Zaytinya, a Growing Disappointment

I remember the first time I visited Zaytinya, a lux-styled bar and restaurant for the young and international crowd that makes up one of several "hip" D.C. scenes. I was taken in by the glitter of the crowd, the thumping of the music, and the "foreign" tapas menu. The patio is an impressively sized front along G St., just two blocks from the Verizon Center in Chinatown. Wide stone steps and tall glass doors form a modern facade that often sees groups walking out of the restaurant oblivious to traffic rules. Wealthy Internationalistas don't stop for traffic or alter their paths to reach crosswalks. They also don't take Metro, much.

Unfortunately, Zaytinya's luster has only dimmed over time. On several occasions now the tapas dishes have been disappointing, and most recently, even drinks at the bar were subpar. During my last stop I ran the gamut of mezze. Having worked out that evening and skipped lunch - a sure-fire recipe for a favorable assessment of the restaurant's fare - I was eagerly anticipating some Mediterranean cuisine. Small plates of falafel, scallops, rabbit, lamb, mushrooms, and beef arrived at random intervals as the cooks completed the plates, the norm in such restaurants. But, with the exception of the decent falafel and somewhat tough beef, the plates were tasteless, dry, or decidedly unpleasant. Scallops: more sand that seafood. Rabbit: where's the meat? Lamb: I won't be getting e-coli, but I won't be enjoying the taste any time soon either. And mushrooms: a whole lot of butter and not much else, at least that I could recognize.

To top if off, the drinks were poorly prepared as well. My gin and tonic, as well as the "signature" martini, seemed like they had been brought to the table direct from a hot plate. The end-of-the-night Pom-Fili, a mixture of white wine, vodka, triple sec, and pomegranate juice, was slightly better, but by that point in the evening I was stewing over the tab and my stomach was grumbling from the meal. I decided to hightail it home via Metro for some Crown n' Coke - with ice cubes direct from the freezer....

Rating: 0/10
In Short: Unless your wealthy diplo-friend insists otherwise, head over to the more reliable Jaleo.
Website: http://www.zaytinya.com/
Location: 701 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

The Basics of the Internets

Dear Restaurant Owners of Russia House,

You seem to be hip to the 21st century, with your restaurant inhabiting a prominent page all of its own on the Internet, but some of the basics, such as hours, might be due for an update. For example: if you advertise your restaurant as being open 5-10, and the adjoining bar open for another four hours, that's all well and good. But, if I have to read a hand-written note taped to the door of your establishment letting me know you're closed, either because you were too inept to renew your liquor license on time or too lax in inspecting youthful patrons' id's, then update your freaking Web page to say so.

Na zdorov'e Russia House

Rating: 0/10
In Short: If you can tape an update to your front door, you can edit a line of text in html.
Website: www.wedon'tactuallyupdateourwebsitetoprovideaccurateinfo.com; or, http://www.russiahouselounge.com/
Location: 1800 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington DC, 20009