Brunch at Zaytinya in DC

This past Saturday I met my friend Cecilia for brunch at Zaytinya.

I've dined at Zaytinya many times over the years, but have never tried their brunch menu. It was time to change this!

Instead of ordering a standard mimosa, both Cecilia and I {let me just clarify that she copied me ;) } chose Istanbul, Not Constantinople cocktails. The cocktails had Maker's Mark bourbon, apricot eau-de-vie, Turkish apricot nectar, and apricot-raki air.

After clinking our glasses and trying the first sip of the cocktail, we both thought they needed some sugar. We asked and received a small glass of simple syrup: that really made the cocktail work. One was plenty for me ;)

The brunch menu has five options to choose from, but you can also order from Zaytinya's regular menu.

Cecilia and I choose two dishes to share and then ordered an additional dish for ourselves.

We shared Crispy Brussels Afelia (Brussels sprouts, coriander seed, barberries and garlic yogurt) and Bantijan Bil Laban (crispy eggplant with roasted garlic-yogurt sauce).

Both dishes were spot on: if you think you don't like Brussels sprouts, roast them! If you don't think you like eggplant, fry it. Luckily, I love both of these vegetables, so the fried preparation of the eggplant was just a cherry on top. I had to restrain myself from licking the sauce from the plates.

For my brunch dish I ordered Patata Harra (fried egg, loucaniko sausage, potato, cilantro, and allepo pepper).

I don't think I'd ever get bored with breaking the eggwhite of a perfectly prepared fried or poached egg and seeing the sunny yolk ooze out! I could eat this for breakfast every single day of my life. {No worries, could doesn't mean I actually would do that.}

When our waiter asked if we'd like dessert, both Cecilia and I said we'd be happy to look at the menu. I highly recommended Greek yogurt served with apricots and pistachios: it was fitting as our cocktails had apricot flavors!

Great brunch, great company, and solid service.

What dishes do you typically order for brunch?