Kefi

If Kefi were to be broken down into an equation wherein Kefi = X, then X = Delicious + nice (read: sit-down, real plates, good service) + takes reservations + good portions + affordable in NYC.  Are you with me?  It seems totally impossible, especially on this typically expensive island. 

The scene is Upper West Side, rain, and one special birthday.  We needed some comfort and warmth.  Kefi to the freakin' rescue people.  Sorry about the dark photos--I have trouble staying steady and the lighting is low!  When a gal like me sees a chunk of feta that large, I'm bound to be impatient.

First we had an unbelievably spread of--er--spreads. The dips were taramosalata,a caviar; melintzanosalata, eggplant; revithia, chickpea (like hummus); and tzatziki--needing no explanation, right, yogurt fans? Each one was so so good.  I was least familiar with the taramosalata but I could not get enough of it.  Dangerous spreads.  We also shared a salad of the day that had eggplant along with large chunks of tomatoes and feta.

L had the lamb burger (as if there was ever a question), which was very tasty.  But I was feeling burger-y, and in a change of pace, I didn't feel like eating with my hands.  Ta da!  Sheeps milk dumplings, ricotta, and spicy lamb sausage (some tomato and pine nuts too).  This is the dish people talk about, and that's why I tried it.  I originally had my eye on the flat pasta with braised rabbit.  I'll try to get the rabbit next time, if I can manage not to order the dumplings.  I want to go to sleep right now and dream that I'm eating them.  Cool, fresh cheese, spicy savory sausage, soft pillowy dumplings--HOW IS IT POSSIBLE!?!?  If there was a recipe for warm happiness, the chefs at Kefi have it.  And the proof is in the dumplings.

Kefi
505 Columbus Ave
NY, NY
Hopstop it

Taverna Cretekou

When A asked me a month and a half in advance if I was free for dinner, I figured sure! Why not! Greek food, Old Town, all the good stuff.

Taverna Cretekou is right in the heart of Old Town, Alexandria--a lovely place that just doesn't have rent cheap enough to lure me that far from D.C. proper.

We started with an assortment of appetizers--spanikopita, hummus, tzatziki, and some grape leaves.

I got the Glossa Aegeou, flounder stuffed with spinach, feta, and pine nuts in a lemon and white wine sauce. The fish was fishy, which was weird for a mild white fish like flounder. The spinach/cheese delish tasted like it walked right out of an Eggs Florentine situation, but the floppy fish left much to be desired in texture, unfortunately.

My pals dug the Garides Cretekou, a casserole of prawns with tomato, garlic, and feta. A couple weeks later, B went back with her pops and he loooved the Arnaki Kikladitiko--braised lamb with black olives, red wine, and both (!) fresh AND sun-dried tomatoes.

My pals love this place, so I think I'll go back and get the Kotopoulo Lemonato--basically herb-y lemon-y chicken deliciousness (at least it sounds like it). The service is very friendly, the house white wine was yum, and we had a lovely time. I just picked the wrong thing, I think.

Taverna Cretekou
818 King Street
Alexandria, VA
Metro: Blue or Yellow Line to King Street

Lebanese Taverna

I'm not sure how I went this long without going to Lebanese Taverna; people mention it a lot, there are multiple locations, and we all know I love Mediterranean cuisine.

Recently we frequented the Pentagon City location. I thought about this article, then reminded my snobby self that everyone has their own idea of how to spell hummus. I don't make the rules at LT.

Here's what we had, and some notes...

The "hommos special" hommos topped with spiced ground meat, pine nuts and almonds, sprinkled with olive oil - fun take on the old favorite, would get again

Shwarma - sliced rotisserie lamb and beef served with tahini sauce - yum, I let J eat most of this because he's more carnivorous

Grape leaves - rolled with rice, chickpeas, tomatoes, mint and parsley - I liked these--again, I prefer my grape leaves to be slightly warm and just-made, and these were a little cooler than room temperature, but J liked that they were not "too salty." Who has been serving this guy salty grape leaves?

R'kakat - phyllo dough shaped like a spring roll, filled with cheese and herbs - Sounds up my alley, I know, and the first one was REALLY DECADENTLY GOOD, with
the thick melty salty cheese after a thin crispy outside, but the second one brought me to the conclusion that it was just toooo salty. ::slurps water::

Shish barak - meat and pine nut dumplings, cooked in yogurt and mint sauce - The sauce was good, the dumpling was ok but nothing spectacular. They didn't seem to go together, even though they literally were together. I didn't really catch a mint flavor, more of a cream/thick alfredo sauce thing going on. This was my least favorite, but it was still edible and tasted like food.

