Foods from EVOO Greek Kitchen
Comments
2014 Mar 27
Went for dinner at EVOO last night. It was SUPERB. Our group was 4 women on a girls night out...focussed on food and wine!
We were warmly greeted and immediately liked the atmosphere. Lively but not too loud to chat. We ordered the house red and looked at the very interesting menu. I would describe it as large and small sharing plates. The small ones - listed under the "appetizer" section were all interesting and so many it was hard to narrow our selection. The larger ones featured grilled lamb, pork chicken and sausage. There were three salads as well.
We went with a salad that included romaine, olives, onion, avocado and feta. The feta was a substitution for a Greek cheese that was out of stock. It was a very nice salad. We added a bunch of appetizers - calamari, octopus, shrimp and mixed vegetables- lightly breaded and grilled.
The above came with warm wonderful crusty bread, olive oil (natch!) and balsamic.
The presentation was absolutely beautiful and the tastes were fresh and delicious.
With a house desert of custard and filo that came as a comp....for no particular reason...this was ample for the four of us. Our bill for 4 was $140 before tip but including 2 bottles of wine. VERY reasonable for what we got.
We will be back very soon.
After all that you will think I am a shill, I'm not, just a happy new customer!
We were warmly greeted and immediately liked the atmosphere. Lively but not too loud to chat. We ordered the house red and looked at the very interesting menu. I would describe it as large and small sharing plates. The small ones - listed under the "appetizer" section were all interesting and so many it was hard to narrow our selection. The larger ones featured grilled lamb, pork chicken and sausage. There were three salads as well.
We went with a salad that included romaine, olives, onion, avocado and feta. The feta was a substitution for a Greek cheese that was out of stock. It was a very nice salad. We added a bunch of appetizers - calamari, octopus, shrimp and mixed vegetables- lightly breaded and grilled.
The above came with warm wonderful crusty bread, olive oil (natch!) and balsamic.
The presentation was absolutely beautiful and the tastes were fresh and delicious.
With a house desert of custard and filo that came as a comp....for no particular reason...this was ample for the four of us. Our bill for 4 was $140 before tip but including 2 bottles of wine. VERY reasonable for what we got.
We will be back very soon.
After all that you will think I am a shill, I'm not, just a happy new customer!
OSoloMeal
On arrival we liked the look. It's a far cry from the classic Greek restau'... no stock pictures of white buildings on faraway islands, no blue, no bazouki music. All to the good, it's stone and hanging lights and just a solid modern ambiance all around.
Modern look aside, the menu is fairly classic Greek... about ten share-able starters including octopus, calamari, keftes, etc. Six dips, three salads, large plates of grilled meat to share, indiv platters, chicken, beef, lamb.
Started with skordalia dip and horiatiki salad. The skordalia was among the best i've had... they nailed that happy point between the garlic and potato without going too far garlicy or bland so many places do. It came with a nice serving of grilled seasoned pita... 8 wedges for 2 of us. The horatiki salad was just right... fresh cuke, tomato, ample red onion, peppers, a generous serving of tasty feta, dressed in delicate olive oil. Big portion too.
For mains, we went with the stuffed veg - one pepper, one zuchinni, stuffed with a blend of rice and grains and herbs and happiness, with tasty lemon roasted potatoes that made reducing carbs difficult - and the lamp platter - three nice sized chops with ample meat, done med rare as ordered, seasoned perfectly... seriously, this was great great Greek lamb... the same potatoes (switched from fries on request, no issues) and some excellent tzaziki that went great with the lamb, the potatoes, the remains of the salad, my fork, etc. We also had a side of the beans... ordered because of my fondness for the classic greek 'gigantes' dish, this was a different take, the beans were smaller white beams, covered in a really delicious sauce - herbs, tomato, a bit of salt - and melted cheese. Not what i was expecting but totally what i'm ordering again next time.
The wine and beer selection are all Greek. Nice touch and afaik, i can't get most of those beers anywhere else in Ottawa.
Desert was a 'boratos' (i'm spelling that wrong)... filo over custard, baked and sprinkled with crystal meth because i need it again. Huge portion, easy to share.
The server, Dale, was great - friendly, checked in regularly, not intrusive.
Food plus four drinks, two coffees, tx in was $130ish, with enough leftovers for two lunches.
Fully worthwhile. This is right up there with Mythos or Aroma Meze at their best for finer Greek food. It costs more than a takeaway souvlaki counter or some of the more 'classic' family restaus, and is worth the dollars.
(I'm pretty sure had we been less indulgent - one starter, one round of drinks, no dessert because waaah diet, their great looking chicken instead of lamb - we could have eaten well for $60-70ish. )
Will be back, will send others.