Ethnic Food Project

Taverna Cretekou may be one of the most adorable restaurants in the D.C. area. Located in Old Town Alexandria, Taverna Cretekou has murals, stone walls, Greek-Island inspired flooring, a beautiful outdoor courtyard, and pleasing decor. The vibe transported us to Greece, especially since their was a meat being roasted on a giant spit in the Courtyard. The staff dresses in Greek-inspired outfits and are numerous, eager, and doting. The restaurant seems to be run by a family and has that type of feel. When we left (at the end of the lunch service), it seemed like they were closing before dinner and that the staff was sitting down to a communal meal, which was sweet. We went there for lunch and were able to catch their lunchtime buffet. Taverna Cretekou translates to Cretan Tavern, so Taverna Cretekou specializes in Cretan Greek cuisine. The history of the Taverna is interesting. Wikipedia notes that Taverna

refers to a small restaurant serving Greek cuisine, not to be confused with “tavern”. The Greek word is ταβέρνα and is originally derived from the Latin word taberna (’shed’ or ‘hut’, from tabula ‘board’, possibly by dissimilation from traberna, from trabs: beam, timber). As Greeks have migrated elsewhere, tavernes (plural) have spread throughout the world, especially countries such as the USA and Australia. The taverna is an integral part of Greek cuisine and of Greek culture. Usually in tavernas there is, often live, Greek traditional music such as rembetiko, and people apart from dining can join in Greek dances such as zeibekiko and hasapiko.

We ordered the buffet and were immediately brought bread, extra-virgin olive oil (which looked even darker than normal extra virgin olive oil), and a cold pureed and cream of broccoli soup. Κρητική Διατροφή wrote ”that one who eats oil and bread and oily pastries is invincible to the arrows of death.” The Cretan/Greek diet is supposed to be one of the healthiest in the world. A Greek travel site explains the Cretan diet, which has olive oil as its staple and also includes wheat, vegetables, cheeses, and wine. Much of the Greek diet is ancient or influenced by the Arab world, as Wikipedia notes:

Some dishes can be traced back to ancient Greece: lentil soup, fasolada, retsina (white or rosé wine flavored with pine resin) and pasteli (candy bar with sesame seeds baked with honey); some to the Hellenistic and Roman periods: loukaniko (dried pork sausage); and Byzantium: feta cheese, avgotaraho (cured fish roe) and paximadi (traditional hard bread baked from corn, barley and rye). There are also many ancient and Byzantine dishes which are no longer consumed: porridge as the main staple, fish sauce, and salt water mixed into wine.

Many dishes are part of the larger tradition of Ottoman cuisine and their names reveal Arabic, Persian or Turkish roots: moussaka, tzatziki, yuvarlakia, keftethes, boureki, and so on. Many dishes’ names probably entered the Greek vocabulary during Ottoman times, or earlier in contact with the Persians and the Arabs. Some dishes may be pre-Ottoman, only taking Turkish names later; Ash and Dalby, for example, speculate that grape-leaf dolmathes were made by the early Byzantine period.

A few dishes are influenced by Venetian (Italian) and French cuisines, such as pastitsio, makaronia me kima, (pasta with meat) found mostly in Greece and Anatolia and Asia Minor and regions of that influence.

We tried to find the history of the cold broccoli soup, which was a thin and finely purred soup that tasted exactly like cold broccoli soup, however all we could find about it was a recipe on Greekrecipes.com for it. It seems like cold soups are common in Greece, though.

The buffet had a variety of hot and cold dishes. The entree changes from day to day, and on the day we went they served lamb. They had a garden salad, various spreads, and a Greek salad with fish and a vinaigrette, stuffed grape leaves, and olives among the items in the cold salad section. Among the spreads included a fava bean spread. The spread resembled hummus to us and seemed like it was prepared in a similar way. Also included was taramosalata, a pink spread “traditionally made from taramas, the salted and cured roe of the cod or the carp, though blends based on other forms of fish roe, particularly cod, have become more common. The roe is mixed with either bread crumbs or mashed potato, and lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil” (Wikipedia).