In the carb department, the traditional bread I've come to expect at Lebanese places (Zaytinya, Me Jana) was half-sized! Smaller may be better, but the ones at LT were not as warm/soft/fresh-seeming as their cousins. However, there was a lone whole wheat pita guy in there, so how about that?


Lebanese Taverna
1101 S. Joyce Street
Arlington, VA
Metro: Blue or Yellow Lines to Pentagon City

Kabob Bazaar and Boccato

Kebob. Kebab. Kabob.

It's a beautiful thing, however you spell it.

You could throw a rock at this place from the Clarendon Metro, but don't--throwing rocks is mean. How about this: you could give a friendly wave to a colleague sitting at KB from the Clarendon Metro escalator.

From the outside, it doesn't look like much. No flashy lights or fancy awning. But no summer passersby can overlook the plethora of outdoor seating. When all the bastions of mediocrity (Whitlow's, Boulevard Woodgrill) are stuffed to the gills, do your party a favor and lead them to Kabob Bazaar.

If you're at a place called "Kabob Bazaar," I recommend you get a kabob, even though the menu is rather extensive. Combination kabobs are your best bet, so the indecisive (Hi!) can try more than one meat. I loved the Chicken Soltani, one skewer of chicken and one of kubideh, which is a kabob made of ground beef or lamb (sometimes a mixture of both) mixed with onion and spices. The 'bobs were laid atop a big flatbread that was good for wrapping around the kabob or just noshing on plain. I find ground meat very comforting, and the whole feel of the combo platter made me feel as if I was eating in someone's home. The dish was well-seasoned and very filling. The portions are very large, so if you control yourself you can have ample leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. Splitting an appetizer will further that goal, so try the grape leaves or hummus.

When you leave, if somehow you have room for dessert, stop by the new gelato place, Boccato. I had to look it up to find out the name, because to me and J it's just "the gelato place that is attached to the Latin market and looked like it was half-open for a few weeks," and that's just a nickname. The flavors are homemade and they rotate, and you can even write on the list of suggestions. The place is like a sauna, so get your gelato and head back outside. So far I've enjoyed oreo biscotti and pomegranate. We were achin' for frozen desserts in Arlington after Lazy Sundae left and even Ben & Jerry's (ugh) closed shop.

Kabob Bazaar
3133 Wilson Boulevard
Metro: Orange Line to Clarendon

Boccato
Wilson Blvd, near the Latin Market, across from Whole Foods

Me Jana, part deux

We recently returned to Me Jana and wisely convinced a friend to join us so we didn't have to over-order for ourselves (again) to get the full experience. We only got 2 repeat dishes, and otherwise tried new things.

Kafta kebob - This mix of ground lamb and beef mixed with onion, parsley, and spices was molded into a sausage shape and cooked on the grill. It was OK.

Zucchini fritters - 2/3 of us really enjoyed the flavors in this wet, latke-like dish, made with zucchini, mint, scallions, egg whites, and Manchego cheese. The fritters would shine more and meet expectations if they were less wet, but if they are deep fried to a golden brown they'll likely just taste like fried (instead of mint).

Chicken shwarma - Again, these mini shwarma sandwiches, the meat tucked inside mini-pitas, was a huge winner. The fluffy accompaniment labeled "garlic whip" also won fans.

Lahem be ajeen - The pieces of this dish resembled pizza slices, so we called it the pizza. The pizza was baked pita topped with ground lamb, spices, and pomegranate molasses. Yes, I ordered it because it had the word "pomegranate." It was OK, but not wonderful.

Seared haloumi - J says this dish is too salty and too chewy, and I say, BRING IT ON, that's Haloumi cheese, baby! Grilled and tops with dates and pears, this dish is everything I'd want on an Aroma sandwich in Israel (or NY) and more.

Scallops - Light, not quite hot enough for my tastes, and an inoffensive but unmemorable sauce.

Salmon - I was asked if I wanted the salmon "well done," and said no, I want it how it would usually be cooked, which was "medium." We received salmon that was definitely overcooked, but it was fine. The result of overcooking it, for me, was that it seemed more like slightly-softer chicken, not light flaky fish, and the marinade of lemon and herbs was totally lost.

