173 replies to this topic

[Steve Klc]

In case anyone was curious:

http://eg.washington...ext=restaurants

[Suzanne F]

Well, the only savory we had that he mentions was the octopus -- and ours was dense, yes, but very tender. So I disagree with him there.

But he is 100% right about Steve K's semolina cake. Fireworks, indeed!

I only wish when we ate there that we had room for more; everything was excellent.

[Monica Bhide]

Steve, a few days ago, I was talking to Pascal about you and he was telling me how awesome your food is... any time you are looking for a taster, I am local anytime anytime anytime

[vengroff]

Steve, it sounds great to me. I'm a big fan of the mezze/tapas approach to dining.

It's also nice to see a pastry chef's contribution fully acknowledged in a review. I can't wait to try the dates in vin santo with olive oil ice cream.

[Steve Klc]

Try to PM me when you plan to come. Lately I've been spending most of my time and mental energy down the street at one of Jose's other restaurants, Cafe Atlantico, creating a dynamic dessert program there to complement the contemporary Latin savory stylings of Jose and Kats (Katsuya Fukushima--who most recently cooked at Verbena in NYC and before that, El Bulli.) So I'm knee deep in plaintain powder and masa instead of phyllo and semolina.

At Zaytinya, that date dessert is my personal favorite--and the most "creative," most labor-intensive dessert on the menu. We have cases of these beautiful jumbo Medjool dates flown in just for us from a farm in California, who otherwise sends most of their product to Japan. No one else in the city uses Jumbo grade--the largest, texturally most select, sweetest dates--presumably because they are too expensive. $55 a case for jumbo Medjools versus $46 for "large"--the next quality grade down--and none of the regular channel produce vendors even carry jumbos. We get them direct from the farm because even the "larges" from the produce wholesalers tended to be old, dried and dessicated. A real bitch to peel.

We briefly roast these fat meaty dates in a Greek vin santo with muscovado sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, orange zest--to loosen the skins--then peel them--a real chore--and reduce the liquid to a sauce consistency. Three of these dates are arranged on top of some crumbled shortbread, which is on top of a thin layer of pistachio cream poured into a shallow bowl. A drizzle of the date reduction, the olive oil ice cream (made in the PacoJet) a drizzle of the unfiltered Greek evoo itself and a sprinkle of ground pistachio, candied orange rind and fleur de sel completes the dish.

That we're even trying to do a dessert like this in volume--and at that price point of $6 is really a testament to my team and the support of a chef-owner-visionary like Jose Andres (and his partners Roberto Alvarez and Rob Wilder.) But that was also before this review came out, so we'll see how we do when volume increases. I'll change it if the prep or plating consistency slips in any way.

And yes, Tom was very generous to me and Jose and the whole team behind the project.

(By the way, Michel Richard was in Cafe for lunch yesterday and unbeknownst to me Kats served him the test version of one of the new desserts--a jiggly coconut panna cotta with mango salad in a vanilla-lime jus. The glasses came back scraped clean so we're off to a good start.)

[Fat Guy]

Incredible review, Special K. I don't read much of Sietsema's work, but I know that if I lived in DC I would. Every time I do happen to stumble across something he's done, I like it, and I especially appreciate that he's one of the few newspaper columnists in America to take the online component of his paper seriously by participating in frequent chat sessions. Other papers with serious food sections should be ashamed of themselves for not following suit.

[Steve Klc]

This comment struck the eGulleteer in me, though:

"You're out of luck, though, if you hope to book a table after 6:30 p.m.; Zaytinya doesn't take reservations for any later, a policy I find inhospitable in this otherwise gracious dining room."

I'm not sure I view this policy as any more or less inhospitable than other options. What say the rest of you?

It's interesting you mention the weekly online chats Tom sits down for--he really walks a tightrope with those, at times exposing himself more than any other restaurant critic I'm aware of. He's nice, sincere and actually reads and responds to viewer e-mails. Phyllis Richman, Tom's predecessor, inaugurated this interaction. It's one thing they--and the Washington Post group--have done right for some time.

Here's the link to Tom's chat archive if anyone is interested:

http://www.washingto...od/sietsema.htm

[Fat Guy]

I'm not sure I view this policy as any more or less inhospitable than other options.  What say the rest of you?

