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| - Taki's, you get 5 Stars!
So my dad and i were just looking for some place to eat. We saw "Taki's Greek Kitchen" and thought we'd try greek food for once. The place used to be another restaurant called Tucky's and about a year or two before Tucky's, the spot housed a starbucks; unfortunately those places went out of business primarily because the location where both Tucky's and Starbucks was horrible (they should really make more entrances to the place). Seeing Taki's being built, both my dad and I waved it off thinking "It's probably not going to last" (this was based on location, nothing else.)
However, we really wanted to try greek food and had no knowledge of Taki's AT ALL. When we went, we really thought it was going to be like an $8-10 restaurant. We walked in and were blown away by this place!! It was a lot more fancy than we thought, but still affordable. I was glad I wore a button-up shirt that day because I felt like I needed to dress up.
Right when we walked in, I noticed the bar to the left of the entrance. The maitre'D was busy sitting another table; however, someone from the bar saw us right away, made eye contact, and stopped what he was doing to first ask us if we had a reservation, and then when we said we didn't have one, said "No problem!" And proceeded to seat us.
The inside of the place is fantastic; it's not tacky or super Greek. I don't have that much knowledge of Greek culture since I spent my adolesence in Southern California surrounded by mostly jewish people, hispanics, and asians. What I do know about Greek culture is mostly superficial; you know, like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" or "Sisterhood of Traveling Pants" kind of stuff. What I imagine when I think of Greece are those nice, white and/or blue hillside homes looking over the water. This place was not tacky in that sense, but instead had the professional decor of a michelin rated restaurant.
Our waiter was a very tall gentleman with caring eyes and a kind smile. We sat parallel to the fireplace which provided not only asthetic appeal through the flicker of its flames, but also a warm atmosphere.
The tables are already set-up with huge wine glasses before you sit down. Both my dad and I are not wine people (but if my mom was here, she would drink the lion's share), so they took the glasses away and we got two cola's and waters instead.
It's a very dim place; I looked around and didn't expect any kids to be there, but there were actually two families there with a few kids each. The rest of customers seem to be either middle aged or of older age; several families, and I saw a young couple who seem to be in high school come here on a date (this was a Friday night). Everyone, though, was dressed up, which was nice.
Before I write an essay let me get to the food. I don't remember the names of the plates unfortunately (but if you look in the photos, I have 2 that I took of our dishes). Dad ordered the lamb and I ordered the pork chops. The pork chops (2!) came with some vegetable, a lemon, and a side order of Greek fries with fetta cheese? (I think. Sorry, my description might be off!) And my dad's lamb came with arugula salad which was discounted with a meal and rissoto. I think. But, despite my ability to recollect the names of what we ate, I must say, the TASTE of the food was out of this world. Whomever the chef is did a great job choosing exactly what goes in each dish. In my opinion, the combination of flavors is like writing a good book or listening to a symphony; the flavors must all work together. The blend of the vegetables, the lemon, the seasoned pork chops cooked to perfection, and the Greek fries seasoned with fetta (no ketchup needed) was to my liking. My dad would say the same; he really enjoyed his lamb.
The place is small but really well layed out - you can see the kitchen from your seating, which is exciting and different - not many places that I know of do that. And the place wasn't that expensive (note, though, that we didn't order alcohol - it would probably be a little bit more if we did).
Would I come here again? Yes! Would I recommend it for anyone looking for a high-end restaurant in the suburbs?? YES!! This is the first restaurant I've seen outside of downtown Cleveland that is this nice and professional. Sure, it's located in a strip-mall, but don't be fooled by the outside. It's worth driving over 40 minutes to get to; lucky for me, it's located right nearby my dad's place. 5 stars all the way!!
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