We were served tzatziki (thinned yoghurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, pepper, and other spices), which we learned has an interesting history inside and outside of Greece. In fact, we read that the word actually derives from a Turkish word. Ours was served as part of the buffet and we ate it with bread. However, Wikipedia notes that:

In Cyprus, the dish is known colloquially as ttalattouri (cf. tarator), and recipes often include less garlic and includes the herb mint, unlike the Greek counterpart. Tzatziki is always served cold.

In touristy restaurants, and outside Greece and Cyprus, tzatziki is often served with bread (loaf or pita) as part of the first course of a meal. Greeks, Cypriots and those from all over the Middle East use this dish as a side dish to a meal with meat. The acidity cuts the fat, thus tzatziki is also used as a sauce for souvlaki and gyros.

There were also other items in the buffet and possibly more spreads. One of them was a Greek salad served with chunks of marinated fish. We couldn’t figure out if this salad is traditional or not, but we did read that fish is traditionally a more common meat in Crete. We also were served feta cheese and stuffed grape leaves (dolmadakia). Feta cheese is ancient and one of the food items we found that is specifically Greek. A lot of foods common in Greece also occur in other countries that were formerly part of the Byzantine Empire, including salads, wine, and syrupy honey sweet meats (baklava?). Feta was originally associated with Crete and its storage in brine was even described in an Italian travel log in 1494. In fact, feta comes from the Italian word “fetta” meaning “slice,” which was introduced into the Greek language in the 17th century. Our feta was served in cube-like strips at the buffet. The European Union has protected feta as a “protected designation of origin product,” and has defined feta as a sheep’s milk cheese that may contain goat’s milk, but only if it makes up less than 30% of the total mixture. The curing of feta in brine is what gives feta its saltiness. Feta is also an aged cheese. Although we only had plain feta, it is often used in other Greek meals, like spanakopita (“spinach pie”) and tyropita (“cheese pie”).

The stuffed grape leaf is often listed as a “dolma” on menus. However, a dolma is an umbrella term for a stuffed vegetables common to countries formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, like Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Iraq, the Balkans, etc. such as zucchini, eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers (Wikipedia). The stuffed grape leaf dolma can be filled with either meat (which are generally served warm) or without meat (generally served cold). Ours were served cold and with olive oil and stuffed with rice and spices and had a tangy taste.

We actually ate so much of the cold salads that we almost missed the entree: the lamb dish. This dish consisted of marinated pieces of lamb. We could not figure out what this was later and what the traditional name for this dish was, but it was delicious. Alongside this dish were plain steamed vegetables and a sort of rice pilaf.

We had to pass up trying dessert and of course we couldn’t try any other entrees, however, we noticed that the meal had a large variety of traditional, Cyprian, and Cretan cuisine. We ended up trying some Greek beer. Our server suggested we try KEO, which is a medium-toned Cypriot lager. It tasted similar to a pilsner.

TOTAL: $21.31 excluding tip per person (includes lunch buffet, one alcoholic beverage, and extra bread)

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There is so much affordable Lebanese food in the area that I was suspicious of the Lebanese Taverna, especially with its higher priced meals and Tysons II location. However, we were celebrating a birthday and sometimes you have to try the higher end of things.

The Lebanese Taverna is located in Tysons II mall in what they are now calling “West McLean” (?) at the ground level of the mall adjacent Saks Fifth Avenue. The restaurant is high-end with exposed stone, wood paneling, and recessed lighting. There are three dining areas: a bar/cafe area, an outdoor seating area, and an indoor dining room. There is a full bar with a huge selection, including Johnny Walker Blue at $30/shot. We ate outside because you can smoke out there and they make it feel formal and nice.  

We found the service to be unhelpful. Luckily, we were able to order some sort of fixed price meal that included appetizers and entrees. The waiter assured us that we would get an good assortment of vague things.

