Tucked away in the Harbor Village Shopping Center on Atlantic Boulevard, just west of the Intracoastal, is one of Jacksonville's best-kept dining secrets.
Zaitoon, which translates in Arabic to the word "olive," is getting ready to celebrate its third anniversary next year. It's no wonder, since locals travel from as far away as Middleburg and as nearby as Neptune Beach to taste the authentic Mediterranean flavors the eatery has to offer. Restaurateurs Mary and Bill Haddad, both of Middle Eastern descent, traveled the world and drew on their own experience with authentic cuisine, and wanted to share their version of tried-and-true family recipes paired with contemporary techniques … but not by way of sandwiches or a deli.
Zaitoon Mediterranean Grill fills up fast on weekends and most weeknights. The space is intimate, yet friendly enough for a casual dinner with your friends. A large patio affords alfresco dining for those who like to dine outdoors. Large windows allow for natural light to pour in the front of the restaurant, while one side boasts a bar and the other, tall booths. The walls reflect the colors of the Mediterranean Sea –– golds, blues and burnt oranges –– and are warm and inviting to patrons.
While you are probably accustomed to ordering wine with dinner, try the white sangria instead. It's a refreshing blend of red or white wine, brandy, citrus liqueur, and chunks of fruit. If you really want to try something unusual and not found in many, if any, other restaurants in town, have the bartender pour you a glass of Ouzo and Arak, a traditional drink in the Eastern Mediterranean and Northern Africa, and one with a licoricelike essence.
The dinner menu is brief, only a few pages, but that doesn't make ordering any easier thanks to the dozen or so tempting dishes.
On the evening we dined in early October, duck confit turnovers were the featured appetizer –– two giant puff pastries filled with shredded duck, apples, toasted almonds and chef Mike Barbour's garlic rosemary feta. The featured entrée was Pacific halibut, which was prepared lightly smoked with bacon, corn and grilled portabella compote, smashed fingerling potatoes, and a roasted corn and scallion broth. We really enjoyed the turnovers but passed on the halibut for something else on the menu.
Cold and hot tapas start off the meal with selections that are as foreign as the dishes themselves. The best way to sample the most popular tapas items is to order the mixed tasting plate (a vegetarian mixed tasting plate is also available). Perfect for two to share, you get a combination of three favorites — spanakopita, meat dolmades and kibbie. The spanakopita is like a spinach pie –– phyllo pastries filled with baby spinach, sweet onion and feta and brushed with butter, which results in its perfectly baked golden crust. The meat dolmades, better known as grape leaves, are stuffed with sirloin, rice and a spice blend. The kibbie looks like a larger sausage link and is made up of ground sirloin and cracked wheat and filled with herbs and pine nuts. Hummus, baba ghannouj and tzatziki (yogurt-based) sauces are served with both caliente and frios tapas. Falafel is a sure bet if you don't want to fill up on the tasting platter.
No Mediterranean restaurant is complete without lentil soup. Zaitoon's curried lentil shorba (soup) is a blend of lentils, onions and spices.
Entrees come with your choice of salad, but you won't find a house or Caesar salad on this menu. Your choices include tabouli, Greek and roasted beet with curried walnuts salatas (salad). Salads are very generous and we were beginning to fill up at this point.
Besides the Pacific halibut, three other seafood dishes are tempting –– the paella, the pesto brushed grouper and Zaitoons' signature curried snapper. I love snapper and I love curry so I figured this would be a great combination … and I was right. The hefty piece of snapper comes sautéed with yellow curry, a mango bell pepper compote and basmati rice.
My guest selected the beef skirt steak, which was extremely tender and is served marinated in rosemary, oregano and wine and comes with basmati rice, seasonal veggies and a roasted garlic sauce.
From the grill, Zaitoon offers traditional chicken kebabs, lamb and kefta, which is ground sirloin and pork seasoned with garlic, spices and herbs and served with basmati rice, veggies, sumac onions and tzatziki sauce. Pan roasted chicken in goat cheese polenta and tomato basil pan sauce; braised lamb shank with puttanesca and a potato cake; and moussaka, a napoleon of sliced eggplant, potato, ground sirloin, pork and tomatoes baked in béchamel (a white sauce often found in French cuisine) round out the remaining entrees. A vegetarian plate is also available.
By this time, you will not feel like ordering dessert, and with good reason. But don't rule out the last course just yet. The bread pudding is more like a tower of goodness. It literally stands taller than your sangria glass and is smothered in caramel and apple cider. It was more than two people could handle after such a fulfilling meal. Needless to say, it was the perfect ending to an evening full of new flavors and new friends.
If you're looking to tempt your taste buds with worldly cuisine, Zaitoon lives up to their reputation as one of the best-kept dining secrets in town, and one of a handful of Mediterranean restaurants that is as authentic as they say.