Phillip D.
Yelp
My last name is Greek. I'm told a couple brothers came over from Greece and settled in South Carolina. In fact, there is even a very small town in South Carolina called DacusVille. Well, I say town, but I think it's just an unincorporated community. But hey, how many people can say they have anything even resembling a town named after them?
When I heard of Kostas in Eagle, I was very excited. Greek food seems to be a very hard restaurant to keep in the Boise area. Why I am not sure. Its sooooo good and flavorful. I went to Kostas with a friend of mine. Actually, it was my daughter's boyfriend. I know, right?
Anyway, we arrived in the parking lot of Albertsons and found an unassuming place that is Kostas. I loved that they have an image of an olive branch by their name. I love it when a restaurant takes some pride in their culture and does not go all American.
The decor of the place is wonderful. I really felt like I could be in Greece, which is for me, is half the eating experience. Next, loved the Greek music playing. More please!
To start off, we had the Sagnaki. This one sounds Japanese, but it is Greek. They take a huge thick block of Feta cheese, dip it in Tempura batter (Which is japaneese) and they fry it. It comes with honey and strawberries. Id rate this one as is a 1. The cheese is way too thick, we barely got any strawberries and very little honey. Having more of both these would cut the very astringent mouth feel and taste of wayyyy to much cheese. Id cut the cheese down to a half or maybe even a third, add way more honey and way more strawberries. In short, this dish is in desperate need of balance.
Next, we both had the lamb Giro. Of note is on their menu they go with the phonetic spelling of the word, so look for "Yeero" In Greek, the "G" is silent, so this is why most of us say Giro but Greeks pronounce it Yeero. The Giro was very good. For me, it needed more garlic, but it was very good. The meat was very tender and delicious. On my 1 to 10 scale, it gets a 8 or maybe 9.
Lastly, we had 1 piece of baklava which was all that was left. I had never seen or tasted baklava like this. It was hard as a rock but had a very good flavor. I tasted lots of cinnamon and I think Nutmeg. On the outside was a crumb that was also very tasty. Id give their baklava a solid 7. If it had been fresh, and a bit larger, it might have been a knock out.
The only thing I really have to take Kostas to task on is the use of Fries as a side for their Giros. Now, I have not yet been to Greece, so it might be that the fries craz as infected Greece, but I doubt it. Chances are in Greece you would get as a side things like cheese, grapes, Humas, or something like this. Adding fries takes an otherwise good Greek looking, feeling, and tasting meal and Amercanizes it. Didn't care for it at all
I really hope that this place makes it. We need a good Greek place in the Boise area.