Kellari Taverna

*Post by Angela.

The other day, I got the rare opportunity to combine three of my favorite things - geeking out over books, trying out new restaurants, and meeting up with new friends - in one outing. After gushing over our shared love of the wonderful series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin (if you are into complex, character-driven, unpredictable, action-packed tales, I highly recommend you pick the first book up right away) on Twitter, fellow food blogger Lindsey (of strawberry basil renown) and I decided to meet up for an early weekday dinner at Kellari Taverna, right off Farragut Square. I typically don't eat a lot of Greek food (after some unfortnate meals in Athens a few years ago), but I had heard very nice things about this relative newcomer, which opened in late October of last year.* Nothing in our meal contradicted those reports - the food was satisfying, the service was first-rate, and the conversation was even better. All in all, it was a really pleasant way to spend the evening!

The interior is distinctly Greek-inspired, but not in the kitschy way I've observed in many of the Greek restaurants I've been to in the US. Instead, the decor is elegant, with clean, simple lines and mellow lighting. The entire staff was very friendly and very attentive. Full disclosure: the floor manager almost immediately noticed that both Lindsey and I were taking photos of our dishes, and I don't know if that affected our service. I don't think so, though, as I've heard non-food bloggers rave about the solicitous service as well. At the beginning of the meal, our server asked us if we'd like to look at the fish available that day, and directly our attention to the seafood case, filled with gorgeous whole fish resting on a bed of ice. We went in another direction for dinner, but it's clear that Kellari takes pride in offering the freshest of seafood.

 

Kellari got in my good graces early in the meal by starting us off with a basket of good, hearty, chewy (and slightly grilled!) bread, and a trio of radishes, hummus and olives (below, right). The hummus was decent, if not outstanding, and I kept returning to the radishes for crunchy, cool bites to refresh my palate.

Faced with a long list of tasty-looking choices, Lindsey and I decided not to limit ourselves to one appetizer and one entree and instead opted to share a number of small plates. The keftedes, savory beef and lamb meatballs with Tzatziki (below), offered up tender meat, paired well with the cool yogurt and dill. The flavors were a little restrained for my liking, but the meatballs were perfectly cooked and I devoured my share.

The Saganaki, Graviera cheese flamed with Metaxa (a Greek blend of brandy and wine), was presented with a flourish (below, left), with our server setting the dish aflame tableside. Once the fire was extinguished (below, right), I dug right in. The Graviera was chewier than expected (I thought a cheese that had just been set on fire would be meltier), or maybe it just congealed really quickly, so it was a little administratively difficult to eat. You may want to avoid this dish if you're not a big fan of the salty, but I am, so I enjoyed the slightly nutty cheese, especially when eaten atop a piece of the accompanying pita bread.

The Tonos "Tartare," olive oil infused sashimi grade tuna with caviar mousse (below), was one of the more refined dishes of the night. The buttery texture and complete absence of fishiness in the tuna spoke to its quality and freshness, although the olive oil dressing was a little too simple for my tastes, with the tartare bordering on the underseasoned. And there were the barest hints of citrus that could have been bumped up. But the mousse more than picked up the slack - slightly salty and capturing the essence of caviar in a creamy, velvety dollop. I think this was my favorite offering of the night, but after a while, the mousse was a little too rich for even my blood and I had to stop.

The crab cake, with jumbo lump crab meat and olive oil cured gigantes beans (below) was as meaty as you'd ever want a crab cake to be - not a lot of filler here, just fat chunks of crab. While I very much appreciated the focus on making the crab the star, I wouldn't have minded a little something...more exciting to stimulate my tastebuds. As it was, this was a perfectly executed, though conventional, crab cake, which got a slight boost in flavor when eaten with the adjacent dip. The gigantes beans were lightly dressed with a good olive oil and well-seasoned, but were a bit too al dente for my liking - that may just be my lack of familiarity with this bean, though, because I've had gigantes beans elsewhere and thought the same thing.

Finally, we got a side of patates, or roasted potatoes (below). These were nothing to write home about, but like everything else we ordered, they were nicely prepared: well-seasoned, with a golden crust giving way to the tenderness inside.

On the whole, the dishes offered were flavorful and well-executed - definitely good enough for me to rethink my Greek-food avoidance, and I'd like to come back sometime soon to take advantage of their extensive fresh fish selection. To be fair, given my company, I was going to have a fantastic time regardless of the food/service/decor. That being said, Kellari stands on its own merits - a solid addition to the Washington dining scene.

*Kellari is the little sister of an NYC restaurant of the same name.

Comments

[Lindsey]

Wow, you are fast! (*___*) My own post will probably go up a week or two late, lol. The pictures look lovely, and your commentary is spot-on.

I had a great time hanging out!

[Angela]

Lindsey-
Well, we're sort of starting to get a little backlogged with posts, so I thought I'd get this one in while it was still fresh in my memory. I had a wonderful time, too - I realize that I always talk too much, but chatting with you was such great fun! We'll have to do it again soon.

[DCsocialite]

This is on my list of places to try and it sounds like it was pretty good. The food looks fantastic!

[Angela]

Paul-
It WAS pretty good, and that was just the small plates menu. I wish I had ordered a fresh seafood dish, as that seems to be their thing, and I've heard great things about their non-seafood entrees. I'd definitely go back for a regular meal anytime.