Neyla-A Mediterranean Grill

by Lauren on June 27, 2011

I thought I would take a break from sharing my HealthCentral videos and show you my delicious dinner at Neyla’s in Georgetown. On Friday night I met my good friends Lauren and Kelsey for dinner, and not really knowing exactly where we wanted to go we sort of just wondered around and decided on one of Lauren’s favorite DC restaurants, Neyla. Neyla is an authentic Mediterranean restaurant yet extremely trendy and modern at the same time. The decor is absolutely gorgeous and very fun inside, but since it was a gorgeous night we decided to wait for an outdoor table. It offers everything from cold and hot small plates, to tasting platters and full entrees. It also has a great wine and cocktail list.

We started with a cocktail from their very original cocktail menu, and I chose the Cilantro Margarita.

I couldn’t help myself. Two of my favorite things..cilantro and margaritas. It was a perfect fit for me. The cilantro wasn’t too strong, and the margarita had a great flavor.

Was it wrong to think this was somewhat healthy just because it was green?

Once we got seated we snacked on some Baked Pitas and Greek Yogurt that were complimentary with our meal. This was so much better than the bread you normally get at restaurants. I love going out to eat with my friends because we always love to share everything. So we decided to do 1 Lebanese Tasting Platter, 1 small plate, and 1 entree. This was more than enough food for all of us, and we were definitely stuffed by the end of the meal.

The Lebanese Tasting Platter had a little bit of everything to try. It came with Hommus, Baba Ghannoug, Tabbouleh, Warak Enab, Rakayek bil Jibneh, Meat Kibbeh, Chicken Shawarma, and of course plenty of fluffy Naan.

The platter was a beautiful display, and it was just enough for three people even though it is ideal for 2. I loved trying a little bit of everything, and trying certain combinations with the food.

Next came our small plate which was the Kibbeh Naya which was Lebanese style Steak Tartar, Bourghol, Onion, Mint, and Olive Oil. This was so incredibly creamy that we almost thought they had added cheese to it, but after talking to the waiter we realized it was just the way they prepared it that made it so creamy. This was not your typical steak tartar. It was incredibly decadent. This is a ‘must get’ if you vist Neyla’s.

And just in case we hadn’t had enough protein we all split the Chicken Shish Taouk also known as the Chicken Kebob Platter.

I’m not a huge chicken fan unless done right so I was a little apprehensive about this dish. But much to my surprise it was done right…exactly right. The chicken was tender, moist, and flavorful. It came with almond rice on the side and some sort of creamy white sauce that we couldn’t really figure out, but all the flavors went so well together. We definitely ended the meal on a high note.

I’ll definitely be back to Neyla’s since this was an outstanding dinner. It was just one of those fun, warm, summer nights with friends. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.