Zaytoon

Zaytoon Restaurant Review:

Zaytoon is the only Middle Eastern game in town, and that's both a blessing and its curse. It offers reasonably good Middle Eastern food and friendly, but inefficient service. The menu has all the usual Mediterranean suspects: hummus, falafel, shwarma, grape leaves and kibbeh (fried bulgur wheat balls). And there are occasional glimmers of culinary success --- like the smoky, flavorful baba ghanouj and the mashawi combination of grilled kebabs and hummus. On its best nights, the restaurant is a festival of hookah smoke and belly dancers; lively patrons indulge in the exotic atmosphere, sitting beside fountains, fire-pit tables (which require reservations) and under heat lamps on the lovely outdoor patio. There is a small but fun selection of Lebanese wines, as well as Turkish and Arabic coffees.