Arayes - I had this dish at Zaytinya, and J frowns when I order it--so sue me, I want to compare two dishes at restaurants with similar fare! I like it, it's basically what's in the kafta kebab (ground beef and lamb, parsley, onion, and spices) but pressed into a patty inside a pita.

The pita was still delicious, as was the labneh. Because J was with us I felt compelled to order more meat dishes, but in reality, the Arayes and the Chicken Shwarma are my favorite. But I could go meat-free there for sure and just eat 5 baskets of pita and order extra labneh.

Me Jana
2300 Clarendon Blvd
Metro: Orange Line to Court House

U Wanna go to Me Jana

Me Jana, a new place in the Court House/Clarendon neighborhood, is a Lebanese family-owned establishment that mostly serves mezza. Mezza are like appetizers or tapas--small plates. I would prefer to eat all of my meals tapas-style, because I never want to order just one thing, and even an appetizer or two and one entree isn't enough variety. But as you know (if you are a faithful reader, at least), I hate buffets. So tapas are the natural best option, but I not only want Spanish food, I want EVERYTHING in tapas form--enter mezza.

The space at Me Jana is colorful and chic, but still has a warm, cozy feeling thanks to the friendly atmosphere. The restaurant is owned and mostly run by a family, and even though it's just a few months old, I see the owner greeting people by name with a kiss on each cheek. The staff is attentive and helpful with decision-making.

As soon as the menu was posted at Me Jana, I knew we had to go--grilled haloumi, people? The only thing better than grilled cheese (as in bread with cheese in the middle, in a pan with butter) is GRILLED CHEESE (no bread, just cheese...with grill lines...it's low carb and delicious, you should try it). We need to do this list-style. J and I had 5 dishes and dessert for two people. It came in at ~$60 including tip.

Throughout the meal our basket of pita was replenished--the pitas were in an interesting 3D cone shape, and arrived puffy and warm throughout the evening. While the 4-section plate of olives and olive oil was fine with the basket, it was the square of labneh that left me yearning for another trip to the Middle East, also known as "the place where I was meant to live because honestly, where else can you eat delicious fruits and cheeses all day long and call it meals?"

Grape Leaves - I had to try this staple, but ever since I had homemade still-warm GLs two years ago I am a changed person, and these didn't quite measure up. Surprisingly there were a lot on the plate, maybe 6? Good value and they were good, but not close to the best.

Lamb Kebob - J says it was "very good and well seasoned, cooked to a reasonable temperature." I don't like the texture of it (too chewy--are you shocked?) so I passed.

Ablama - Hollowed out zucchinis stuffed with ground beef, spices, pine nuts, and onions. This had serious potential to be REALLY good, but it just wasn't hot enough. I should have sent it back to get reheated, but it was just one of many dishes we had going on, and I didn't get to an actual cold spot until a few bites in...I wondered why. With mezza, it's no big deal to bring out the dishes at a different time, in fact it's NECESSARY because they don't have the table space to bring them all out at once at a table for 2. So why the chill, Bill? The components were there, but the temperature was off and I would have liked the zucchini to be a little crunchier--it would have more zazz if it was less mushy.

Chicken Shawarma - This dish was perhaps our favorite. The chicken, slow roasted in lemon and garlic, was extremely flavorful, and the plating was eye-catching: Four little shawarma sandwiches sandwiched in adorable mini round pitas that had been grilled to grill-mark perfection. The chicken was so juicy and flavorful.

Seared Haloumi - I can't say anything bad about this dish, it was deeeeelicious. Strips of seared cheese with warm slices of date and pear? For my last meal as a death row inmate, I'd like to have 5 portions of the Seared Haloumi.

Kanafe - A warm square (or other shape...) of goat cheese and spices nestled between two thin strips of pastry, topped with pistachios at this particular establishment. I generally really enjoy kanafe, and I liked this one, but didn't love it--maybe it was the pistachio topping, or maybe I was just a little too full.

Me Jana was a lot of fun--I got to eat 6 different dishes and transport myself back to vacation in Israel. You can even go here with less adventurous friends--the chicken shawarma is like a juicy mini chicken sandwich. Who doesn't like that?

Me Jana
2300 Clarendon Blvd
Metro: Orange Line to Court House