This had to be the best experience we have had so far. It definitelty helps to tell our server what we are doing. They usually take an interest in helping us find the right dishes. Our waiter Jab was great. The restaurant specializes in Leabanese, Turkish and Greek. Since we had already done Lebanon and Turkey we asked Jab which dishes were specifically Greek and he pointed us in the right direction. The plates are all mezze (small servings) which we love because we can try a big variety. After we ordered our first set of mezze Jab brought us as a surprise a taste of Ouzo. Not my favorite flavor but it was nice of him. It was actually a smoother anise flavor than the Raki we had in "Turkey".
Our first round
of mezze consisted of Zuc
hini patties, Tzaziki, Augotaharo, 
Garides Saganaki, Spanakopita, Cretan Snails, Octopus San
torini, and Rabbit Stifado.
We got so many dishes that I can't describe them all in detail. The Augotaharo it is a bit strange. Like a carpaccio of very salty intensified smoked salmon. The Spanakopita was like a canoli stuffed with c
reamed feta and spinach: not what we were expecting at all. The Saganaki 
sauce was so good I could have just had a bowl of it to dip my bread in and been a very happy camper. The Octopus surprised me; grilled it wasn't chewy at all and it really picked up the flavor of the grill. The tzatziki was so creamy and delicious. It is hard to believe that it is simply cucumbers, yougurt, garlic and a bit of salt.
We had some very nice Greek wines with our meal. The whites were Malgousia and Robiola they were both good. They went very nicely with the meal. The red was Agiorgitiko. It was a nice complement to heavier flavors. We orderded a couple more dishes. Sakikopite and Short Ribs Kapana. The short ribs had cinnamon sented tomato sauce. The sauce was not sweet and the cinnamon does not overwhelm. It was delicious.
Even with all of that we saved room for desert and coffee. We got the fresh cheese tart and the Turkish delight.
It was strange that both were deconstructed ice creams basically. I must admit I was a bit disappointed when the desserts arrived because they were not what I expected. However, the flavors were very nice. The Thyme ice cream was actually good and it was served with a scoop of the fresh cheese and sprinkled with pieces of a crust like cookie. The Turkish delight was walnut ice cream and a cinnamon wafer with some of the fresh cheese spread as a blanket under the the ice cream.
Jab must not have liked our choices. We had finshed our desserts when he arrived with a chocolate dessert and a special after dinner drink on the house. The chocolate lava cake with cardamom cream was so good we finished it and forgot to take picture. The drink was a dessert wine from Comandari
a de St. John. It is the only wine they make and it is one of the wineries in the world. We would not have thought to give it a try. The wine had an intense raisiny nose but did not taste to sweet. It is not like grappa with a lot of alcohol; just a nice end to the meal.
The best surprise was the bill. We had tasted more flavors and had a fun experience than our last several restaurants and the bill was less. The mezze are definately great for getting a wide range of tastes. All in all it was a great way to spend an hour or so going on vacation while not leaving DC.
Our first round
of mezze consisted of Zuc
hini patties, Tzaziki, Augotaharo, 
Garides Saganaki, Spanakopita, Cretan Snails, Octopus San
torini, and Rabbit Stifado.
We got so many dishes that I can't describe them all in detail. The Augotaharo it is a bit strange. Like a carpaccio of very salty intensified smoked salmon. The Spanakopita was like a canoli stuffed with c
reamed feta and spinach: not what we were expecting at all. The Saganaki 
sauce was so good I could have just had a bowl of it to dip my bread in and been a very happy camper. The Octopus surprised me; grilled it wasn't chewy at all and it really picked up the flavor of the grill. The tzatziki was so creamy and delicious. It is hard to believe that it is simply cucumbers, yougurt, garlic and a bit of salt.We had some very nice Greek wines with our meal. The whites were Malgousia and Robiola they were both good. They went very nicely with the meal. The red was Agiorgitiko. It was a nice complement to heavier flavors. We orderded a couple more dishes. Sakikopite and Short Ribs Kapana. The short ribs had cinnamon sented tomato sauce. The sauce was not sweet and the cinnamon does not overwhelm. It was delicious.
Even with all of that we saved room for desert and coffee. We got the fresh cheese tart and the Turkish delight.
It was strange that both were deconstructed ice creams basically. I must admit I was a bit disappointed when the desserts arrived because they were not what I expected. However, the flavors were very nice. The Thyme ice cream was actually good and it was served with a scoop of the fresh cheese and sprinkled with pieces of a crust like cookie. The Turkish delight was walnut ice cream and a cinnamon wafer with some of the fresh cheese spread as a blanket under the the ice cream.Jab must not have liked our choices. We had finshed our desserts when he arrived with a chocolate dessert and a special after dinner drink on the house. The chocolate lava cake with cardamom cream was so good we finished it and forgot to take picture. The drink was a dessert wine from Comandari
a de St. John. It is the only wine they make and it is one of the wineries in the world. We would not have thought to give it a try. The wine had an intense raisiny nose but did not taste to sweet. It is not like grappa with a lot of alcohol; just a nice end to the meal.The best surprise was the bill. We had tasted more flavors and had a fun experience than our last several restaurants and the bill was less. The mezze are definately great for getting a wide range of tastes. All in all it was a great way to spend an hour or so going on vacation while not leaving DC.
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