Zaytoon - Albany

Americas - USA West San Francisco Bay Area
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Tried Zaytoon because we went to a movie in the next block and they were still open. Nice place, feels a lot more open and modern than the Solano Grill & Bar it replaced.

zaytoon
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Musakan roll ($9) was very good. Made me want to try their spanakopita.

Mazza platter ($12), the baba ganoush was first-rate, rich and smoky. Falafels also first-rate, very crunchy outside but still moist inside. The hummus was good though not my favorite style. Eggplant salad (kind of like caponata) and tabouleh were good though I probably won’t order them again.

Shankleesh ($8) was good, kind of like a thick tzatziki. I couldn’t detect the walnuts. The chips were good but a little small for dipping.

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Kubba ($9) were tasty but a little dry, really needed the dill yogurt. I wouldn’t order this again, either.

Moussaka ($18) was good though not my favorite style.

I’ll definitely go back to get more of the baba ganoush and falafel and to try more things.

http://www.zaytoon510.com

1 Like
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I’ve been thinking about Moussaka, and I’m wondering what your favorite style is and who in the (preferably East) Bay area serves it.

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Ideally made with lamb and eggplant, no beef or potatoes, and a thick layer of custard on top, not bechamel. I’m not sure any restaurants around here make it like that.

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I think one must get so much more beef for the amount of labor expended.
They hardly serve lamb in Greece nowadays. Depressing. I tested some
recipes for a Turkish cookbook author and she asked my opinion about a
recipe that other testers said failed. I made it as she said, using lamb
from Indus Market with a 1/4 inch thick layer of fat on the outside and it
worked perfectly and was astoundingly simple and delicious. I’m sure the
other testers were using leg of lamb from Costco with virtually no fat on
the outside and that was why it didn’t work.
Istanbul and Beyond by Robyn Echhardt, Coming out October 10th

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What cut of lamb and what dish?

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while testing another recipe her, fermented Romano string beans using the
wild yeast on the surface I discovered that EBMUD add chloramine to our
water which prevents fermentation. Which is also why making fermented half
sour pickles never has worked since we moved down from Napa.
Dan

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I haven’t had a problem fermenting cabbage or chiles. Also, it’s primarily lactobacilli that ferment pickles, not yeast.

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Shoulder, Tender Roast Lamb with Scallions and Green Chilies (Colemerg
Biberli Soganli Kuzu Guvec)

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We stopped by for happy hour today. A selection of $8 cocktails and a couple of respectable wines by the glass ($8 - $1 off regular price) plus $4 beers. The happiest part of the “hour” was the food.

The mazza plate was a delicious $5 selection of hummus, baba, eggplant salad, tabbouleh, and 2 little falafel with pita. This was really good. We then had a schnitzel (chicken) app (also $5), which were three nice little pieces, served with lemon and a garlic sauce. Very tasty.

This will definitely become part of our happy hour rotation, and based upon what we ate, on the short list for a dinner stop.