Philotimo Review - Downtown - Washington DC - The Infatuation

"Philotimo could be a really great Greek restaurant, but much like that ex you gave one too many chances, it doesn’t live up to its potential. The fancy-ish downtown spot serves beautiful, well-made cocktails, refreshing melitzanosalata, and creamy tirokafteri. But bigger plates are hit or miss, like an octopodi with great char and inconsistent seasoning. Philotimo's main dining roomphoto credit: Nina Palazzolo Similar to the food, the mood switches up on you. When you walk into the candlelit front hallway, you’ll think you’re barging in on an elaborate proposal. But the romance falls off when you hit the main dining room, where friend groups pile into cushioned booths and coworkers split pillowy spanakopita and bottles of Greek wine. It’s a jarring transition that'll take the air out of your anniversary dinner. Instead, come here for a birthday with friends and order everything to share, or plan a date night with someone you no longer have to impress, but still want to. Food Rundown photo credit: Nina Palazzolo Melizanosalata This eggplant spread is one of the best things on the menu. You could just grab a spoon and shovel the bright, relish-like dish into your mouth, but then you’d be missing out on the accompanying soft, sesame-covered bread. photo credit: Nina Palazzolo Tirokafteri Another one of our favorites is this spicy, salty feta dip. Pair it with the melitzanosalata for the ultimate start-of-dinner spread. Spanakopita These phyllo-wrapped bites are crispy and stuffed with spinach and feta cheese. They come out piping hot, and that’s how you should eat them. Risk the slight mouth burn because once they get cold and soggy, it’s over. photo credit: Nina Palazzolo Octopodi When this dish is good, the charred octopus is tender and the citrusy sauce adds a nice pop of flavor to the spinach and black eyed peas. But when it’s not so good, the salt levels make the dish taste straight out of the ocean. photo credit: Nina Palazzolo Mantia These veal-stuffed dumplings come in a brown butter sauce that smells so good the entire table will be leaning in trying to catch a whiff. But there are days when the pasta is hard enough that it feels like you’re chewing a cracker, and the flavor doesn’t match the smell." - Tristiaña Hinton