On a recent vacation in DC I split off from my friend (who refused to join me) to take a segway tour. It was a blast – we spent 3 hours zipping around monuments and museums and scoffed at the idea of walking when you can ride! OK – so several school group shouted “Hey Paul Blart Mall Cop” at us (which did lessen the cool factor – if there was one) but I still loved it.

The tour I decided on (there were 3 companies available) was through City Segway Tours and their offices happened to be across the intersection from Zaytinya.

I have seen and enjoyed Jose Andres on tv and I had seen and enjoyed the idea of Zaytinya in Zagats so since I had 40 minutes before my tour I stopped at the bar and had a snack. The bar tender was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful and a regular seated right at the end of the bar also chipped in with suggestions.

I had the fattoush salad – a small dish of fresh tomato, cucumber, red onion, green pepper, radish, pita chips served with hot pita bread, olive oil and a pomegranate vinaigrette. At the regulars suggestion I had to try a half order of the Greek yogurt and apricots for dessert. It is a tiny shot glass filled with muscat soaked apricots, vanilla yogurt cream, apricot sorbet and a pistachio powder.

This experience was not to be missed. Even the bathrooms were clean and had a Dyson airblade to dry your hands! It was so great I dragged my friend back the next day so I could try more things (and she could try the Greek yogurt for dessert).

On day 2 we had the hpipiti which is a spread of marinated roasted red peppers, feta and thyme – gorgeous – along with the baby squash salad of zucchini, patty pans, arugula, tomato, apricot, mizithira cheese and a pistachio sauce and some AMAZINGLY good mushrooms that had been grilled and tossed with dates and almonds.

If only we stayed in the city longer I would have been back again.