Because of Alex's weekend absence, I had to temporarily replace her with another food lover named Alex. So I want to thank Alex L for putting up with my picky food photography. Anyway back to the restaurant. Upon arriving at Zaytinya, Alex and I abruptly discovered what a hotspot this place is. It was packed and filled with youthful customers. The restaurant is so large and spilt into so many sections that I did not get a chance to see them all, but there is a bar, a main dining area, and an upstairs dining area from what I could tell walking to our table. After being greeted by our waitress we were ready to dig in.
First off, Zaytinya provides each table with a variation on an olive oil dip and some pita bread for the table. The pita bread is served full of air and ready to rip. This pita bread actually comes in handy because it is paired nicely with just about everything you order. Being a tapas style restaurant, Alex and I ordered two dishes to start off. We asked for the Peynirli Pide (a flatbread) and the Kolokithokeftedes (vegetable mezze). The first dish of the two to arrive was the vegetable mezze (no way am I typing ^ that again). It was served divided into four small zucchini and cheese disks placed over a caper yogourt sauce. It was a very fresh light dish, one with not too much flavor though. I do have to say we enjoyed the pita bread dipped in the yogourt sauce under the zucchini more than the actual zucchini. But we didn't want to dwell and moved onto our next dish. The flat bread proved to be the complete opposite in wow factor than the mezze. What seemed to be a normal looking flatbread was not so normal once it hit our tongues. This tiny pizza was baked with tomato sauce, oregano, and halloumi cheese. But what brought the wow factor to our tastebuds was the cinnamon undertones. I never expected cinnamon to taste so phenomenal in a pizza.
Our second round of tapas included the Shish Taouk (chicken mezze) and the Garides Saganaki (seafood mezze). We received the Shish Taouk first and were surprised by the flavor that was packed in these otherwise normal looking pieces. On the dish were onion slices, garlic tuom, grilled cherry tomatoes, and grilled chicken thigh. The surprising flavor came from the sumac the whole dish was prepared with. The chicken was cooked very well and was complemented perfectly by everything else on the plate. Next we had the Garides Saganaki. This dish was my favorite of the night. It was a small skillet containing sautéed shrimp and tomatoes, green onions, Kefalograviera cheese, and feta, all cooked with a Greek liqueur called ouzo. All of these flavors heated, melted, baked, and blended together and made for some fantastic tasting shrimp.
To end our night on a sweet note, Alex and I caved in and got a rose ice cream and chocolate concoction highly recommended to us by the waitress. Not only were we ending our night on a sweet note, but a high note as well. This dessert was one of the most interesting and flavorful tasting desserts I have ever had. I would return just for this dish alone. Unfortunately it is not on the menue and was a special that night, but that won't stop me from asking for it whenever I return. Zaytinya is certainly a great place to go anytime you are near Chinatown, but also a great place I would return even if I was not in Chinatown.
Eat up,
Chris and Alex L
