Zaytinya means 'olive oil' in Turkish.

This restaurant makes mezzes (aka tapas) from Greece, Turkey and Lebanon and more. It is a huge two level place that is tastefully appointed and evokes the spirit of the Aegean.

Service is top notch and we were never left to want for anything. This wine list is almost exclusively Greek with a handful of other things thrown in, even from funkier places (Lebanese wine?). Picking a wine was a bit of a crapshoot, but the list has some cribs notes bits to explain what the different varietals are, so that helps. Mrs. TJ and I definitely stayed below our New Year's Resolution imposed $50 limit ( we only hit the $30 mark and were pleasantly surprised --- 1999 Paranga Fiorina -- TNs areHERE ).

The food is mostly wonderful. We had the following tastes---

Shrimp ouzo cheese thing (super yum!)
Beef wheat currant 'meatballs' with a yogurt sauce (funky, but a little dry)
Cod deepfried resting on a tasty puree (good)
Roasted red peppers and feta melange (yum)

Salad thing (man I can't even explain this one that had tomatoes, bits of lettuce, radishes, pita croutons, onions and more) -- DELISH!
Mullet with tomatoes and capers, very interesting and flavorful
Carrot apricot pine nut fritters with pistachio sauce -- I think this had lots of spices in it, especially cardamom) YUM
Sausage with beans (peppery) -- Mrs. TJ didn't like this one much, but I thought the sausage part was delicious.

All in all, a great experience. I would go back here again.

By the way, here is a link to the review on Washingtonpost.com --Zaytinya review link

I am popping this up on the radar in the hopes that the DC Crue will take note of it. The last DC Crue offline at Butterfield9 was wonderful, but a bit pricier than I'd like to make a routine of. Zaytinya is an awesome place but they do not take reservations for past 6:30PM.

So, dinwiddie, what do you think?

TJ-
Sounds like a great spot. I'll have to check it out. from the sounds of it we may have a hard time pairing wines with that menu but I'm sure we could muddle through

Quite possibly, yes, but their menu is extensive. We could always keep on searching. Dw's idea of a 'meat' night has its merits certainly.

Being the consumate carnivore that would be my vote but let's play it by ear.

Does Zaytinya permit corkage? It isn't on the list from Wide World of Wines. I'll have to give them a call and see.

I think it does. I think it is $15. That is a guess since I did ask them when I called them before we settled on Butterfield9, but my memory sucks.

It might be interesting figuring out what to bring to match the food. Probably something Italian, French, or Spanish. (I'm not sure I want to try the Lebanese and Greek wines) It would also be easy to have lots of different stuff since it is a mezze place. I've never tried to pair that type of food with wine.

Is the 6:30 start time ok with everyone? You lawyer types seem to work later than that, and TJ has to get here from out past Cairo Egypt.

BTW, it doesn't have to be Monday 11/10, I just thought it might be nice to be able to sleep in the next day but some of you have to work on Vets day. I also thought we'd be better served to not get too close to Turkey Day.

I also wonder how a place like Zaytinya, which is very hot, would react to a table of 6-8 taking up a table for 3+ hours. Of course, they don't take reservations after 6:30 for the very reason that they are as hot as they are on the dining scene.

Other places I was thinking of are Lavandou, Two Amy's, Sesto Senso or Petits Plats. Then again, there is steak night, but maybe we should save that for another night.

Zaytinya would be kewl, as would the others you mentioned, dw. I am only tangentially familiar with Two Amys, too. What can you tell us of the other places? No matter what, I am sure they are great, for you are the consumate foodie.

If we do go with Zaytinya, I could make a 6:30pm start time with enough warning. I also have a bottle of the 2000 Numanthia Toro that I'd love to crack at a place like Zaytinya.

Hey dw, maybe you should start another DC Crue thread over in the offlines section with your most recent post copied over there. Oh, and I agree with trying to keep it earlier in the month, don't want to interfere with Thanksgiving as you mentioned. I am also out of commission on the following evenings -- Nov 8, 14, 22 and 28 (all Caps home games I have tix for)...

