Greek specialties shine at charming St. James restaurant

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/05/2015 (4085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was the critic’s nightmare. The restaurant I’d planned on visiting, which was supposed to be open that Monday night, wasn’t, and phoning ahead hadn’t been an option since the restaurant — like a growing number of others — leaves the answering to voice mail. However, I wasn’t a novice in such situations and had come prepared with a backup. More than one, actually, but (a word of warning) Monday nights are apparently slow nights, and two other restaurants, which, according to their websites, should have been open, were also closed.

Olympia actually was open, but not for us — a five-course Greek and wine-paired dinner by a visiting chef was scheduled for that night, by reservation only. The special menu included such non-routine dishes as house-made pasta with mizithra and crisp smoked pork and roasted lamb shanks with smoked eggplant purée — neither available now. But I was intrigued enough to return a few weeks later to try the regular menu.

The word “diner” is a misnomer for this unpretentious but charming place — an airy room divided in two, with well-spaced tables, particularly attractive bay windows and a decor of Aegean blue and white, accented by a Greek Key scroll. It seems unchanged since my last visit seven years ago, but fresher and brighter (amazing what a simple new coat of paint can achieve).

Many local Greek menus are smaller than they used to be, probably, in some cases, because certain dishes don’t sell well. For example, I can no longer find grilled octopus anywhere. In others, it may be due to the cost and/or availability of an ingredient — the price and scarcity of eggplant was an excuse I heard the last time I searched for moussaka a few years ago.

There is no octopus on Olympia’s menu, alas, but there is moussaka, although they sometimes run out of it early — if you’re interested, phone first to make sure it’s still on. Which is what I did, and the savoury layers of potato, eggplant and cinnamon-scented ground beef under a rich but ethereal béchamel were delicious ($13.25).

But let’s start with the starters, which were one of the main reasons I returned. I’d remembered the calamari as wonderful, and the tender, lightly battered little rings still are, even though the thickish tzatziki is made with sour cream instead of yogurt ($10.45). Spanakopita with a fragrant spinach and feta filling between crisp, flaky layers of phyllo pastry was one of the town’s better versions and (unlike too many others) hadn’t been nuked into submission ($9.45).

Plump, juicy tiger Shrimp Saganaki were simmered in a tomato sauce with bits of feta (five for $9.75). But the Scallops Ouzeri were the real acid test — cook them a few seconds too long and they are rubber, but these were perfect — opaque but still moist, in a subtle, slightly creamy ouzo-scented sauce (four for $9.75).

The number of Greek entrées is relatively limited, and moussaka isn’t the only one that may run out by dinner time. On one visit, the Greek dry-rub broiled ribs were unaccountably sold out by 6 p.m. Nevertheless, we did very well with those that were available: five lamb chops and a 10-ounce rib-eye with mushrooms — both tender, flavourful and charbroiled precisely medium rare as ordered; two skewers of juicy, marinated chicken souvlaki (pork and lamb are alternatives); and a generous portion of simply sautéed, fresh-tasting and (mercifully) unbattered pickerel fillets.

Entrées range from $17.75 to $24.65 but, unlike in the past, no longer include a choice of soup or salad (the $7.95 la carte Greek salad is nicely dressed, with plenty of feta, only two ripe olives but good, ripe tomatoes). However, the garnishes that are included were excellent — lemony roasted potatoes or fabulous fries, a rice pilaf with more flavour than most and — far superior to the ubiquitous barely cooked broccoli, cauliflower and carrots — a lovely mélange of fully cooked Greek-style green beans, zucchini and tomatoes.

The only Greek dessert is the house-made baklava, but it was excellent, with more of the super-flaky phyllo and notably fresh-tasting walnuts. Coffee was fresh and good, with plentiful refills. The wine list is still short, but the potent Bloody Caesar is still a good alternative.

The service is charming and helpful, but one misstep of seven years ago was repeated. I re-read my old review and (I can hardly believe it) my complaint then, as now, was about entrées arriving before the appetizers were finished. Still, it was handled graciously, and we got freshly cooked entrées when we were ready for them.

 

marion.warhaft@freepress.mb.ca