Hi folks,
Just a reminder that you can view all past Phyllis-teen reviews at
this google group, but also at the blog site http://phyllistines.blogspot.com,
which is now updated regularly.
We have not created a search mechanism, so you'll have to manage that
on your own!
Last night Will & Sam arrives at Union Station by train and we decided
to head over to 527 8th St.,SE and visit CAVA for Greek MEZZE, as we
have always enjoyed their yummy tastings at the Bethesda Central
Farmer's Market over the years. We'll it was a great choice for many
reasons. The train was late and we didn't sit down until after 8pm and
Samuel was hungry. The food came fast and was filling, and we were out
pretty fast and had Sam in bed before 10pm! I do recommend that if you
wish to linger, dop NOT order all your small plates (mezze) at the
start. Take it slow and go with the flow.
CAVA (www.cavamezze.com) also has a Rockville, MD location and will be
opening in Arlington, VA (Clarendon) next winter. The decor has much
to be desired with some nice family-like photos on the wall that seem
very antique at times and very 60's as well. There is a big bar with
TV and the lighting needs some improvement. We got the back left
corner table which had some decent lighting for Samuel to do his
connect the dots while we waited. The floors are hard and the tables
are worn wood and the boring (thought not awfully loud) rock music is
like a din in the background. Once you get past this, the food is
SPECTACULAR!
Our server, also Sam (antha) thought our choices were great, and they
were. but feel free to ask for guidance as the servers know the dishes
well. Samuel ordered a kind on non-alcoholic Raspberry Mojito with
Mint & Lime which was quite tasty and luckliy lasted the whole meal
(at $7 a pop, it should have less ice and more juice!). We went for a
bottle of ATLANTIS ASSYRTIKO, a refreshing white wine from Santorini
that worked with every dish. We did move on to two types of red (we
shared these to taste each) at the end of the meal which were not
really great as the heat in Greece does not lend itself to great red
wines: DioFili Xinomavro from Siatista was an almost zin-like red with
some spice, but not lots of body. The Lykrakis Kotsifali from Crete
had even less body.
A plate of olives, olive oil and harissa (not very Greek, this spicy
Moroccan sauce!) came with warm pita and Samuel loves the olive oil
for dipping. For him, we ordered the Lemon Braised MEAT BALLS
(Avgolemono style) with herbs, which were actually rectangular shaped
and flattish. He looked at them as if to say, "these are not
meatballs," but once he tasted them, he begged for a second mezze
plate of the same. He also enjoyed the SPARRAGGIA, superbly grilled
asparagus in lemon vinaigrette (we asked for the yummy Dodonis feta on
the side). Oddly, Samuel has taken to eating the SPEARS and not the
tips (which of course, we gobbled down!).
We started with some of the best TARAMOSALATA in town-creamy, rich,
intense and a huge portion that seemed to have an endless bottom to
the ice cream shaped mound! The ROASTED YELLOW BEET Salad with
Manouri, Sea Salt, EVOO and Onions also had some purple beets and was
richly dressed (a bit too much along with the rich Tarama), but still
a great dish.
We chose three "main course" mezze, all of which were superb:
GRILLED BABY OCTOPUS was difficult to cut, but more tender in the
mouth, and cooked simply with light seasoning to perfection.
DISCO FRIES were hand cut and smothered with VEAL RAGOUT, Dodonis feta
and Kefalograviera. The fries on top were crunchy and tasty, but for
me, the ones underneath were a bit soggy from the spectacular ragout.
I suggested to Sam that in the future if they place the fries on top,
we can decide if we wish to eat them crunchy or mix them in. This dish
was like an intense VEAL CHILI FRIES with feta cheese, and while I
wasn't crazy about some soggy fries, Will RAVED and RAVED, as I did
too.
The LOLLIPOP CHICKEN has three fried legs standing vertical on a bed
of Greek yogurt with walnuts and drizzled honey that you mop up with
each leg and each bite. YUM YUM!
We couldn't face the thought of dessert. Even Samuel was full after 2
full mezze and part of the asparagus, but he did say that he wanted to
come back for dinner again soon! We agree!
