Thanks for your rec. Basilgirl...which however brings up another topic/disagreement. I have been to Zaytinya's twice and, *pace* everyone in my office who seems to love it, I did not find it very appealing. Though I was duly impressed by the sleek space and the DC chic scene (if that is not an oxymoron), the service was poor (though understandably as they were quite crowded) and the food so so. The first time, I enjoyed the apricot pine nut carrot fritters (probably the high light) , the pitas were fluffy and warm, and I picked on a decent eggplant salad (though Lebanese taverna's is better) . But I found many of the plates (kibbeh, squid,) over salted, over oiled or simply lacking in distinct flavors. Still, I wasn't too put off to try again... the next time I went, around 11 pm, I sat at the bar where the bartender strongly encouraged me to try an Ouzotini. Alas, it was horrendous and I sent it back (which didn't stop him from charging me for it...). But even worse was the flaccid, rubbery grilled octopus, sitting limply in a reddish pool of sauce which was supposed to hint of wine and tomatoes. And, instead of the piping hot Spanikopita we ordered, we were brought a plate of uninspired cabbage balls which we thought of sending back but our food took so long the first time and we were so hungry (and by this time a little drunk) that we decided not to bother waiting. We paid the bill and left, got home and ordered a pizza from Albertos. Now, I have not tried the desserts there, and there menu is huge, so perhaps I am not ordering the right things. Anyone who begs to differ and can point me to the right mezze to order, please do and perhaps I'll give it a third try. But not this week.
