Yanni's Greek Taverna - Calumet-Norvelt

Yanni’s Taverna in Cleveland Park offers up an interesting menu full of hot cold appetizers and traditional Greek dishes. Besides the food, the restaurant’s awesome location right on Connecticut Avenue near the Uptown Theater provides some excellent people watching (sit outside on the outdoor patio if you can stand the DC humidity! After a late afternoon movie at Uptown (gotta love the big, curved screen! my friends I decided it was high time to satisfy our hunger with some Greek food. We started with the hummus dip (of course! which was really tasty, not too oily and very well flavored. The pita bread accompaniment was warm and lightly seasoned – delicious! We also decided to try something ‘new’ besides our traditional ordering repertoire of eggplant dip, tzatziki, and grape leaves, and opted for one of Yanni’s hot appetizer offerings: the baked eggplant with onions, tomatoes, garlic and herbs. I thought it was really great – not too heavy on the olive oil, and the eggplant was excellently cooked…I’m no good at cooking eggplant on my own, so I appreciate when restaurants can do it well! Entrees were nicely sized but also pricey for the amount of food. I ordered the Charbroiled Jumbo Shrimp, which came with an option of Greek Salad or rice veggies. For $18, the dish had only 5-6 shrimp and a relatively small portion of rice veggies…it was really good, but I’ve gotten more food for a cheaper price at other Greek restaurants in the DC area. My other two dining companions had the Rice Shrimp entree, which was more or less the same as the Charbroiled Jumbo Shrimp but served with the rice shrimp mixed together with feta cheese, and the Mousaka Platter, which had rave reviews! Would recommend for the post-movie crowd craving some Greek food, though the Cleveland Park area does have some other excellent food options. Dinner for 3, including 2 appetizers, 3 entrees, and 3 glasses of wine was slightly over $110 – not too bad for a nicer dinner out in DC, but still a little much given the quality/quantity of food. Parking is limited in the area but Yanni’s is right near the Cleveland Park metro stop, and the nightlife and atmosphere is always lively, fun, and entertaining. Plenty of bars around to hit up after dinner if you want to keep the night going strong. The restaurant has great outdoor seating and a gorgeous interior, so it def. gains points for decor! Go Greek! (Quick word of advice for my fellow pita lovers – the restaurant brings sliced baguette as a starter, so be sure to ask for pita if you want it!