Cava -- DC

Last night we had a pleasant night out at a new (to us) restaurant on Barrack's Row (8th St. SE) in DC -- Cava. Cava bills itself as a Greek mezze restaurant -- think tapas for Greek food. Unlike the Spanish tapa concept, however, here the portions were rather larger and so the number of dishes you could order was less.

We had an excellent meal. We had two cold mezze platters: First, a spicy hummus that was regular hummus jazzed up just enough with red pepper to tickle the tongue; and second, caponata -- an eggplant and walnut dish that Cava adds some sweetness to with raisins (we think). For our two hot platters we had spicy lamb sliders that were truly stunning (ground lamb topped with tahini sauce). The only disappointment of the night was the other hot mezze: a pork souvlaki which wasn't bad but wasn't very special either.

And the surprise of the night: A quite pleasant Greek wine that was a tempanillio/cabernet blend. It was the most expensive Greek glass on the menu and didn't disappoint. If you are in the mood to graze Greek style, Cava is a nice choice.