Restaurant Grade: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Type of cuisine: Turkish, Greek, and Lebanese
Who I went with: my mom and my sister
What the restaurant is famous for: The restaurant founder, José Andrés, is a celebrity chef and has been on the show Top Chef. The restaurant is known for small plates of authentic and innovative fare, creative cocktails, and unique Mediterranean wines.
The restaurant dress code: comfort and casual
How I would describe the restaurant: Classical, clean, high top
What we ordered: We all shared the spanakopita, tzatziki, falafel, brussel sprouts, and pita bread. My mom and I also shared two entrees: 1) the branzino (sea bass, shaved fennel, tomato, olives, celery root, lemon), and 2) garides me anitho (shrimp, dill, shallots, mustard, lemon juice).
How I would describe the restaurant: charming, romantic welcoming, artsy
What I liked about this meal: The bread is incredible! So rich and also good for dipping. The brussel sprouts are well cooked and seasoned. The garlic yogurt at the bottom of the brussel sprouts was perfection.
What I would change about this meal: In the tzatziki, the cucumber is amazing but I do like when it is all blended together so it is rich and cream-like. The branzino was only okay for me because the sea bass lacked seasoning. The shrimp and the sauce were great, but the sauce needed to be thicker because to me it was like a soup.
My recommendation: Go to Zaytinya and watch Top Chef on streaming!
A Chef's Life by Genevieve 