I love tapas because they offer you the opportunity to try a variety of dishes at the table without getting too full. It’s family style, with 7 more dishes, with the advantage of still being able to go by yourself. Tapas are Spanish small plates, dim sum is Chinese small plates, and mezethes are greek small plates. The only reason I even know about mezethes are because of Jose Andres, who opened Zaytinya’s, in D.C., and t0e used to rave about the restaurant. I’ve never even had mezes small plates before, until I went to Omega Ouzeri.
SPANAKOPITA – the standard spinach and feta with crème fraiche and dill; this isn’t how I imagined spanakopita, this was closer to an empanada, but it’s more delicate and oh sooo delicious; the dill gives it an extra zing and the olive oil it’s resting on is lovely
grilled octopus – with chile vinaigrette and potatoes; you can judge the skill of a restaurant by ordering an octopus – if it’s rubbery or mushy or completely tasteless, then they’re probably going to have other problems in the kitchen; now to serve a whole tentacle is very impressive and they did a superb job cooking it and balancing it with the spice, the tang, and the starch on the dish when everything was eaten together
saganaki – the greek version of a motzzy cheese stick, paired with fig sauce; crunchy on the outside, a little firmer than mozzarella, and so perfect with the sweetness of the fig
omega ouzeri – zucchini fritters, julienned zucchini battered and fried, recommended by the waitress; sadly, these were a miss as they were wet in the middle and entirely too salty even with the garlic aioli, however the mint inside was a nice refreshing touch
lamb chops – tender, flavorful in some sort of heavenly sauce known as rosemary lamb jus; it didn’t seem very greek, but it tasted delicious regardless!
Not pictured: loukamades – traditional greek donuts with spiced honey and chocolate for dipping. We ate them all before I had the chance to take the picture.
Omega Ouzeri was amazing! Every single dish was spot on, except for the zucchini fritters, and showed an inventiveness with the food that provided a new take on something you thought you already knew. If we could have, we would have ordered the entire menu, but that’s all the more reason to go back. The atmosphere is bright and airy, with white lights and an open kitchen where you can seen the staff preparing whole branzino. It’s lively without being too noisy. I highly recommend Omega Ouzeri – it takes greek food to a higher level and you can’t go wrong with any of the dishes here.
SUMMARY
Overall: Happily ever after
Highlights: grilled octopus, spanakopita, lamb chops
Footnotes: We ordered 6 dishes total and it was the perfect amount for not being completely stuffed, but very happy; parking in the area is terrible even though they have their own garage – there are no spaces in it
