George's Souvlaki

Hey all, sorry the posts are coming few and far between....not that anyone is reading this anyway, but I've been pretty busy lately, working m-f and now most weeknds because I'm on course.  Apologies once again for the crap-quality pictures, but my Nikon P100 died on me a few back in September and it's in for warrantee.  I will keep you posted about that as well.  I acquired another camera that I will go in detail about later, but for now, just bear with me and the crappy pics in the few reviews I'm posting.  Once the Christmas holidays rolls around, I'm sure i'll find some time to pay a bit more attention to the blog.

Some time in the middle of September, when it was still warm as if it was summer, I found myself in North Vancouver.  Cruising around the food court, this place caught my eye.  Normally, I would have gone over to Screaming Mimi's for some baked oyster or their chowder, but I was really hungry this day, and needed something filling.  This Greek place looked quite polular (can't tell from the photo) and it looked like they had quite a variety.

I had the moussaka, and though I'm no expert on greek cuisine, I really, really liked this dish. To show my ignorance, the best way for me to describe it was a very rich, creamy shephard's pie. I know, moussaka is typically made from eggplant, but to tell the truth, I would never have guessed. 

It came with a wad of tzatziki sauce and Greek salad, and at first, I wasn't impressed with the portion.  It also took quite some time to get because the slab of moussaka was so thick, it took quite some time to reheat.  Grumbling and waiting for my food, it finally came.  It was worth the wait.  I had a bite of my friend's moussaka from Kissamo's and I remember it tasting really, really good, but I never ordered it myself because it looked like there was so little of it.  I will make a conscious effort to order it the next time I'm there.  Anyway, we're talking about George's here, and let me tell you, I will definitely order this the next time I'm here.  It was so rich and creamy, it's hard to believe that it's not made of mashed potato with a ton of cream, butter and cheese.  And as I said, it didn't look like much, but by the time I was done, I was quite satisfied and full. 

Would I go back?  Definetly the next time I'm in North Van.

Kisamo's Revisited

Fried Cheese....was not on my last post when I went to Kisamo's.  o be honest, I think it's a bit overpriced, but damn, does it taste good.  I wouldn't normally order this because it's pricy for what you get, but once in a while, you go with someone who's never been there before and you want to introduce them to a dish that's just a bit over the top.  I was there with some colleagues from work and I had to let them try this.

We got the "greek caviar".  I said I was going to get the name of this, but alas, I've forgotten again.

Since nobody was going to order the Calmari dinner, we figured, we'd order it as an appie.

I know the moussaka is good, I've tried it before, but I never end up getting it because I'm greedy and I want more food on my plate.  One of these days though, I will order the moussaka.

I always order the mountain of lamb when I go to Kisamo's.  The Roast Lamb Dinner for $12.95 is always the best bang for your buck, and it usually leaves you feeling a bti uncomfortable if you manage to finish everything on your plate.....awesome. 

I couldn't stop taking pictures of this monster cut of lamb.  It's so huge, you could describe it as scenic.  Lambscapes, haha!  Your butter knife cuts through it as if it were butter, when you eat it, it melts in your mouth like butter.  I'm 99% sure that this is just a huge plate of butter that's shaped like roast lamb.  This friggin incredible dish is just about the best you can get for 12 bucks and it keeps me going back to Kisamo's again and again.

Taki's Taverna

If you're looking for some Greek food on Davie and don't want to line up at Stepho's, there's this place. It has a more "homely" feel to it, rather than a business.  The place is dimly lit, but my camera picked up a pretty bright image.  Apologies for the crappy quality photos of the food, it was hard to get a good image without using flash or a tripod.

They had a fried cheese dish similar to Kisamo's in Steveston.  You can never go wrong with fried cheese.

 

I ordered the calamari dinner and well, it was ok, tasted very home-made, but it didn't really do it for me.  Everything was a lot smaller than Stepho's or Kisamo's, the Greek salad was miniscule, the rice was a bit bland and the calamari was in the deep frier for a bit too long.  The squiddies came out dark and crispy....or maybe they just didn't change the oil for a long time. 

The service was pretty good and the staff were very friendly.  There was no line up or wait time to get a seat so that's a bonus, but I really didn't like the calamari dinner.  I may go back to try the lamb, but it will be hard to top Kisamo's Roast Lamb dinner.