Lebanese Cuisine

I read that animal fats are consumed sparingly in Lebanese cuisine, according to Wikipedia. When animal fats are consumed, they are typically poultry rather than red meat. I was surprised by this because I generally think of Lebanese food as being meat centric and mostly red meat focused (perhaps this is because this is American Lebanese food?). They say that Lebanese food contains large amounts of garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice and these are included at every meal. Also, most foods are grilled, baked, or sauteed in olive oil, which seems true since our meal contained no fried foods.

The food is typically served mezze style, similar to tapas with a variety of small dishes of differing textures and tastes. I would say this was definitely true of the appetizers, which were quite traditional. Wikipedia noted that the mezze course generally has hot and cold dishes and typically hummus (a dip made of blended chickpeas, sesame tahini, lemon juice, and garlic served), baba ghanouj (char-grilled eggplant, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic puree), falafels (deep fried spiced ground chick pea patties), tabbouleh (diced parsley salad with burghul, tomato, and mint), stuffed grape leaves (a.k.a. wara’ enab). We were served all of these items. Although these portions were served similar to tapas, the portions were quite large.

One of the sauces I love is the ubiquitous extremely garlicky white sauce. This sauce is called toum/toumeh/toomeh and is a garlic dip typically served with shawarma. I always wondered what was in it and I found a recipe that lists egg yolks, vinegar, mustard, salt, olive oil, and garlic as the ingredients, but also also a second recipe that contains yogurt, olive oil, garlic, mint leaves, and salt. I think I typically get the former style of dip.

I found that kibbeh is considered the national dish of Lebanon, and this interesting history of the dish from Sallybernstein.com:

The national dish of Lebanon is kibbeh, an emulsified paste of the freshest lamb and bulgur wheat. Think of kibbeh as a sort of Lebanese pate. Originally, kibbeh was made by pounding lamb with a jorn (mortar) and modaqqa (pestle), then kneading in spices and soaked bulgur. To some, that are unaccustomed to this procedure, this can be an unpleasant sight. The informative English food writer George Lassalle, in his book Middle Eastern Cuisine, East of Orphanides, describes kibbeh-making in the rural villages of Lebanon as “frightening.” He found the incessant pounding and kneading of the meat and bulgur both dreary and alarming. With the advent of the electric grinder and food processor this ancient method of kibbeh-making has all but stopped, except in the most rural villages. Often in American cities with large Lebanese and Syrian populations you’ll find butchers that specialize in “kibbeh meat”: lamb that is ground two or three times to form an emulsification.

Kibbeh can take on many forms, the most famous being kibbeh nayee (raw kibbeh) which is somewhat like steak tartar. Two other common forms of the food are kibbeh bil-saneeya (baked kibbeh) and kibbeh rass (fried kibbeh), both of which usually contain a filling of cooked meat and pinenuts. Baked kibbeh is layered in a pan with its stuffing and drizzled with olive oil, while fried kibbeh is shaped into miniature hollowed out footballs and then stuffed before being fried. Both of these cooked kibbeh are often served with refreshing yogurt sauce. Despite advancements in modern technologies, kibbeh-making is still an arduous task and usually reserved for holidays, festivals or Sunday dinner.

For our entrees, we did not eat any kibbeh, but instead we served kofta (listed as Mixed Grill), which are fingers of minced meat and spiced that are baked or grilled on skewers. We were also served shawarma: marinated meat (chicken or lamb) that is skewered on big rods and slowly cooked, then shaved and eaten with pita and condiments (listed as Mixed Shawarma). These were served in huge portions along with lots of fresh pita.

Although I read that drinks aren’t typically served with the meal, we certainly drank during our meal and sampled some Lebanese beer called Almaza – apparently owned by Heineken! Coffee is a staple at the end of the meal. Although we had beer, Arak is the national drink of Lebanon, similar to anise-flavored liquers like Ouzo and Sambuca.

For dessert we sampled a sort of fried dough dessert covered in honey and served with saffron yoghurt and rose water as well as a pistachio and honey bread pudding with ice cream. We didn’t have any baklava, but what distinguishes Lebanese baklava from other types is that it is often drizzled with rose water syrup and contains pistachios, versus walnuts and honey in Greek baklava.

Total: About $25-$30 per person

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