For Mother's Day we decided to try Astoria after my mother and her friends had a positive experience several weeks back. Being the proactive person that I am I decided to make a reservation which was an excellent idea considering what day it was (Sunday and Mother's Day). Upon arrival we were promptly seated in the comfortable and modern dining room.
We ordered the appetizer plate of Taramasalata which is a Greek caviar paste served with pita bread. It was good and not as salty as I remember this type of spread being. We're off to a good start so far. Next up, our Greek salads arrive (each main course came with a salad). The salad was excellent with a good amount of dressing and feta cheese. Their dressing is definitely homemade. Bonus points for not overdoing it on the tomatoes (not a fan of too many in my salads). Despite the salad being an included accompaniment to the main courses, it was very plentiful in size. Shortly after our salad plates were cleared the main courses arrived. I had ordered the 8oz beef sirloin souvlaki with potatoes and rice (each main comes with your choice of 2 side orders). I had ordered my beef cooked medium however it was closer to medium-well. Not wanting to wait for a re-do and hold up my family I opted to eat it anyway. Unfortunately, the pieces of beef were somewhat fatty which is a turn-off for me. One piece of the five or six I received was nearly 70% fat. To me, it is not acceptable to serve souvlaki with that much fat on it. All in all, I was not overly impressed with the beef portion of my meal. Fortunately, the potatoes, rice, and delicious homemade tzatziki helped improve the meal drastically. Their tzatziki with its excellent garlic flavour and a thick texture was some of the best I've had in a sit-down restaurant. The chicken souvlaki (white-meat) and grilled calamari my parents ordered were both excellent according to them.
While I would certainly return to Astoria's Vaughan location, I will be opting to try another main course from their menu.