Review: The Greek Bistro in Delray Beach
By John Tanasychuk, Sun Sentinel
Important: This article was last updated on October 14, 2010. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.
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 1832 S. Federal Highway, Delray Beach 561-266-8976 FloridaGreek.com Cuisine: Greek Cost: moderate-expensive Hours: lunch and dinner daily Reservations: suggested Credit cards: all major Bar: beer and wine Sound level: moderate Outside smoking: no For kids: high chairs, boosters Wheelchair accessible: yes  |
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First impression: Much more elegant than most Greek restaurants, there's a real effort here to present dishes with style. Likewise, don't expect dancing on the tables or live bouzouki — just quietly piped-in Greek tunes over the sound systemAmbience: Comfortable and quiet with reminders of Greece on every wall.
Starters: While tzatziki ($5.95), the yogurt and cucumber dip, often overdoes the garlic, that's not so in this delicate version served with warm pita triangles. Charcoal-grilled octopus ($10.95) may be the most tender I've ever tasted, served with an oregano sauce, olive oil and lemon.
Entree excellence: Papoutsakia or Little Shoes ($14.95) are delicious eggplant halves filled with ground beef and topped with bechamel sauce. All of the best Greek dishes are here including moussaka ($13.95) and pastitsio ($13.95). Lamb chops ($21.95) had a nice grilled flavor, but were cooked well-done instead of medium rare. The mixed grill ($22.95) gives you a sampler of what so many Greek restaurants do best: grilled pork souvlaki, chicken souvlaki, two lamp chops and gyro. Four dishes make the "From Our Italian Neighbors" menu category: eggplant parm ($12.95), chicken parm ($14.95), veal parm $17.95) and osso buco ($22.95).
Side issues: All entrees include either soup or salad, and I chose the delicious chicken egg-lemon soup known as avgolemono. Like so much here, it was an elegant rendition, not overly thickened with the starch from rice. Greek salads were cold and crisp, but what's with the plastic disposable containers for dressing? They seemed out of place among such beautiful tableware. Several entrees are served with classic Greek green beans that were just a bit overcooked.
Dining deals: The menu also includes a gyro pita wrap ($6.95), Greek omelet ($7.95) and several other items for less than $10.
Sweet!: The dessert menu is presented verbally with a menu that shows photographs of each dessert. Baklava ($3.95) was very good and not as cloyingly sweet as many versions. Galaktoboureko ($3.95), the custard-based dessert flavored with a hint of citrus, was just a bit dry one night.
Service: Friendly and professional.
Liquid assets: The Greek theme carries over to the Greek-centric wine and beer lists where we found Nemea by the glass ($6.95) and cold bottles of Mythos lager ($4.95).
Contact dining correspondent John Tanasychuk at jtanasychuk@sunsentinel.com or write to him in care of Sun Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301.