Greece is known for its fresh seafood because the country—a series of islands—is surrounded by water. Committee in the Seaport District is located by the water, but the restaurant’s food is far from its source material.

Dishes do not fail as a whole, but some components are poorly executed. Meats can be better seasoned, and accompaniments are sometimes frivolous.

Committee is inspired by Greek ouzeris, taverns specializing in small, shareable dishes, and ouzo, an anise-flavored aperitif popular in the Mediterranean. Committee bears no resemblance to a cozy ouzeri, and looks more like a nightclub with its poor lighting and obnoxiously large bar. While the restaurant offers a selection of ouzo and Greek wines and spirits, the bar churns out generic cocktails with additions that I believe are made to make them more Greek-like, and have less to do with the flavor. An old fashioned has blood orange syrup, and fig is added to a sidecar granting it the name, The Notorious F.I.G ($14). The reference to Biggie Smalls is strange until the restaurant plays one of the rapper’s songs—out of place in an actual ouzeri, but fitting for Committee’s atmosphere.

Since Committee focuses on small plates, there are no entrees, and dishes are brought to the table when ready. A basket of complimentary fluffy, warm pita bread is served immediately after ordering and is a strong start to the meal. The pita is accompanied with a tangy dip of smoked yogurt flecked with sweet Florina peppers— a variety of red pepper native to Greece.

Cauliflower tarama ($9) does not have the pink hue often associated with the cod roe dip. The tarama is thickened with potato and topped with olive oil and cilantro. The dip is gritty with a texture similar to couscous mixed with mashed potatoes. A generous helping of tarama is served with sticks of sesame seed encrusted koulori. The koulori, which is typically circular like a bagel, has the same texture and flavor of its Jewish counterpart. The bread is necessary to tone down the overpowering garlic flavor of the tarama, but with only four sticks of koulori, it is difficult to finish the dip.

Octopus ($18) is grilled and served on a bed of hazelnut puree turned red by the addition of Florina peppers. The octopus is incredibly tender and pairs well with the coarsely ground hazelnuts, but the protein could have benefitted from a sprinkling of salt.

Grilled steak ($18) is sliced and served with barbecue sauce infused with Greek coffee. The steak, served medium-rare despite my server not asking how I would have liked it prepared, is slightly chewy. Like the octopus, the steak is under seasoned. The barbecue sauce has no trace of coffee flavor, despite it being marketed as such on the menu, and tastes only of tomato and vinegar. Charred mushrooms add an earthiness to the dish, but fried leeks do little more than prod the inside of my mouth.

Souvlaki ($18) is served as two skewers of large, tender chunks of lamb that are grilled to a medium. Unlike the steak and octopus, the souvlaki is well-seasoned. The lamb is finished off with a generous helping of oregano, a staple herb in Greek cuisine that somehow had not been used in any of the previous dishes. A small dish of tzatziki with shredded cucumber adds a clean tanginess to the lamb’s char.

None of the dishes at Committee cost more than $20, except for the restaurant’s three variety plates: lamb chops, whole branzino and the poikilia kreaton—a variety of meats. Poikilia kreaton consists of souvlaki, lamb kebab, pork sausages, beef patties stuffed with feta, and chicken souvlaki served with pita, tzatziki, crispy potatoes, and stuffed peppers. When a server carried an order of poikilia kreaton, diners stared in awe at the heaping pile of meat making its way through the restaurant.

The poikilia kreaton exemplifies Committee’s desire to get people to come together and share. For a restaurant that wishes to create a family-like atmosphere of sharing, my server had me feeling like a neglected child. A friendly demeanor when taking my order quickly turned cold and distant once the food started coming out. She was never the one to bring my dishes, and not once did she check in on me. In favor of attending to larger parties, my server neglected to take my payment despite glancing at it multiple times. At one point, I noticed her nudge another server to take my payment, clearing away any desire I had to join this committee again.