I don't see it as a question of hospitality at all. The hospitality issue, for me, is the fair, predictable, and reasonable application of policies, and the clear announcement of such policies. There are arguments in favor of a restaurant taking reservations, arguments in favor of walk-in-only policies, and arguments in favor of hybrid policies -- and they're all reasonable arguments that are ultimately going to satisfy a percentage of customers at the expense of others.

My preference -- and this is just me -- is for more-or-less casual restaurants to offer some reservations at all times, but to combine that with walk-in seating for most tables. That way, if I have a business engagement or specific plans that require precise timing, I can call far enough ahead to get one of the few reservations. Otherwise, that restaurant becomes a non-option for me on any evening when my schedule isn't open-ended. I think it's fair to say you have a 20-minute hold policy -- if the party with the reservation is later than that, the table gets given up and the party with the reservation goes into the walk-in queue if those folks ever appear. It's also worth bearing in mind that the types of customers who order expensive wine and such tend to be older and don't like waiting in lines -- they want reservations. But, again, I don't see it as a hospitality question at all.

[Suvir Saran]

Steve, just tell us eGulleteers how the owner of Zaytinya had to pay for this review?

Amazing! And I hear very well deserved.

Congratulations.

When are you all doing a DC eGullet dinner at Zaytinya? I will attend for sure. I am in for 2.

[Malawry]

Steve, what a wonderful review! Congratulations.

[vengroff]

Steve,

We were just at Altantico last night! Didn't try the current desserts, but see comments here.

[Steve Klc]

You said something interesting my friend "Steve, just tell us eGulleteers how the owner of Zaytinya had to pay for this review?"

I know you are being a bit impish with this, since the review was so good, but I will answer this seriously because it is important--the ownership group--Jose plus Rob and Roberto as I mentioned--are all honest and experienced restaurateurs with other successful restaurants under their belt that have stood the test of time and remained both popular and relevant. That's no easy feat--plus, more than anything else, they hired passionate talented people to be a part of their team--and then let them do their thing. I am lucky to be part of that team, but just to give you an example--they hired the chef from Lebanese Taverna--a warm, gregarious, bear of a man named Abdoul--to come over and teach us how to make phyllo by hand--the way Abdoul's father's father did--the old-fashioned "artisanal" labor-intensive way. It would have made much more economic and practical sense to simply use commercial frozen phyllo--as even the lauded "best" restaurant in town--Michel Richard at Citronelle--does when he makes his creme brulee napoleon.

But no, the Zaytinya phyllo had to be made by hand in-house. And part of that resulted from Jose Andres travelling around Greece and Turkey and seeing that phyllo there was many different textures and thicknesses, many different subtle styles and variations than just that ubiquitous frozen phyllo you and I and Michel Richard defrost. The owners knew who to turn to, secured the proper permissions, invested in the labor costs for training and voila--the spanikopita at Zaytinya impresses like no other.

The owners paid for that good review by making good decisions like that all throughout the process--managing and motivating design, labor and creativity--and I'm sure countless other things I haven't even been privy to yet.

[vengroff]

We went to Zaytinya for the first time last night and had a lovely time.

The front room very striking, surrounded by a towering wall of windows. Unfortunately, the ceiling in the bar is much lower, and this makes it feel a little cramped, even though it is otherwise a large space. The bar crowd was a good mix of after work types and the young and hip--in some cases too hip. The woman next to us at the bar, for example, wore her leather pants in a style more commonly associated with plumbers' Levis. But enough about the atmosphere--on to the food.

We knew in advance that this dinner was going to be all about mezze. If we hadn't known that before, the menu, which features dozens of mezze, and just three or four entrees tucked away in the lower right corner, was a dead giveaway. We really wanted to try everything, but after some debate we settled on the following seven:

Baba ghannouche We debated between this old standby and a whole roasted eggplant stuffed with onions and tomatoes. In the end, we decided that we should stick to what we knew for a couple of dishes, like this one, and branch out with the rest. We were rewrded with a creamy smoky dip, topped with olive oil and studded with pomegranite seeds.

Greek olives with thyme The selection of olives presented were meaty and flavorful, with good texture. All were excellent examples of their style. The range of styles presented could have been a bit broader, but again, all the olives that were served were of excellent quality.

Fava beans These were presented in dip form, covered layers of diced onions, capers, and olive oil. The onion and caper flavor combination is one I associate with fish, but it worked very well here with the rich fava paste.

