If you haven’t heard already – the next Top Chef is going to be quite an incestuous one.  DC is representing with Bryan Voltaggio of VOLT, and Mike Isabella of Jose Andres’ Zaytinya competing for the Top Chef nod.  But the competition becomes personal as Michael Voltaggio – Bryan Voltaggio’s brother and head chef of José Andrés’s Bazaar in Los Angeles – joins the competition for the top spot.  See all the connections?

Well what this means for me is that (+) I get to see some inspired dishes from the chef of one of my fave restos in DC (Z) – ANDDD the chef of Bazaar!!!, (-)  I will be less inclined to visit the already overbooked Zaytinya until the buzz from the TV show wears off.

Which led me to my mission – I needed a reliable alternative to the Z.

I heard praises about Me Jana and had high hopes for it to be the ‘one’, within a 5 minutes drive of my place… But my introductory visit there made me realize an error in my approach: Me Jana is not NEW Mediterranean cuisine… it is good traditional Lebanese cuisine and deserves to be appraised as such!

A Lebanese meal is often composed of different meze or small dishes.  They come in 5-10 flights of different types of meze.  Typically the meal has a pattern – it is started with olives, olive oil, and labneh (strained yogurt); then a salads and spreads, followed by a vegetable course, light seafood course, light meat course, and heartier stews and braised meats.  Read more on mezze.

In true Lebanese fashion the Me Jana started off our meal with the gratis olive oil, zatar, olives, and labneh along with the warm, puffed pita bread.  The pita bread has been something I have come to look forward to in my trips to Lebanese restos and lame pita has often been the downfall for some of the better reputed restaurants in my books. Here it was warm, puffy, and fluffy – although the pleasure only lasted the duration that it was warm. The gratis appetizers/dips were a nice touch, although the olives had an odd soapy flavor.

Then came the stellar mezze. The babaganoush did not disappoint.  It was smooth, smoky and tangy – all that a good baba is supposed to be.  The calamari with cilantro and garlic had just the right texture, the shrimp was deliciously prepared with tomatoes garlic, parsley and herbs.  Thyme fries were crispy and golden and the herbs gave it a nice kick.

I realized the flaw in my compare/contrast approach as I pitted the two staple dishes – the Dolmeh (Grape Leaves) and Kibbeh – with the Z’s. The Dolmeh was described on the menu as having a “hint of pomegranate molasses,” which led me to the hope that this may indeed be the dish to rival the Z. As I dug into the dolmeh I searched for the sweet taste of pomegranate molasses that I hoped would offset the sour grape leaves…which left me so unsatisfied. As for the kibbeh, it had a beautiful brown crispy shell with a nice flavor of lamb, pine nuts and a hint of cinnamon, but it lacked the sweetness from the currants that I have grown accustomed to.  It’s going to take a little getting used to – a re-learning experience – but  the truth is that kibbeh and dolmeh aren’t supposed to be sweet!

The meal ended with Achta – phyllo dough stuffed with milk pudding, bananas, honey, pistachios and drizzled with rose honey.  Fragrant, sweet, crispy, rich… this dish was the perfect ending to the meal…that I had inadvertently destroyed.

I claim to love Middle Eastern food, yet I have lost my ability to enjoy it in its most traditional form.  Come next time, I hope to look at my experience differently from start to finish – not a compare and contrast, but rather enjoying the flavors that Lebanon has to offer.  From my self-sabotaged experience, I’m pretty confident that this time, it won’t disappoint.

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Zaytinya, oh how I love thee! Squash blossoms, kibbeh and gratis fresh pita with pomegranate molasses! Your fame keeps keeps me afar, but I’ll always be back when OpenTable gives me a slot!

Had yet another delectable experience at Zaytinya resulting in yet another convert, my dad! Here’s my trusty guide to a successful meal/snack for two people (largely depending on your companion’s appetite) without spending an arm and leg! Of course, to each his own! So cater this guide to your own tastes and I’m sure you’ll have a fabulous time!

More after the jump…

1. Order a spread.  From my experience the Baba Ganoush > Hummus.
2. Order the Dolmeh from the vegetarian mezzes.  Dolmeh is pickled grape leaves stuffed with rice, tomatoes, pine nuts, raisins.
3. Order the Garides Me Anitho from the seafood mezze.  This is perrrfectly cooked shrimp in lemon, mustard and dill sauce.  Trust me on this. Last time I brought my friend in my latest “conversion scheme” he surprisingly wouldn’t eat the last piece of shrimp. He explained he was saving it to make sure they waiter didn’t take it away.  That way he could mop up the sauce with the pita! I’ve used this strategy ever since. Shameless. But oh so necessary.
4. Order the Kibbeh from the meat/poultry mezze.  This is a middle eastern staple! I wrote about this before… but this kibbeh is my favorite translation, albeit not the most traditional.  Kibbeh is usually fried balls of bulgur wheat, ground beef and lamb, pine nuts and spices.  What elevates this dish from the ordinary kibbeh are the currants and almonds that “the Z” adds.  Unreal.
5. This is your free for all. Look at the daily specials and offerings and if none of them grab your interest, pick one from the seafood or meat section.  Some nice additions I’ve had were the spice rubbed lamb with tabbouleh, the scallops with pepper sauce, squash blossoms filled with roasted pork and marinated octopus with a split pea paste.  The world is your oyster!
6. Order the Turkish Delight or the marinated seasonal fruit with yogurt. Z gets their desserts right… and there’s nothing like a sweet note to end your delicious meal.
7. If you have some extra cash – I’d say order the Turkish Coffee and read your fortunes…A habit I picked up from my good friend and old roommate. This is truly the fun part of the international dining experience!

On a sidenote – the gratis pita and the tangy pomegranate molasses in EVOO will satisfy your belly prior to and during your courses! The trick to the Z is coming with 2 people, so you actually can TASTE the food. Stick to 5 dishes or so and see how you feel when you’re done with them.  The dishes come out quickly so this works here.

Below are some pictures from my latest experience at the “Z”. Happy Eating.

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