Zaytinya and DC Brau - a beer dinner

 When I received the email about Zaytinya's beer dinner featuring DC Brau I immediately checked my calendar and responded to of the email that I was interested in attending.I admit it, it's hard for me to say no to events at Zaytinya.  In general I like Zaytinya - I like the building design, the variety of well seasoned dishes, and that the dishes are reasonably priced.

 

I rushed my from work to catch the metro to Zaytinya and got  caught in rush hour delays. When I crossed  Zaytinya's threshold I was greeted by the reception desk team. John Livanos,  one of Zaytinya's Restaurant Managers, called me by name and welcomed me. I was impressed- he wasn't looking at a sheet and all the guests had not arrived.  He said he remembered me  - again impressive because I hadn't stepped foot in Zaytinya in about four months. John took my coat and showed me to my table.

  

On the menu:

Welcome

Kibbeh Nayeh- Lebanese style beef tartar, bulgur wheat, onion, mint, saved radish

Midyes - fied mussels with garlic yogurt

Model Citizen American Cream Ale

 

Midyes- traditional Turkish fried mussels, garlic yogurt, pistachios

I enjoyed both appetizers The presentation of the midyes was very nice. The crunchy coating enveloped the sweet and tender mussel. I liked the American Cream the Ale. This beer would be great for sipping on a hot summer day - refreshing, light.



First course

Salt Cod Carpaccio with local root vegetables and potato skordalia

Citizen Belgian IPA



Salt cod Carpaccio

 This course tasted as good as it looked. Cod is one of my favorite fish and this dish reminded me why I like cod. The potato and local root vegetables made this dishe mroe substatial than if it were just cod alone. 

Second Course

Papiatopita- house made phyllo wrapped around beer braised duck and foie gras

Horta - local greens braised with duck fat, cumin urfa pepper

 

Wings of Armageddon Double IPA

Papiatopita and horta

A few members of the table whispered 'what is this?' when this course was delivered to the table. Everyone was pleasantly surprised by this course. The Papoatopia tender exterior contained an amazing filling- that melted in the mouth.  I loved the horta. The greens were tender and had lots of flavor. John Livanos told the table that horta was often served in Greek homes for dinner.  The Wings of Armageddon beer paired well with this dish. I'd consider adding Wings of Armageddon to my own bar or serving it to guests.

  

Third Course

La Ratt fingerling potatoes - crushed with Greek olive oil and sea salt

Seasonal mushrooms- almonds, dates, cumin

Spit roasted Jamison Farm lamb shoulder- rubbed with garlic, oregano and black pepper

Exaltation Belgian Strong Ale

Spit toasted lamb shoulder

Seasonal mushrooms

LaRatt fingerling potatoes

The table loved this course.  The spit fired lamb was tender, well seasoned and juicy (versus dried out). The seasonal mushrooms were also tender and seasoned well. The addition The preparation of the fingerling potatoes was a nice, simple alternative.  Exaltation strong ale was a keeper in my book. It blended well with the seasoned dishes, but could be drank alone.

Dessert

Chocolate baklaba with Ikranian honey ice cream

Penn Quarter Porter 

 Chocolate baklava

Dessert was a chocolate lover's dream. The dense chocolate baklava was good to look at and eat. The honey ice cream complemented the baklava, but could also be served alone. The porter was a good pairing- it's chocolately, coffee notes were enhanced by the dessert.

Chef Costa is one of the friendliest chefs I've met. He walked from table to table chatting with the beer dinner diners asking people what they thought of the baklava and answering questions. Chef Costa told the table that he and his team spent several weeks developing the chocolate baklava and that were several attempts that he had his team didn't like. Because the chocolate baklava is rather labor intensive to create it will most likely be prepared for special events only.

 One of  the diners at the table asked if the Papiatopita and horta could be added to the menu.

It was obvious the DC Brau team love what they do. They answered questions, shared anecdotes, and  brought DC Brau branded items for diners to take home with them. I made a mental note to add DC Brau to the list of beers I look for when dining out or might recommend to  others.

Zaytinya does a good job of keepinng the bathroom neat and tidy.

I was fortunate to be assigned to a table with people whose faces looked vaguely familiar. By the third course one couple shared that we had attended another event hosted by Zaytinya. The gentleman on my left reminded me that I met him and his wife at an event hosted by Zaytinya.

I was pleased to see a good number of women and people of color at this event  enjoying the delicious dishes and well chosen beers.

Zaytinya is a very short walk from the Gallery Place metro stop. Reservationsare suggested and can be made via OpenTable.