HELLENIC HOT SPOT SHINING IN SIMI.Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic It's ``opa'' in Simi Valley. With the opening of a neat, new Greek restaurant on Tapo Street, Simi and Northwest San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. residents get a chance to indulge in Zorba-like dining for the first time. It's Greek to Me There is also a video series called Greek to Me. That's Greek to me or It's (all) Greek to me is an idiom/dead metaphor in English, claiming that an expression is incomprehensible, either due to complexity or imprecision. may not have the vitality and depth yet of the Great Greek, Taverna ta·ver·na n. A café or small restaurant in Greece. [Modern Greek taverna, from Medieval Greek tabern Tony and other well-known Hellenic spots around Los Angeles, but it certainly has the potential. After several years as a small, unnoticed little storefront deli-cafe, it has ambitiously moved into a roomy ex-sports bar space next to a Blockbuster site in a visible shopping center location. With comfortable but unassuming decor and furnishings, It's Greek to Me concentrates on pleasing its growing clientele with good food and a friendly attitude. On a weekend night, you might even be surprised by a belly dancer wiggling in the aisles, and if you ask waiter Takis to play the mandolin toward the end of the evening, the former member of a onetime globe-trotting Greek musical ensemble will happily oblige. Though the kitchen didn't come up with the traditional avgolemono soup during review visits, there were plenty of Greek appetizer alternatives and an especially well-executed Greek salad offering. Served with starters, the pita bread here seems especially fresh and is brought warm. You'll get it with orders of skorthalia ($3.25), a tasty, cold potato and garlic mixture that has enough garlic in it to keep vampires (and friends) away for a week. There's also taramasalata ta·ra·ma·sa·la·ta or ta·ra·mo·sa·la·ta n. A paste of fish roe, olive oil, lemon juice, and potatoes or moistened bread crumbs. [Modern Greek : taramas, preserved roe (from Turkish ($3.85), a piquant fish roe dip for pita spreading, and both hummus hum·mus also hum·us or hom·mos n. A smooth thick mixture of mashed chickpeas, tahini, oil, lemon juice, and garlic, used especially as a dip for pita. ($3.25) and tzadziki ($3.25) for the same purpose, the latter a soothing yogurt, garlic and cucumber sauce that also arrives with several entree plates. The kitchen makes respectable renditions of stuffed grape leaves Noun 1. stuffed grape leaves - well-seasoned rice (with nuts or currants or minced lamb) simmered or braised in stock dolmas dish - a particular item of prepared food; "she prepared a special dish for dinner" (dolmades, $3.75) and seasoned Greek meatballs (keftedakia, $3.75). And it does a really good job with the Greek version of calamari fritti ($3.95), these being a satisfying portion of nicely chewable, lightly battered, baby squid. Moussaka mous·sa·ka n. A Greek dish consisting of layers of ground lamb or beef and sliced eggplant topped with a cheese sauce and baked. [Serbo-Croatian, from Turkish mussakka ($7.95) is passable and green beans come up a bit too soft, but all three souvlakis (beef, lamb or chicken, $7.95 or $8.95) elicit murmurs of satisfaction. The rice is wonderful here, whatever the dish, and particularly with shrimp saganaki Saganaki (Greek σαγανάκι) is a salty and aromatic cheese-based Greek appetizer of fried or broiled cheese. The cheese used is usually Kefalograviera, Kasseri, or sheep milk Feta cheese. ($10.95). Baklava ($2.50) and thick, sweet Greek coffee (75 cents) provide a gratifying grat·i·fy tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies 1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please. 2. ending. THE FACTS The restaurant: It's Greek to Me. Where: 2354 Tapo St., Simi Valley. When: Open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily except Sunday, for dinner from 5:30 to 9 p.m. nightly except Sunday, to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Recommended items: Skorthalia, tzadsiki, taramasalata, dolmades, calamari, souvlaki Noun 1. souvlaki - made of lamb souvlakia kabob, kebab, shish kebab - cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables (beef, lamb or chicken), shrimp saganaki, baklava. How much: Appetizers, sandwiches and salads from $2.15 to $5, entrees from $8 to $13, desserts $2.50. Beer and wine license approval expected soon. MC, V. Reservations: Helpful. Call (805) 527-5316. Our rating: Three Stars for food; Three Stars for service. MEMO: Larry Lipson's restaurant news reports and reviews are broadcast at 3:47 p.m. each Monday through Friday and 11:47 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays on K-NEWS (KNNS-AM 1260 and KNNZ-AM 540). CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: It's Greek to Me co-owner Julie Kyriazis shows off s ome of the restaurant's dishes at its new location in Simi Valley. David Sprague/Daily News |
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