaten with a Pita it is terrific! Oh, and the Pitas are initially served alongside a small square plate containing olive oil and pomegranate molasses. Interesting taste, is all I can say… Not because I didn’t like it, but that I am not able to articulate it properly. Let me say that it had a little sweet-sour thing going on with the taste of olive oil blended in…
Tulumu, is Turkish cheese made from sheep’s milk… served with a little piece of a honeycomb… As soon as this arrived on the table, I made a strange face and wondered if the restroom door was open nearby, or worse, if somebody had farted in the general area where we were seated…. It had a very strange, pungent, mildly disturbing odour. If you don’t mind that, it tastes wonderful, with the honeycomb… and on the pita with the Htipiti…
Tabouleh is like a salad, but with different and interesting ingredients… It had parsley, diced onions, and tomatoes, among other things..
Baby Squash Salata, had some zucchini, nuts, cheese, etc… She ordered this… I didn’t quite like the way the zucchini was prepared, so left her in peace to eat it by herself. I loved the Tabouleh. 
Next came the Spring Bean Plaki – had a few varieties of beans in it, and tasted a little bit like a minestrone soup, but without the pasta.
Roasted Cauliflower – Cauliflowers (of course), and then a few other ingredients laced slightly with a white creamy gravy… tasted almost like some of the finest Cauliflower Manchurians, served back home…
[My favourites -- Htipiti, Roasted Cauliflower, Tabouleh, in the same order]
Filed under: food, life in the US, observations, road trip, travel | Tagged: baby squash salata, cheese, greek, htipiti, lebanese, mediterranean cuisine, spring bean plaki, tulumu, turkish, washington DC
[...] Lunch @ Zaytinya [...]