On the side
ZORBA’S FINE GREEK CUISINE ★★★
11225 Montgomery NE, Suite D, 3232695, zorbasfinegreekcuisine.menufy.com
The Counelis family of Olympia Café fame opened Zorba’s Fine Greek Cuisine in 2010. You won’t find a $38 rib-eye here — just hearty, stick-to-your-ribs stuff such as meats on skewers served with garlicky, paste-like dips and casseroles layered with cheese and ground beef. Working your way through these dishes, you can almost hear a Greek grandmother somewhere saying, “Eat, eat! You’re skin and bones!”
Appetizers are mostly in the $5-$10 range, with a sampler available for $17.95. The skordalia ($6.95) makes for a promising start to the meal, the sublimely silky whipped potato and garlic dip served with pillowy wedges of pita and a generous helping of olives and peppers.
Platters make up the bulk of the dinner menu. The Alexi’s platter ($16.95) showcases several of Greek dining’s greatest hits: moussaka, spanakopita, gyros and dolmas, served with a small salad and roasted potatoes or rice pilaf.
Zorba’s version of gyros was the best part of the assortment. Paired with the tzatziki sauce, the thin slices were ideal for folding into a piece of pita.
Seafood choices include a grilled sea bass fillet ($17.75) and a seafood platter ($18.95) made up of grilled shrimp, calamari strips and the catch of the day — in this case, sole — over rice and broccoli.
The seven desserts on the menu include works of fusion such as baklava cheesecake alongside such classics as the custard pie galatoboureko ($4.25), which has been made in Greece for thousands of years. Zorba’s version is a big, honey-kissed block with a hint of citrus.