Andrew and I wanted to try out a place in DC since we were craving some Turkish/Greek/Lebanese food. Lucky for us, we chanced upon Zaytinya! Opened by reknowned chef, José Andrés, and known for its mezze dishes, it was a great way to try lots of savory dishes at once.
We enjoyed some warm, soft pita bread with fruity olive oil and homemade hummus...
... and moved onto some fried squid/calamari with mouth-watering garlic-yogurt sauce. YUM.
Next up, seared sea scallops with yogurt-dill sauce. Seared to perfection and melt-in-your mouth tender. :)
We also ordered seared halloumi cheese with compressed watermelon, mint, and pickled watermelon rind. Who knew cheese and juicy fruit paired so well together?
And no meal is complete without a meat dish! (Andrew would have a fit haha!) Thus.. the hünkar beğendi. A traditional Turkish braised lamb shank mini dish on top of eggplant-kefalograviera puree. In other words, another melt-in-your mouth, uber tender dish with a great creamy sauce.
Oh but wait! No dinner date is ever complete without dessert!
I got the Turkish Delight -- walnut ice cream, yogurt mousse, honey gelée, orange-caramel sauce, and caramelized pine nuts with a crunchy little wafer in the middle.
Andrew got the Greek yogurt and apricots -- muscat soaked apricots, vanilla yogurt cream, apricot sorbet, and pistachio powder.
Dinner: success.
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