Feast Your Eyes on Zaytinya, Chef Jose Andres’ New Mediterranean Marvel

Washington, DC-based chef Jose Andres is ready to debut his much-acclaimed Mediterranean restaurant Zaytinya at The Star in Frisco.

A representative for the restaurant tells Eater that Zaytinya will open its doors on Monday, February 5 at 6655 Winning Drive, occupying a sprawling space with seating for 250 diners. The restaurant’s interior was designed by The Rockwell Group, and leans heavily on Mediterranean details, including rich Yves Klein blues, terra cotta, varied metals, and intricate tableware in Turkish patterns. An open format will give diners a glimpse inside the kitchen.

For the unfamiliar, Chef Jose Andres is a James Beard Award winner and Washington, D.C. dining icon responsible for eateries like Oyamel, Minibar, and Jaleo. Zaytinya’s D.C. outpost, open in 2002, earned Andres Bib Gourmand (a.k.a. a restaurant that serves “excellent food at a reasonable price”) distinction from the 2016 Michelin Guide. In 2017, Andres received Eater’s national Icon award in recognition of his extensive humanitarian work in Puerto Rico, Houston, and more disaster-affected areas following Hurricanes Harvey and Maria.

Andres tapped a local, Chef Jonathan Thompson, to oversee the kitchen at Zaytinya. Before taking this gig, Thompson served as executive chef of Sugarbacon Proper Kitchen in McKinney, and has also worked alongside Dallas’ own Stephan Pyles, Bradley Ogden in Las Vegas, and Gerard Panguad in Washington, D.C. Diners can look forward to spit-roasted lamb shoulder served with a trio of dips( tzatziki, harissa, and toum), along with vegetable plates like brussels sprouts Afelia crowned with barberries and garlic-spiked yogurt. In addition to a list of Mediterranean wines, the bar will stock regionally-appropriate spirits like ouzo, arak, and raki.

Zaytinya is now open seven days a week for dinner service, starting at 5 p.m, and lunch and brunch are set to follow in the coming weeks. Before making a reservation at this Mediterranean hotspot, take a peek inside Zaytinya courtesy of Eater photographer Melissa Hennings.

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