Cabbage dolmades These were my star pick for the evening. The cabbage leaf wrappers were soft and tender, more like a good crepe than the thick veiny stuffed cabbage wrappers one sees elsewhere. The filling was rice and mushrooms. What put this dish over the top for me was the topping of lemony foam and olive oil. Everything about this dish was fresh and flavorful. Next time I vistit, it will be hard not to order two servings.

Taramosalata This is a dish of creamed cod roe. I've had this elsewhere and enjoyed it. It can be fishy at times, but a good one is light and airy enough to offer balance. Here, unfortunately, it was so oppressively salty that the other flavors could not come through. It was the only dish of the seven that we did not finish.

Yumurtali This was wife's favorite. A soft-cooked egg atop a semi-sweet vegetable ragou with strips of air-dried beef. Breaking the yolk self-sauced the dish, giving it a lovely creamy counterpoint to the crispy beef. A great combination of salty and sweet flavors, executed masterfully.

Shish taouk This was a grilled boneless chicken leg with onions and tomato. Far more flavorful than any white meat kebab could ever be, with thin tender rings of onion and a perfect blend of spices. It was extremely well executed and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

We knew essentially nothing about the Greek, Lebanese, and Turkish wines on offer, but our waiter was extremely helpful in describing them. He admitted that since they had not been open long he had not had a chance to try them all. But he was confident in his descriptions of those he had tried. He even went so far as to warn us away from one bottle he said was so stronly vanilla flavored that it could be likened to cookie dough. We settled on a 99 Voyatzi blend of Xinomavro, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It was a light red wine, slightly acidic, but otherwise well balanced and a nice accompanyment to our food.

And now, it was time for dessert. Having read Klc's posts here on eGullet and seen his pastryarts.com site, I knew he was both talented and passionate about his pastry creations. Now, I would taste them for the first time.

I was particularly excited about the Medjool dates, as described by Steve in this thread. They were everything I had hoped for. The dates themselves were plump and silky. I would not have guessed that their creamy texture could be achieved in a whole fruit. I also loved how the crumbled orange shortbread set off not only the dates, but also the pistachio cream and rich olive oil ice cream.

We also had the semolina cake. It was excellent, and beautifully plated. But next to the dates, I don't know of any dessert that would stand much of a chance.

Semisweet Turkish coffee was a fine finish.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable evening, and one I hope to repeat soon. Next time, we will try to go with a group of at least four, so as to increase the number of different mezze we can try.

[vengroff]

Steve,

I forgot to ask this earlier. When the menu was being developed, do you know if any thought given to a dish based on halloumi, the waxy white sheep's milk cheese from Cyprus? I love the smooth smoky flavor it develops when grilled. I've seen blocks of it for sale in shops in New York, but never on a restaurant menu in this country.

Thanks!

[jparrott]

I had a late lunch at the bar today.

Started with the Ksara Ksarak, which was a bit sweet when neat but very nice at 1:1 with cold water.

Spanakopita was very good, although the filling was a tad shy of pepper. The pastry was a real triumph and shows the value of handcrafting it.

The Kibbeh Nayeh was well seasoned, although I wish it was chopped a bit coarser.

Garides Saganaki, shrimp in a tomato broth gratineed with cheese, was incredible. The cheese served more as a dumpling in the stew than anything else, and served it well. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and sweet as candy. A triumph.

Mavrofassoula Me Loucaniko--perfect sausage, perfect beans. Nice dish, a good accompaniment to the lighter, lither reds offered by the glass.

The dates in the Medjool date dessert were a bit sticky, and the shortbread crumbs were not quite enough of a textural contrast.

Okay, okay, I've now said everything I can say negative.

Zaytinya is the most engaging, best value restaurant within 200 miles of Washington. The food is subtle without being precious, full-flavored without being cloying, wine-friendly without being subservient. The servers, especially the barkeeps, are knowledgeable, have good palates and appreciate customers who engage them. The room is stunning, without being beaten down by loud music or stifled by poor lighting, day or night. You can feast and drink like a king for less than 50 bucks. The barstools are comfy. The Metro is right outside the door. Do I need to go on?

I'd like to get a straight answer on the corkage policy, though. :-)

Jake

[jparrott]

Hey Steve: has/did Sr. Andres give any thought to making his own limoncello for the bar?

Jake

[Steve Klc]

Jake--have you called the restaurant and asked to speak with Christopher Vasquez as far as the corkage policy yet? He is the GM and if you don't get a "straight" answer out of him I'd be very surprised.

