Chicago IV: Greek Islands

Ahhh, back to my favorite restaurant for dinner: Greek Islands. If I could take you there, I would, and you would not be disappointed. The food is fantastic, the service is great, and the prices are right.

Not to mention that the place is crawling with beautiful Greek waiters between the ages of 21 and 11o. My waiter whispered "I love you" to me each time he came to the table. Or maybe it was me doing the whispering. Details, details.

We opted for the family style meal last night, and we got a mountain of food. I just have to share!

Appetizers: Flaming Saganaki: Imported Greek cheese, flambéd tableside:

And Taramosalata: Greek Caviar: A blend of cod roe with potatoes, onions, and olive oil.

Yes, I am referring to the take-home menu that I grabbed on the way out. I can't remember all of this stuff without it. Anyway, this Taramosalata was one of my favorites; I'm surprised to read here that it had potato in it. I had a difficult time identifying the flavors when I was tasting it (on bread). It tasted lightly of fish, but in a refreshing, fluffy way. You see why I'm no food critic.

Next up, a greek salad:

Fresh greek feta, kalamata olives, pepperchinos, and a light dressing that tasted of olive oil and lemon juice. Yum.

The rest of the dishes were served, as the menu says, family style. We helped ourselves from large bowls and platters. Here's one plate, all loaded up:


Dolmades: Grape leaves stuffed with ground meat & rice, topped with egg-lemon sauce. Good, but I like my dolmas without the sauce.

Pastichio: Baked pasta, ground meat, and cheese casserole. Good, but not one of my favorites.

Meatballs: Meatballs! I can't find a description on the menu. One half of Mel's shot off of her plate though, and she forked it right off of the tablecloth and gobbled it down. It was that good.

Potato: Oven baked in olive oil.

Chicken Riginati: Baked in EVOO with herbs and spices.

Rice Pilaf: Served with a dollop of tomato sauce.

Gyro-flavored beef and lamb slices, served with Tzatziki; a yogurt-cucumber garlic spread seasoned with herbs and spices.

Whew. Full yet? Wait! There's dessert and coffee:




Baklava: filo dough, chopped walnuts, and honey. Baklava actually makes my teeth hurt, it's so sweet. Still, I had to cut off one bite. I have phantom teeth aches, just looking at that photo. It's like my teeth have vertigo!

Galaktoburiko: Orange and lemon zest custard, baked in flaky filo dough.

Karidopita: Spice cake flavored with cinnamon and chopped nuts.

Oh yeah, and Kirstin, the coolest 10-year old ever, ordered the calamari. I loves me anyone with an adventurous sense of taste, and she fits right in:

She's actually much happier with it than she appears there, but the photo of the squid was better. Here's a better one:

She found the squid to be a tad spicy for her taste, apparently having been lemon'd before she herself lemon'd it. I helped myself to a few pieces, always amazed at how tender the calamari is there.

We got all of that food—are you ready for this—for $19.95 a person. $19.95 for an entire
Greek feast, including fire at the table!

If that wasn't enough to convince you that you should eat there, just note that we saw a few celebrities while we were there:

Actually, Tin-Man and about 12 other Dorothy's were there for A Turn-About Dance.

What's a Turn-About dance?

I have no idea. Just check out The Greek Islands if you have a chance. I'll meet you there. I still have to try out the:

Spanakotiropita: Layers of spinach and feta cheese baked in a crispy filo dough.

I'm just waiting until I can pronounce it.