Time to come in from the land of the lurkers...

Does the DC Crue take new members or is it a closed club?? How does one apply for membership? Is there a board that you have to appear in front of? I'm located in No. VA and have yet to get into the off line event thing although it seems to be great fun, great drinking, etc.....any suggestions for a newbie?

OK travelrep, all you need to do to be a part of the DC Crue is, well, show up with some wine!

Seriously, go over to the offlines section, dinwiddie just started a thread over there about the November thing. The more the merrier generally. Welcome!!

TJ-
Aren't you forgetting the homage new members have to pay in the form of something like a 98 Grange or 97 Byrant?

Well, I WOULD say it would be any newbie's honor on the line if they did not drink from the dump bucket, only, we never seem to need one with this Crue.

Well gents...perhaps I shouldn't have admitted to being new at this sort of thing. Two Buck Chuck is more in line with my wine budget but maybe I could come up with something that will properly pay homage to the Crue!

As for the dump bucket, all I can say is drink up folks and don't even think about spitting anything out...

Anything you bring will be kewl, honestly. And if it's Two Buck Chuck...well

Well........then we open that bottle of D' Ardenberg TJ's got hiding in his back pocket.

Zaytinya DOES permit corkage/BYOW for $15/bottle as long as it is not on their greek/turkish/lebanese wine list.

But what would you pair with greek/turkish/lebanese food? Something Italian or Spanish?

Post for the food library...

With Mrs. TJ occupied with hanging out with her mother, I met dinwiddie at Zaytinya yesterday to drink some wine, eat some grub and watch some hockey.

Zaytinya is a Greek/Turkish/Lebanese mezzes (aka tappas) place just a couple of blocks from the MCI Center in downtown Washington DC. It's a well-appointed reasonably new (2 years?) place that gets jammed quick. Pretty noisy, but you can remarkably carry on a normal conversation where you don't have to raise your voice and you can easily hear the person you are conversing with.

Dinwiddie and I never settled on whether we'd bring wine or wing it off of their oddball wine list (pretty much only Greek, Turkish and Lebanese wines). I thought we'd bring wine, and DW thought we'd wing it. He ended up scoring a bottle quick right around the corner and we were set.

We ordered 8 plates and popped the Turley (2001?) Juveniles Zin and the Spanish wine that dw got (a gran riserva from 1990, something about Duron?). The plates included some frites-like things with a yogurt sauce, some baby octopus (well seasoned and almost black), smoked/baked oysters, this interesting lamb kebab thing -- sort of sausage like with onions and yogurt, these carrot, apricot and pine nut fritters (just ok), this tiny beef filled pasta with yet more yogurt and cheese I think and lamb shanks with superb flavors and spices (best dish IMO). I think I must be missed one or two, but perhaps DW will chime in. We also both eyeballed the same dessert, a sort of chocolate cake thingie with cardamom something or other and cream and it was deliciously sweet and savory at the same time. Nicely done.

The Turley was excellent, but did not WOW me. I'd give it maybe an 89/90. Nice jammy and brambly flavors with loads of fruit and great acidity. The Duron was, as expected, something completely different. It had sort of a cognac-eyness to it at times, showed some evidence of bricking, and developed a delicious smokiness to it. Pretty nice. Have no idea how to rate something like it, but, I'll give it a stab with 86 TJ points.

The Caps at the game later, looked really terrible, especially during the second period, and it was odd to see them go on the power play without Peter Bondra on point. Still, they battled back from a 2 goal deficit to tie it up and the OT session made no winners.

TJ,

You forgot the grilled sardines. They were excellent.

The wine was a Bodegas Duron Ribera del Duero Gran Reserva 1990. It is a pretty good example of how Spanish wines taste when they get some age on them. Picked it up at Central Liquor's around the corner from where we met.

It was a great meal, though next time I go, I won't order the carrot thingees. And who thought the Caps would be able to come back to tie from two goals down.