And as far as the limoncello is concerned, I've only tried a handful of the drinks at the bar--and I'm not a hard liquor/liqueur kind of guy. My palate doesn't go there. I will try to remember to ask Jose, I'm cooking with him in Cleveland this week at the MOCA. You might want to ask Christopher as well--he oversaw the development of those drinks and the bar and if you feel it could be done well, I'm sure they'd be interested in hearing from a satisfied customer. Just how do you go about making your own limoncello?

(By the way, I hear there is a "50/50 leaning toward the negative" review of Zaytinya in the Washington magazine this month. I haven't read it yet, but since I mentioned the Sietsema/Washington Post review above it is only fair that I mention it--you all can decide whether it is valid or not.)

[jparrott]

Haven't talked to Chris yet...which one is he? I know manager Brian (and bartender Jorge) from Colvin Run Tavern, but don't know Chris.

Limoncello can be either distilled (hard) or infused (easy). There are plenty of recipes for it on other boards, but all of them require good vodka, lemon zest, sugar and water. You infuse the vodka for a month, then sweeten it w/sugar syrup. It seems like some trouble, but it might also be a neat touch alongside the homemade phyllo and other time-consuming quality measures at the restaurant.

If the Washingtonian reviewer went on Friday or Saturday night, I can definitely see how they might have issues. Not with the food, but with the whole cacophony. Not a bad problem to have, eh?

Jake

[Al_Dente]

I'm anxious to try this place out. I spent a couple of months in Greece and a month in Turkey. What would be the chances of finding seating Friday night at 6 for 6 people?

[vengroff]

I'm anxious to try this place out. I spent a couple of months in Greece and a month in Turkey. What would be the chances of finding seating Friday night at 6 for 6 people?

They get a big after-work crowd, but a lot of that is in the bar. The dining area is quite large, and tables seem to turn pretty quickly, so it might not be too long of a wait.

If there is a game at the MCI center on the particular Friday, shoot for just a little later when the wave of pre-game diners clears out.

[William Bitterman]

Mr. Klc-I think your friend was only kidding when he asked how you"paid' for your good review. However, your touchy response made me think that perhaps you don't feel anyone should be able to joke with you. When you take yourself that seriously, you really sound like a whiner. I also feel that it isn't really necessary to kiss Tom Seitsema's ass so blatantly. Perhaps you don't know this, but many people who live in DC (not the suburbs), don't pay much attention to him-in fact, I hate to say this, but my friends and I almost miss Phyllis Richman!

[Steve Klc]

Of course he was kidding, I used it as an opportunity to give credit where credit was due. And taking myself seriously, well, that's nothing new.

Readers bitching about Sietsema as New Yorkers bitch about Grimes--it comes with their territory no matter what they write. Around DC it is like longing for Joe Gibbs as coach of the Redskins. You're new to the forum, but I've been very open and critical here (especially for a chef) regarding the job I feel the Post, Sietsema and Richman have done covering the food scene in our area. I've also tried to be fair and reasonable. In my case and in theirs, the work, not the resume, speaks for itself--what's on the plate and what's written. No amount of perceived ass-kissing can overcome deficiencies in one or the other.

Unlike most other chefs, I've also had a few articles published. So I've been on both sides of the media fence. Maybe it helps me see things a little more clearly, maybe not. But as a result of my writing and my cooking I've tried to respect the people on both sides who I feel are trying to do good work and I hope there is nothing wrong with discussing that frankly and openly.

Tom didn't like my chocolate-cardamom-espresso dessert at Zaytinya. I still think it's fantastic and I don't hold it against him. I've done it for a few chef-type events in NYC and when I was a guest of Disneyworld and cooked at the California Grill, that was one of three desserts I chose to do. All raves. I think Tom may have a thing with chocolate, and he definitely has a thing for liquid center chocolate cakes--he's said he doesn't like them, that they're too ubiquitous. He may not "get" chocolate the way I get it. I make that cake a different way than probably anyone else in DC--technique-wise something I adapted from Philippe Conticini--and I use a blend of chocolate that no one else in DC does. Now, maybe on this a diner will agree more with Tom, maybe with me. Either way, I'll get over it, so will he. It's the nature of our jobs. So is being on the receiving end of snide comments and cheapshots. It happens.

