Chef José Andrés’ sixth iteration of Zaytinya opened this month within walking distance of the Palo Alto outpost of Bay Area restaurant group Hummus Mediterranean Kitchen (HMK). The Stanford Shopping Center is large enough to accommodate two restaurants with similar, but not identical, menus.
The proximity of the two restaurants does raise some questions. Like Michael Mina’s behemoth of a restaurant group, Andrés’ business is pushing past approximately 40 international locations with a variety of concepts. Zaytinya is just one amongst several.
The executives at Andrés’ culinary juggernaut must have surveyed the shopping mall well in advance of the buildout (due diligence, etc.) before coming to a conclusion. A new Zaytinya dining room would cater to a group of customers in search of Mediterranean flavors but set inside a more formal environment than HMK’s. A speculative interpretation of the move suggests that, in general, such competition is good for the marketplace.
At Zaytinya, Andrés and his team excel at the art of illusion and presentation. Where HMK relies on neutral tones, primarily sage and olive greens, whites, and blond wood, Zaytinya layers the décor with its own nod to midcentury wood tones and nautical blues, which evoke the splendors held within and around the borders of the Mediterranean Sea.
At the entrance, a school of fish appears on rows of white and navy floor tiles. They’re aligned in a symmetrical formation. A curtain frames the largest window in the dining room with an ombré wave splashing downward from light to dark blue, conjuring up the image of a mermaid’s shimmering underwater gown.
The curved wall of the bar looks like it was salvaged intact from an early 20th century luxury passenger ship. Patterned with circles, each “porthole” light is outlined in black with pale teal and white screens. Throughout the room, this collection of trompe l’oeil effects is visually stimulating in a way that doesn’t feel busy or intrusive. They’re passive antidotes to both TVs and ocular boredom.
Without these oceanic design influences, or with one’s eyes closed, it’d be tough to taste a significant difference between the dishes being served at Zaytinya versus HMK. The menu prices really only depart from each other at the entrée level. The mezze courses split the difference. HMK’s classic hummus is $11.95; the cheese pida $16.95. Zaytinya’s hommus is $13; the cheese pide $14. Taste-wise, I preferred HMK’s hummus but liked Zaytinya’s baba ghannouge over HMK’s sautéed eggplant.
Beyond the mezzes, Zaytinya’s Palo Alto location has yet to master the recipes that call for more complexity. To its credit, reaching for that degree of difficulty also distinguishes Zaytinya’s kitchen from HMK’s more straightforward wraps, bowls, and mixed grill plates.
One starter, an octopus Santorini, was tender but flavorless. The dry, starchy bed of yellow split pea purée it was served upon didn’t do the mollusk any favors. A mild shrimp dish, garides me anitho, acquitted itself with a dill, shallot, mustard and lemon marinade, or vinaigrette. But the shellfish languished on their own without another component. Some fresh green veg with a crunch—asparagus, haricots verts, even spring onions—could have provided the dish some more nuance.
The kitchen had run out of spanakopita that night so we tried a deconstructed version of it, sans philo dough and laced with olives. It was plated like a vegetarian version of the octopus. And like that dish, the various components did not harmonize. But my least favorite dish by far was a za’atar pide bathed in a “65° egg.” Raw egg albumen just doesn’t work for me. The pide itself was underdone and the kasar cheese on top only brought blandness to the party.
A shish taouk, or grilled chicken skewer, suffered in comparison with one that I had just eaten a couple of weeks before at an Iranian restaurant. The Persian version was much juicier with perfectly seared edges. Underseasoning, on the octopus, shrimp and chicken, was a recurring theme. “Celebration rice” was our last and most promising main. It’s a crispy rice dish made with tahdig, almonds, pistachios and dried cherries. With braised chicken, it’s close to a biryani. With mushrooms, it’s less substantial as a vegetarian option.
What defines Zaytinya at this point is the staff. Everyone there has been trained to look after the needs of their guests with a great deal of care. But hovering in the background, behind all the stagecraft, is the name and prestige of a beloved star chef. Even if the pide ain’t that great, a diner can still say they’ve eaten a meal at a José Andrés joint.
Zaytinya—Dinner 4-9pm nightly; lunch 11:30am–3pm Wed–Sun. Stanford Shopping Center, 180 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. zaytinya.com
