Zaytinya

Even us foodies have our dislikes. I have never liked ground meat in any form whatsoever — even as a child I refused to eat hamburgers. I’m not partial to mint, either. And I can’t eat much onion. Seems like Middle Eastern cusine is out, right?

Not at Zaytinya, where I learned there’s more to mezze than ground beef flavored with mint and onions.

First, I’ve gotta say (along with every other reviewer, amateur and professional), this is one of the most gorgeous interior spaces ever. The long outside wall is all glass, with silent electronic shades that the staff thoughtfully lower when the setting sun gets in your eye. The interior wall opposite is broken, only partially concealing the long bar, and hung with candles. Tables are plain dark wood, and upholstery and wall colors are either soft white or muted blues, suggesting but not shouting “Mediterranean”.

Anyone familiar with Jaleo will recognize the menu concept, only this time instead of Spanish tapas we have Greek, Lebanese, and Turkish mezze. (Both restaurants are brought to you by the same people.) There are a few soups, salads, and dinner-sized plates offered, but the bulk of the menu is divided into vegetable, meat and poultry, and seafood mezze (small dishes). On three occassions when Steve and I dined here, the worst thing we had was the fried kasar cheese — and I only write “worst” because it was merely straightforward and didn’t completely knock our socks off like everything else.

Here’s a list of some dishes that I’ve tried (I snagged a menu): Hommos (outstanding); zucchini-cheese patties with yogurt and caper sauce; potatoes fried in Greek olive oil, served with yogurt (Jaleo fans, think ’patatas bravas’); carrot, apricot, and pinenut fritters with pistachio sauce (wow!); roasted red peppers with feta cheese; Ottoman rice pilav with pistachios and dates ; skewered boneless chicken leg in garlic, lemon, and Lebanese spice; beef and wheat fritters with almonds, pinenuts, and currants; grilled pork and orange rind sausage with a bean stew; braised lamb with eggplant puree and cheese (my favorite).

Hungry yet? If you’re adventurous, save room for dessert. Most of them sound really weird but are amazingly good. Ravani is warm semolina cake with yogurt sorbet, cardamom sauce, and dry fruit orange-flower water compote. There’s also a chocolate dessert, and dates soaked in vinsanto with olive oil ice cream (I kid you not, and it is good). If this is too much for your palate (and they can be overwhelming), the homemade ice creams and sorbets are usually simpler and refreshing (I especially like the orange-flower water sorbet).

Like Jaleo, this place can be a bargain if you can control your appetite and order only a few dishes. If you’re a hearty eater, the bill adds up fast. But it is so worth it.

I like the food, quite a bit. However, as with jaleo, I tend to fall into a rut of the same dishes over and over. Service has fallen off sharply in the last several months, which is bound to happen anywhere that a restaurant can stay packed regardless of how bad its service is.

I am also not as fond of the space as many others... the stainless fixtures/exposed concrete/dark wood/modern blocky white chair thing is so three years ago. And it’s always cold.