It's his job to tell his readers how he sees things--and he's doing a great job staying on top of the food scene in DC, as well as in the burbs. Could he do even better? I'm sure some chefs feel he could. But who among us couldn't do an even better job? His approach to his job is impeccably professional--and his fact-checking is impressive. (And I've been reviewed by William Grimes as well and I thought his fact-checking was very good.) None of that has prevented me from discussing why we disagree at times.

I've also read the Washingtonian for years--long before I even became a chef--and have met and dined with a few of their editors. For example--in the tepid Washingtonian magazine review of Zaytinya--which I have now just read--though they seemed to really like my desserts, moved to use the word "ethereal" in connection with one, there were two errors in just the two sentences about the desserts: that one used an "Italian" wine and that a cardamom "ice cream" was served. I wasn't mentioned by name and I wasn't contacted to check any facts prior to publication. The two wonderful wines I use there in the desserts are both Greek and mentioned on the menu (yes, I realize I used Greek, wine and wonderful in the same sentence) and the cardamom is either an espuma or sauce, not ever spun into an ice cream in the Pacojet. All of that is perfectly fine. That review, as any review, stands on its own merit. Neither review, and no amount of perceived ass-kissing, will have any effect on the quality or value or consistency of the $5.95 desserts being sent out each day to the average diner. That was nailed before the first critic even showed up.

I do think your comment about missing Phyllis is an interesting one--one that comes up in DC foodie circles still--and one worth discussing if you'd like to start a new thread on it. I'd like to hear why.

Could I be even more critical? Perhaps, but then that would be taking myself way too seriously.

[jparrott]

I'm anxious to try this place out. I spent a couple of months in Greece and a month in Turkey. What would be the chances of finding seating Friday night at 6 for 6 people?

At 6, it shouldn't be a problem. Much after that, however, and it gets dicey...I don't think they get a huge pre-game hit on Friday and Saturday nights compared to the normal Friday and Saturday nights....

Jake

[hjshorter]

Perhaps you don't know this, but many people who live in DC (not the suburbs), don't pay much attention to him-in fact, I hate to say this, but my friends and I almost miss Phyllis Richman!

Do you mean to say that those of us who live in the suburbs don't know any better?

As for missing Phyllis Richman - it's kinda nice to have a restaurant reviewer that doesn't include the word "buttery" in every write-up.

[hjshorter]

We have reservations tomorrow night at the very unfashionable hour of 5pm. I'm looking forward to trying some of Steve's desserts!

[ajay]

I think that I would prefer a reservations policy with a majority of the tables being held rather than the scheme the fat guy proposes, but I would take his plan (20 minute holding time and all even though I'm chronically late-- I think it's in my genes) over the non reservation policy. Especially since I'm not a local and commitments would likely keep me busy until the peak hours when a reservation would become absolutley necesarry as I tend to eat very lightly before taking in a meal at a restaurant I expect to enjoy (so that in the words of our estimable cabby I don't have capacity problems). Howeve this strategy makes me quite cranky when I have to wait for a table.

Of course I'm not the demographic the restaurant is designed to cater to, and will just have to suck it up, but the question was voiced and I felt obliged to provide my response. I really hope I can work Zaytinya and Cafe Atlantico in on my next trip; with both being as reasonably priced as they are, I will be bummed if I don't make both. But if scheduling does not permit both, do members have any insight on which one should be preferred?

[Fat Guy]

Ajay, I anwered this on the Cafe Atlantico thread and said that for food there's really no contest: it's Cafe all the way. If you're looking at externalities, well, the Zayt. space is great (Cafe's space is getting a bit long in the tooth and could use a facelift) and the buzz is as energetic as you can imagine. So if that sort of thing matters to you, it's a tougher choice.

[ajay]

Sorry, Fat Guy, we cross posted.

[Fat Guy]

So, I went to Zaytinya.

No matter how food-obsessed and focused you are, it's impossible to avoid letting the energy level at Zaytinya affect your meal. This place is absolutely slamming -- it's as energetic a restaurant as you're likely to find short of one of those night clubs that isn't really a restaurant. Zaytinya is a serious restaurant, though. A fun, high-energy, serious restaurant . . . with an amazing, soaring interior designed by Adamstein and Demetriou (A&D, like the ointment).

The Eastern-Mediterranean/Middle-Eastern mezze/tapas/grazing concept is nothing new. Like Jose Andres's other restaurant themes -- Nuevo Latino and Spanish tapas -- the whole thing has filtered down into the deep reaches of the American culinary middle market. You see many of these same dishes at high-end supermarkets in the suburbs, and I recently endured an unremarkable rendition of the mezze concept at a straight-from-the-pages-of-Nation's-Restaurant-News endeavor in one of the planned communities (Sandestin) in Northwest Florida. So I go into such a place with a bit of a chip on my shoulder.

