What a gem in the heart of Greektown! I've been wanting to try this place out since it opened, but just haven't gotten the chance until now. I love Greek food, but haven't been to a really great Greek restaurant since I lived in Chicago; this place certainly comes the closest.First off, the ambience is lovely. It is a lovely oasis and you forget about the hustle and bustle of Eastern Avenue just outside the doors as you are welcomed by cases of freshly prepared baked goods. The restaurant is just past the bakery and has a very nice bar and well-appointed dining room. We were seated very quickly by a friendly hostess who let us know bread is baked fresh each day, and some would be brought out to our table shortly.True to her word, a basket of hot, fresh,well-seasoned bread was delivered to the table momentarily. Our glasses were promptly filled with water and were never empty over the course of the evening. (I particularly appreciate how quickly and quietly the glasses were refilled, almost unnoticeably, which to me, is a hallmark of exceptional service.) Service was exemplary all around from beginning to end, from every single employee with whom we interacted. I'd say it was every bit as good as the service you get at the Charleston, which is high praise. Five stars for service, unquestionably. I'd actually give this a 4.5 star review if that were possible, but since it wasn't, I had to give it 4 stars. The food was excellent overall, but I couldn't give it 5 stars because there were a couple of glaring misses in terms of dishes that were grossly under seasoned.We started with the traditional dolmades and the plaka mezze spreads. The dolmades were excellent and perfectly seasoned grape leaves stuffed with rice and minced beef; I highly recommend them. The plaka mezze comes with 4 spreads: hummus; melitzonosalata (eggplant dip); tzatziki; and taramas. The hummus and meltitzonosalata were both grossly under seasoned, as in I'm not sure if any salt was put in there at all. I don't think it's possible a chef tasted these after preparing them, because there's no way he/she would send it out if they had. I can't remember the last time I had to ask for salt at a restaurant, that's how many years it's been. After adding salt they were better, but because it was standard table salt, only marginally so. The taramas was outstanding, though, and my friend loved the tzatziki. The pita served with the dips was warm, fresh, and delicious.I ordered the avgolemono soup to start. A very generous bowl came out with more fresh, warm bread. Unfortunately, this too was very under seasoned. After adding salt, though, it was quite good with very nice flavors. (I could see myself ordering this again to-go, taking it home and salting it with kosher salt at home.) I'm not sure if tonight was just an off night for the three dishes that were under seasoned, or if the recipes don't call for enough salt, but these were the only dishes that were misses. That aside, the flavors were still quite good, so if they figure out how to incorporate the right balance of salt, all three dishes would be outstanding.The rest of the dishes were all hits. I ordered the moussaka, which is always my go-to so long as it's made with beef and not lamb. The moussaka was delicious, well seasoned, and a very generous portion. My friend ordered the short rib béchamel, which was also very good. The short rib was fork tender, and again, a very generous portion. I think the moussaka was definitely the better of the two, but both were quite good. We also ordered sides of lemon potatoes, beets, and spinach rice. Portions were very large, and all three sides were exceptionally flavorful and well seasoned. From a value perspective, I think this restaurant might be the best value for your money of any restaurant in Baltimore, or anywhere else for that matter. The portions are HUGE, and the quality is really exceptional, even with a few small misses, which I'm hoping are just one-offs. The incredible service puts this place over the top for me. I'm going to start recommending it to all of my friends as a regular place we should be working into our rotation. They have a brunch menu that looks amazing. The bar is very inviting, so I definitely want to try out their happy hour specials during the week, too.
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