Café 8

This casual and friendly restaurant along the historic Barracks Row offers super flavorful Mediterranean cuisine at unpretentious prices. A favorite of mine, I have gone back again for both lunch and dinner. Closest Metro is Eastern Market.

Levante’s

Last date I was here: 10/31/2008

Restaurant: Levante’s (http://www.levantes.com/)

Location: Dupont Circle

Total Rating: 4.05
Food: 4, Price: 4, Service: 4, Ambience: 4, Accessibility: 5

Summary: This chain restaurant from Austria is fairly new to the DC area and offers eastern mediterranean cuisine in a casual dining environment and fair prices. The flavors of Greece and Turkey are fresh and indulging. Open kitchens and wood-fired ovens produce charcoal - grilled meats and vegetables, which are prepared in full view of diners. Pita and flat breads are baked fresh. Unique Turkish pides with generous size and homemade crusts offer a unique alternative to Italian-style pizza. Closest Metro is Dupont Circle.

We ate dinner here on Halloween night and had a great seat by the window so we could watch all the crazy costumes walk by as they headed to the bars. The seating area seemed plentiful with a nice bar and large patio area. Not sure if it was the festive-ness in the air, but I found it to be a little noisy at times and hard to hear during our conversation. I really enjoyed the appetizers, a little too much batter on the fried veggies, but the flavors were good. Also enjoyed my pide but was too full to finish it all! I wish I could have taken the leftovers, but we had to catch a movie and I did not want to carry it the whole time. I would definitely eat here again.

What I ate:

♥Levante Plate♥

Assortment of favorite Levante appetizers: Cigars, Tsatziki, Dolma, Greek Cheese, Fried Zucchini, Fried Eggplant

♥Eggplant Pide♥

Eggplant puree, olives, garlic, and parsley on a base of Kaser cheese

Plus Keith ate:

Mixed Grill Plate

Assortment of Levante’s grill specialties: Adana Kebab, Shish, Chicken Skewer, and Lamb Chops
Served with rice and broccoli