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| - When I think of Greek, I think of gyros and baklava. I think most Americans don't think much of Greek food outside of gyros and baklavas, but my cabbie from the airpot was Greek and said I should check this place out or he'd dump me out in North Las Vegas and kill me and dump my body in the desert. I started off at the bar and the bartender was very helpful with the wines which was all Greek to me. Yes, I'm going to abuse that line many times in this review. Most of the by-glass was Greek, and I told him what I usualy drank, Gallo, and he punched me in the face. I told him I like Willamette Pinot and he offered me a taste of an Agiorgitiko that was almost a carbon copy of Willamette Pinot. The guy knew his stuff. Excellent bar service. My date arrived and we hit the tables, literally, I was a bit drunk. We were escorted to the fish display which is like one of those fish market displays with the fish in ice and the prices per pound, except these prices were much higher than I'm used to, even at Whole Foods. We're talking $57/lbs and the like, but they fly them in fresh straight from the Mediterranean, so Fedex or DHL accounts for $10/lb or something like that. They probably also get one of those EU VAT (Value Added Taxes) added on top of that. Not the most environmental thing to do, express shipping fish from the Mediterranean, but this is the authentic Greek experience and well worth it. The cabbie told me that the Greeks grill fish in a very special way. The St. Pierre that we chose also known as a John Dory is a white, soft, mild tasting fish. The sauce was light, so I ventured to ask for melted butter. The waiter told me to leave immediately. Actually, he politely informed me that the Greek do not like to overwhelm the taste of the meat with sauces like the French do, and I dunked my St. Pierre in butter and thanked him for the Anthony Bourdain lesson. It tasted soooooo much better slathered in butter. I'm not ashamed in the least. We were in Vegas and we should do as the Vegans do, order A1 with a filet mignon, melted butter with a John Dory, American mustard with a bratwurst. I actually went to Hofbrauhaus with friends earlier and one friend was annoyed they didn't have American mustard for his weiner. Probably the best part of the meal was the dessert. My date ordered a baklava. She had never had baklava. I always thought better of her, but if you haven't had baklava by your 30's, you obviously have lived a sheltered life. I went out on a limb and ordered something I never heard of before, Galaktoboureko. I couldn't pronounce it and just pointed to the item like I do at Chinese restaurants. While the baklava was okay, we shared the Galaktoboureko and my date fell out of her chair. I was highly impressed too. I asked the waiter what it was again, and he said, "Galactic Bootie Call," It was a Galactic Bootie Call for my mouth.
When you look for fine dining, the typical American will pick some fancy steak house, French or Italian place. I don't know why national cuisines seem to be categorized by price range. I mean, nobody thinks of taking their date out to an expensive Ecuadorian or Kenyan restaurant. I think it's racist. The Italians aren't even rich people. They were part of the EU PIGS, the countries that almost sank the entire EU economy during the Great Recession. Dubai is one of the richest countries in the world, but you never hear of an expensive Dubai restaurant. Americans are also some of the riches, but go to Europe or Asia and all they think of American cuisine is McDonalds and BBQ ribs or something.
If you want a change of pace from the old, boring, conventional French, Italian, steakhouse or even expensive sushi or now expensive tapas joint, check this place out and you will be pleasantly surprised. We know the Greeks for their great philosophers and homo-erotic college organizations, but we forget, besides those boring gyro yogurt sandwiches, they do have great cuisine.
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