Stepho's Souvlaki Greek Taverna

I've been going to Stepho's for years, almost as long as I've been going to Anton's.  If you're looking for a cheap place to get really, really full on decent food, check this place out.  Though since I discovered Kisamo's in Richmond, I hardly ever come out to DT for Greek food.  On occasion though, I'll find myself downtown and craving something greasy and in large proportions.  Lunch is probably the best time to hit Stepho's because there's alomost no line up.

Ah, the Cheese Balls.  The one thing I sometimes crave that's not on Kisamo's menu is Stepho's Cheese Balls.  Well, Kisamo's has a pretty good Cheese Dish, but it's a bit expensive for a hunk of cheese cookedin a frying pan.  Stepho's Cheese Balls is just that, deep fried cheese balls with a nice crisp coating, served with some beats (palet cleanser?) and this garlic dip that's out of this world.  I mean, the cheese balls are incredibly awesome on their own, but paired with this garlic dip, that's it, you're done.

The Chicken Pita is served with French Fries....why, I have no idea.  The fries at Stepho's is not their best item on the menu.  They tasted like they were either over-fried, or refried in really old oil.  If it's possible to swap out the fries for anything but, do it. 

Our pita came right before our meal.  Since our meals were so massive (well, mine was anyway), we didn't even touch the pita and ended up taking them home.  What can you do with leftover pita?

A Greek Salad came with the vegetarian lasagna below.

I personally would not order this, simply because it's Vegetarian.  It was loaded with cheese and overall tasted okay, but there was something missing....I think it was meat.

When I go for Greek, I crave roast lamb, but my experience with Stepho's roast lamb is that it's a bit dry and the meat is too lean.  Once you've tried Kisamo's Roast Lamb Dinner, you really can't eat any other.  So, I ordered Stepho's famous Calamari dinner....for lunch.  Like I said, the portions are epic, and I literally got a mountain of calamari on top of maybe some rice, potatoes and Greek Salad.  The calamari is nice and crisp, not too greasy, not soggy at all.  The greek salad came with loads of feta cheese, and the rice and potatoes were seasoned beautifully.  But by the end of the meal though, I think I was suffering from garlic and onion overdose....ok, I admit, I kept the garlic dip from the Cheese Balls and used them for the rest of my meal.  Between the Garlic Dip, the tzatziki sauce, and all the onions in the Calamari and Greek Salad, I was smelling pretty ripe.  In fact, I stank for days, and no amount of toothpaste, mouthwash, soap and deoderant would help.

I think my friend ate two French fries from her dish.....

Stepho's is still a great place to grab a cheap bite to eat, and if you can avoid the line ups, all the better.  But around dinner, you'll be facing at least an hour wait, just like Anton's Pasta Bar in Burnaby.  For me, Cheese Balls, Calamari, and only if I was downtown already.

Here's a shot of what Stepho's typically looks like during peak periods.

More Snacks from work

Another of my co-workers just came back from a trip to Greece and brought back sesame covered almonds for everyone to share.

Needless to say, they were awesome...Thanks Candice!

Kisamo's Greek Taverna

It used to be Stepho's, on Davie Street in Downtown Vancouver. The two hour line up in the pouring rain was always worth it, but no more. Kisamo's Greek Taverna is right here in my hometown of Richmond and they have the best calamari, and the best roast lamb dinners I have ever had, and the prices are very, very reasonable.
The pita bread, best eaten with some Greek caviar....forgot the name of the stuff - it tastes like caviar and creamcheese, but apparently, there's no cream cheese in it. When I figure out what it's called, I'll edit this post,
I don't remember the name of this dish either, but it's got chicken and portabello mushrooms in it. You should order this.
And of course, my all-time favourite Greek dish - roast lamb. This is the slide-off-the-bone lamb that melts in your mouth. I don't care if it's a bit of a fattier cut, it's worth clogging my arteries over. Stepho's in comparison is a bit on the dry side, and a little too lean. Kisamo's is seasoned just right, very succulent, very mout-watering.

....and the portion is huge. If you skip the appies, you might have a hope in finishing your meal.

Whenever I go to Kisamo's, I stuff my face with the roast lamb dinner.  The salad is there, but I never really remember anything about it.....just not that memorable.  The potatoes are pretty good -  they just fall apart.  They don't have much seasoning, but that's okay because it's the lamb that's important. 

Overall, Kisamo's is a winner.  The service is pretty good, the staff are friendly, there's free parking all around, and the food is great.  I'll still go to Stepho's if I find myself downtown Vancouver and craving Greek, but seeing as how Kisamo's is right down the street, I'm finding less reasons to go downtown.  Kisamo's can be found in the Steveston fishing village on the southwest side of Richmond.