Zaytinya immediately disarms the cynic with its vibe and, if that's not quite doing the trick, the hot, freshly baked pita. This is such a no-brainer. It's great. They bring the hot oblong bread standing upright in a basket, and they refill it maniacally the whole night long. Yet so few restaurants in the country bother to make decent pita (or even acquire decent bread -- but that's another issue). I'm a bit of a bread addict, but I think it's fair to say that this bread is the foundation of the whole meal: you dip it in stuff, you smear stuff on it, you use it to pick up the shmutz remaining on the place after you've eaten whatever was there, you make little sandwiches, you nibble on it while you're contemplating the six-gazillion-item-long menu, you dip it in olive oil laced with pomegranate syrup (Zaytinya is Turkish for olive oil, they tell me) and you play with it when it's really hot, letting the steam pop out from the center when you rip off a corner.

There is, however, food available in addition to the bread. The two extreme standouts of the evening were the manti "Nejla" and the kalamari me spanaki. Manti are little balls of gelatinous pasta stuffed with beef (Nejla is the name of the woman Jose hired as a consultant to teach this dish to the staff -- this practice of giving some attribution on the menu is something of which I strongly approve). Visually they look sort of the shape and size of chickpeas. They're lightly coated in a sauce of yogurt, butter, and sumac. Usually, I'm happy to taste a dish, pass judgment, and move on, but I found myself competing with my tablemates for follow-up servings of this one. Each one of these little pasta things is hand crafted in the kitchen -- it must be a grueling task. Kalamari me spanaki sounds prosaic in translation: squid with spinach. But it's the tenderest squares of calamari with the most vibrant spinach -- one of those simple but beautifully executed dishes that makes you realize just how badly most restaurants (even at the upper echelons of dining) ruin these two potentially great ingredients. And at 5.95 for the squid and $6.25 for the manti;, it's just a really good value. Not that the portions are large, but they are not by any means small. If you have four people, everybody gets a reasonably heaping scoop or two of most every dish. If four people order four dishes plus one dessert each, you're looking at a food tab that's around $120. The value is quite impressive. One would not normally expect this level of technique at this price point.

It's going to be very difficult for me to go back to eating humus (the restaurant makes a fine rendition of that, though it was served too cold) after trying the Santorini fava preparation at Zaytinya. This is the humble fava's answer to the chickpea. The puree is enriched with olive oil, red onion, capers, and lemon. It's very good.

A trio of fried things rounded out my favorites, with the best of the three being the havoc koftesi: carrot, apricot, and pine nut fritters with pistachio sauce. Falafel was one of the few acceptable specimens I've had outside the Middle East. And the kibbeh -- basically falafel but made of beef and wheat -- were also excellent. Some of the Lebanese-influenced dishes were taught to the cooks by the people at Lebanese Taverna -- a very traditional restaurant where the classic preparations are valued. So the Zaytinya crew knows how to make the real stuff -- so it's not one of these all-too-common situations where the cooks making the falafel have never seen anyone make it right. The chef of Lebanese Taverna -- named Abdoul -- is credited on the menu for the falafel recipe (called "falafel Abdoul"). He also taught the staff how to make phyllo by hand, just as his father taught him and as he makes it every day in the Lebanese Taverna bakery. One of the Taverna owners, Dany Abi-Najm, worked with Jose to install the pita-making system. So all this genuine knowledge has been carefully obtained. But then Jose has taken almost every recipe and given it a little tweak here or there -- a little unexpected spice, or a texture variation, or something. And unlike most chefs who tamper with the classic, he actually makes improvements.

There were a whole lot of other dishes, all of them quite good. I'm just stopping here at the break point between superlative and very good. I'd also like to go back and try the other half of the menu. Apparently there are a few entree-sized items as well. I haven't tried any.

