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| - I admit to being confused by the review posted before mine: to compare this place to the Golden Greek is like comparing McDonald's to the Russian Tea Room! Granted, they both serve Greek food; but no matter what your opinion about the Golden Greek (and mine isn't good: see my review of them!), this place is, like most "Greek" places in the Valley, a pseudo-fast food restaurant, while the Golden Greek serves actual meals.
I also don't get the line about the pita bread: the pita bread here is of the cheapest sort: fluffy and thick. You may like that; but "real" pita bread is like the ones served at the Golden Greek and Haji Baba's (for example): thin and doughy. Prices are fair? Yeah, that's about right ... "fair" as in on a scale from "bad" to "excellent": the appetizers (hummus, babaganouj, dolmas, etc.) are priced fairly in comparison to other places, but that doesn't mean they're good: $6+ for a "large" appetizer, which, while "wide" on the plate is not deep, is not "fair". I won't even bother talking about the dolmas, because NOWHERE is that a good deal; it's a top money maker for all Mediterranean restaurants: 5 or 6 dolmas for $ 5.00, when you can get a large can of about 60 or more for the same price (try the market at Baiz or Haji Baba).
Now the taste: the hummus was interesting. Tasty and with a touch of cayenne pepper. Very unusual for hummus, but, you know what? It worked: definitely wiped out any expected blandness, but was not strong enough to overpower. Good job there.
The babaganouj was strange. Again: tasted good. But it wasn't very "smoky" and the consistency was almost buttery. Both traits very uncommon for this dish.
The dolmas were excellent, but obviously straight out of the can. Thankfully, very firm (just the way I like them).
The Greek salad was good, but nothing spectacular. For a fast food place like this --- and yes, I'm sorry: I would classify this as a "fast food" joint --- it was especially good.
My partner said the chicken shwarma was good, but he was glad he had sides, because it wouldn't have come close to being enough for him by itself (then again, if any of you have read my reviews, you know already that his athletically muscular build hides an enormous appetite ... one day, we went to a buffet and Godzilla was impressed with how much he ate! ... Pretty bad, when you can outeat a Japanese dinosaur).
Decor in the restaurant is nice, though, when it's crowded, it's quite noisy: my loss, but obviously their gain ... they're not there to run an empty joint. Seating, however, is VERY limited: we saw two families open the door and leave shortly afterwards: there's only 6 booths and 2 tables, so it doesn't take a lot of people to fill it.
Overall, if you have a craving for Mediterranean food and are willing to not expect a whole lot, then this place is more than acceptable. But it in no way compares to the Golden Greek or any other "real" restaurant, regardless of whether the food is better or not.
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