HOPA! At Kellari Taverna

C Says --

Thanks to the Occupiers' encampment near my office, I have to say that my Democrat-leaning self was kind of pleased at the irony of J picking somewhere on the infamous K Street. Take that anarchists!

True to form, this establishment fits the K Street sterotypes perfectly. Business suits. Lobbyists. Members of Congress. All that was missing was wood paneling, bourbon, and steak. Good thing I like seafood.

Kellari's take on fish was something I'd never seen before -- make your selection (which is priced per pound) and the little sucker is taken from its icy morgue to the kitchen and prepared to order. I was leaning toward selecting the red snapper because 1) I like red snapper 2) I could pronounce it and 3) I knew what it was. After some goading by J, I decided to be a bit more adventurous and go with the Barbounia (aka red mullet -- good thing I didn't know what Barbounia translated to). I'm glad I did. When the plate arrived it was overflowing with the little suckers. Simply prepared in olive oil with lemon, the fish weren't too fishy and were cooked perfectly. I even tried a fish head -- while not disgusting, I'm fairly sure I won't be craving them in the near future. Fair warning, this is a LOT of food -- so a good place to share a meal or to take an offensive lineman from the Washington Redskins.

While I enjoyed Kellari, there are other seafood restaurants in DC I would put in the front of the line (Black Salt, Hank's Oyster Bar). But if you're looking for a taste of Athens in D.C., Kellari might do if for you.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

J Says --

As January is my birthday month, it was my selection for dinner…on C’s dime (THANKS!). So I went back to my semi-roots for inspiration and selected the Greek restaurant Kellari Taverna. Situated downtown on K street, I’ve driven by it countless times and never knew this gem was there. And clearly it’s geared for the business crowd...making our jeans and nice sweaters a tad underdressed. But that was ok as they sat us in the corner.

As Kellari is known for its fresh fish, I was determined to try some. I had also heard great reviews of the octopus, but C was not game to try it. Thus, we started with the Keftedes, or traditional meatballs with Greek yogurt and dill. Quite tasty with a certain amount of heat that was unexpected, the meal started off well. As the fish is priced per pound, I went with the Fagri from the Greek Islands…or White Snapper to us laymen. WHOA what a fish…and at 1.5lbs, what a big plate! Lean, full of flavor and definitely filling, it was a perfect selection. C and I shared grilled asparagus and spinach as our sides.

I would certainly go back to Kellari…at 8pm, it was quite easy to get in AND we spied a Texas Congressman dining with a NY Times reporter. And yes, next time I’d wear slacks rather than jeans…but I’d still want that corner booth!


Kellari Taverna, 1700 K Street NW, Washington, DC, 20006, (202) 535-5274, http://kellaridc.com/