This was my first actual taste of Steve Klc's desserts. I was perversely hoping they would suck, even though I knew that wasn't going to be the case. But they were of course excellent. Still, for me the impressive thing about the desserts wasn't that they were good. It's that they cost $5.95 each and the kitchen must serve like 400 of them on a busy night, yet they're more sophisticated in conception and technique than the $16 desserts at most high-end restaurants. And more than that, I appreciated that the desserts flowed from the style of the restaurant and the savory dishes. Everything about Zaytinya -- both the premises and the cuisine -- says clean and modern. What Steve has done -- and this is his overall ethos or concept -- is gotten to the heart of the region, totally immersed himself in the ingredients and flavors, and come out on the other side with a set of reinvented, clean, modern desserts that pay homage to the region but are appropriate to a contemporary, upscale pastry kitchen.

If you've traveled around the Eastern Mediterranean (I haven't actually been to all the countries represented at Zaytinya, but I've sampled similar ingredients in Israel and Egypt) or you're accustomed to dining at Greek or Middle Eastern restaurants in large cities where the imported or produced-to-correct-specifications ingredients are available, you'll notice that the desserts are first and foremost built on a platform of ingredients that taste real. So even though the forms of several desserts are radical departures from the familiar, the substance of each is far more authentic than what you'd get in most places that adhere to the traditional forms. Ingredients include the Total brand of Greek yogurt, a goat's milk yogurt made by a Greek family in Ontario, Greek muscat and vin santo wines, a fruity unfiltered Greek EVOO, Greek honeys, and the aforementioned hand-made phyllo (which represents an uncommon level of support for pastry -- how many restaurants could possibly be doing this?). Desserts, just like savory dishes, are ingredient-dependent, yet the quality of dessert ingredients is often overlooked even in high-end restaurants. Building from that platform of good ingredients, the desserts can really soar, so, for example, the medjool dates are roasted in the Greek vin santo, the Greek EVOO forms the basis of the olive oil ice cream, the goat's milk mousse is based on the Skotidakis Goat Farm yogurt from Ontario, the yogurt cream (based on Total) is paired with a Greek muscat wine gelee on top. I'm also wondering how many other restaurants at this price point are investing in a Pacojet.

The two best desserts are the "Turkish coffee" and the dates. The "Turkish coffee" is actually a warm liquid center cake and chocolate cream quenelle, both of which Steve reports he makes with E. Guittard 72% chocolate (an excellent product), served on top of a cardamom foam (aka espuma -- I should probably get with the program and start calling it what Adria calls it), which is essentially a foamed cardamom creme Anglaise, with a sauce made of espresso and Raki (a Turkish liqueur like ouzo) and sprinkled with sea salt, candied orange rind and toasted sesame seed. The date dessert consists of amazingly nice jumbo Medjool dates -- I don't think I've ever seen better ones, and Steve reports they have to be flown in direct from a grower in California because no one else is DC carries anything in that category -- roasted in Greek vin santo with orange and cinnamon, placed on top of a layer of pistachio cream with crumbled orange shortbread on top, and it's finished with a quenelle of olive oil ice cream, some of the reduced date sauce and a sprinkle of sea salt, candied orange rind and pistachio powder.

As I was saying, Zaytinya has the amazing vibe and space. Here's the architectural photo from the publicist, taken in an empty restaurant under daylight conditions, so you can get an idea of the space:


(Zaytinya's photo)

Now wait until nighttime, climb to the top of those stairs, turn around, and look down:


(Ellen Shapiro's photo)

Do you get the idea?

We made a stop at Jaleo afterwards for additional dessert, specifically Jose's "crema Catalana a new way." This may have been the very first use of an Adria-style espuma in the US. It's an almost weightless dessert served in a tall glass, with a barely caramelized sugar crust on top, a custard espuma/foam, cinnamon gelee in the middle layer, more espuma, and lemon compote on the bottom. Great.

Jaleo was still packed when we got there, even though it was late, so we had to stand up in the corner of the bar in order to eat our desserts. This kind of sustained success is kind of amazing considering the restaurant is about to celebrate its 10th Anniversary beginning on April 1st. And during that month, the Steve Klc desserts will be introduced. So I guess I'll be back.

[vengroff]

Excellent report Mr. Shaw. My current faves at Zaytinya are the squid with spinach and the stuffed cabbage. Did you try the latter, with the olive oil and lemon foam? The dates, of course, are incomparable.

As for the crema Catalana at Jaleo, I would never have ordered it without the "new way" moniker, and the waiter's subsequent description. "Trust me," he said, "it is served in a new way that you have not had before." I actually appreciated that more than I would have a more detailed description, because each layer I encountered was refreshing and new. With all due respect to Steve Klc, whose desserts are stupendous, I hope the crema can retain a position on the menu as an honorary classic.