Last Saturday we headed over to the Shaw neighborhood in DC and had no clue it was Howard University homecoming weekend, so the place was a madhouse. It took 20 minutes to get there and then 30 minutes just to go a couple of blocks and eventually find a parking space(every lot had huge lines) about 8 blocks from the restaurant; what a pain!
We settled in and I ordered a FIERY & FAMOUS with mezcal, aperitif, Genepi, Citrus and and Urfa Pepper rim that was herbal and tasty, and while the rim had a kick the drink itself was mild. The décor here is cool with lots of stairwell spindels(dowels?) and such making a wall to divide the space. Service is attentive and Italo was a gem as we kept asking him to slow down a bit as we had a multi-course meal coming, but here the idea is Middle-Eastern small plates, so a lot came at one time. The wine list offers 6 whites, 3 bubbly and 7 reds all by the glass or bottle and the variety is wide and interesting.
When the gorgeous huge manouche, giant grilled flatbread akin to pita(see FB photos) arrived it was steaming hot, delicious, and perfect with the spreads of zhug(garlic, pepper and green herb paste), carrot haidiri and tahini with a shallot jam, chile butter and crispy lentils on to that was divine.
Heirloom tomato salad was a farewell to the summer with Calabrian chiles and peaches(they could have been a bit more ripe) and we adored the Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi from Castel Farneto 2015 that worked with all the different spices and flavors. While the food here is Mid-Eastern/Mediterranean it really encompasses a huge area reaching from Morocco in the southwest all the way to the Middle East and then back through Turkey, Greece, Italy and Spain to the west!
Everyone (but me) was in love with the cabbage which was steamed and had an intense smokey-tea flavor and was laced with a yummy jalapeno-truffle broth with coffee and an alium vinaigrette and topped with a toasted garlic-ginger crumble and radish sprouts. It was really a novel dish and I have to say it looked gorgeous, and everyone but me was in love with it!
Diver Scallops came next with rice and beans in a light yogurt sauce with chickpeas which was to die for and then came the monstrous beef short ribs(see FB fotos)laden with crispy beef and Baharat spices. On the side was harissa marinated tomatoes and then we went into shock when a whole roasted Floun der arrived with watermelon radish, fremolata with a side of braised veggies in Moroccan curry! Our red wine was a yummy Chateauneuf du Paper 2016 from Domain Berthet-Rayne which I managed a little of, but my tummy was on the verge of full, so even though there were six of us, I asked for the remaining short ribs to go!
Of course, they would not let us go with out multiple desserts: Revani was an almond and corn cake with chantilly cream and squash while there was a trio of Chocolated coated balls with strawberry sauce and sesame tuile. Way more than we could handle and what a wonderful time we had as well. Just avoid this neighborhood on weekends and busy nights!
