Agora: A Greek Gathering Place in DC

Post by Punch Palate Correspondent Lena Aburdene

Agora, meaning “gathering place” in Greek, is a recent addition to the bustling restaurant scene on 17^th Street in the Dupont Circle area. It rests amongst many favorites in the DC restaurant scene such as, Hank’s Oyster Bar, Sushi Taro and Komi.

What initially sparked my interest in reviewing this restaurant was first and foremost its commitment to being a green and environmentally friendly restaurant.  I have to commend any business that manages to incorporate social and environmental responsibility in their planning and execution.  The majority of Agora’s construction throughout the restaurant comes from materials that are recycled or reclaimed.  The white and red wine glasses are made from a combination of recycled cork and glass. Agora recycles all bottles, paper and plastic. The restaurant also only uses recycled paper for the printed menus and donates the kitchen’s cooking oil for repurposing as biodiesel fuel.  There are environmentally friendly hand dryers in the restrooms and as part of their effort to conserve energy  Agora only uses natural light for as long as possible.  These are just a few of the ways Agora has committed themselves to being a green restaurant.  The food and atmosphere are just as impressive, if not more so.

Agora (which opened in May 2010) is seemingly unimpressive from the front but as you walk inside you instantly feel at home.  It’s cozy without being boring and trendy without being pretentious.  The exposed brick walls, warm lighting and mostly booth style seating make this a great place for a date or just catching up with good friends.  The restaurant was full of both of these scenarios: I spotted a couple holding hands across the table and sat next to two girlfriends catching up over a bottle of red wine.  There was also a larger round table for a group of 5 or 6 that looked intimate and ideal for having good conversation.

Agora is a Turkish restaurant even though the name is Greek.  Following in the footsteps of the popular new “small plate” phenomenon,  all of Agora’s dishes are small and meant to be shared with 2 or 3 dishes being ideal for each person.

We started with cocktails, although during my next visit I will go with a bottle of wine. Agora has a great wine list and wine would be a perfect compliment to the food that they serve as it is heavily centered around bread, cheeses, vegetables, meat and fish.  One cocktail we had featured fig and the other apricot. Both were a bit too strong and sweet for the meal we had and might have been better at Agora’s bar for happy hour or after-work drinks.  Agora’s filtered water is served either sparkling or flat and both options are free (now that’s a rare thing these days!)

My dining companion and I are both of Middle Eastern descent so we were very familiar with the items on the menu as Turkish and Greek food is often similar to the food of the Middle East.   We started with one of my personal favorites, Labneh.  Labneh is a strained yogurt normally eaten with bread.  Agora’s version came with apples and walnuts which I had never seen before. It was a nice addition to add a sweetness and a crunch to the tang of the yogurt.  Agora also brings out hot and toasty wood fired bread in addition to the food and you can have as much of it as you like (but be careful not to fill up on bread because there are a lot of great things to try on the menu).

We had the excellent Kasik Salad which is more or less a Greek salad with a Turkish twist.  We also had pan seared goats milk cheese with thyme and fig jam that was reminiscent of Halloumi cheese (another popular Middle Eastern favorite that is often served fried). Although the cheese was good, I would next time opt for the goat cheese wrapped in crispy phyllo with herb and peppers which was what the server recommended to me. The table next to us was oohing and aahing over their order of the phyllo crusted goat cheese and I instantly wished I had ordered it!

Additionally we tried the Bonfile Sarma, an excellent small piece of filet mignon cooked perfectly with kasar cheese, sour cherry sauce and glazed shallots. I don’t eat meat very much any more and this particular dish really made me miss it. This dish was representative of Agora’s success at creating dishes that are extremely flavorful and memorable.  The sour cherry sauce and cheese did not overwhelm the meat at all, rather it enhanced its flavor.  The Alabalik (pan seared brook trout with black olives, toasted almonds and shallots) was tasty and cooked perfectly and the olives, almonds and shallots brought out the flavor of the fish.

You can’t go wrong with the flat breads and I suggest you order one at every meal at Agora. The flat bread is cooked in a wood fire oven and brought out warm, soft and stuffed with savory feta and kasar cheese which melts in your mouth. You can also opt for meat on the flatbreads if you so desire.

I saved the Shish Taouk for last because my companion insists that he tries the Shish Taouk at every restaurant that has it. He is the toughest critic when it comes to analyzing the simple art of marinated grilled chicken breast skewers.  We both agreed that this was very good Shish Taouk.  Many times it’s very hard to cook the chicken correctly and it often ends up dry. Agora’s Shish Taouk was tender and moist while retaining the lemony garlicky flavor of the marinade.

The dessert menu is limited but delightful and the Turkish coffee comes in tiny little tea cups that they cater to your personal preference on how sweet (or unsweetened) you like your coffee.

The menu offers much more than I highlighted here and I strongly recommend going to Agora. The food, atmosphere and commitment to environmental responsibility are exceptional and the service is attentive and friendly.  There aren’t too many restaurants that I would consider being a “regular” at and this is definitely one of them.

**Agora is now serving brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11am-3pm and Happy Hour specials on Monday-Friday from 3pm-7pm.  Visit the website at: www.agoradc.net
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