G I N.
Yelp
I was in the Thornhill area and the kids wanted Greek food, specifically Gyros. After a quick Yelp search, Santorini popped up as the closest place, and had a 4 star rating. We made our way to find out that Santorini is a stand alone restaurant from a converted house. I suspect that the place used to be the residence of farmers, and the farmland had been paved over. A parking lot and strip mall surrounds the home converted restaurant. The structure was maintained and the interior updated. Hues of blue and white splashed on the walls to give that picturesque ideal of Greece with white homes with blue tops. The decor a mix of old and new. Clean white linens and an open concept dining area mixed with the old structural charm of the house. Windows round the one side overlooking the outdoor patio dining area, and the parking lot beyond that.
Santorini is an island off the Greece coast, and when I was there way back in 2003, I had the best Gyro of my entire life! (no joke), and it was the cheapest meal we had to boot! So naturally, that's what came to mind when I saw the place on Yelp.
After we were seated, It was a complete 180 for me. The menu had authentic Greek dish, much like KouTouki Greek Cuisine (Niagara Falls) with Lamb Shanks, Beef, Steak, Chicken, Seafood, Grape Leaves, Moussaka, etc. And like KouTouki, they did not serve Gyros. I guess it's considered a poor man's meal, and this place just wasn't for the poor man. The prices were on the upper end of $$.
We ordered some Cheese Saganaki to start, a Pork Souvlaki dinner, Grilled Sea Bass, Kleftiko, and Shrimp Giouvetsi.
While awaiting our meals, we were served some fresh bread with butter. We were quite hungry at this point, and the bread seemed to have hit the spot in quelling in pangs. The bread has a good crust on it. Not too hard, and not too thick. The bread was soft on the inside, but not so soft that the butter would tear it. 4 stars.
Kefalotyri Saganaki. Saganaki actually refers to the vessel in which the dish served in and not the type of cheese. In Santorini, Cheese is seared in the saganaki and served on a plate; it's rectangular shape is kept, and the cheese remains firm. The cheese is ever so lightly battered with flour before searing. The most common of these semi-soft cheeses (sheep's milk) are Kasseri, Kefalograviera, or Kefalotyri (all are ~$13/lb). In North America, we add showmanship to the dish and flambé it with ouzo (anise aperatif) or metaxa (Greek brandy). The dish is finished off with fresh squeezed lemon juice to help douse the flames. The result is a seared outside and melted inside. I'm definitely a fan of the N.A. version over the Greek one, not because of the show, but because I prefer ooey gooey goodness. 5 stars.
Pork Souvlaki. I thought it would be juicier than chicken (same price), but it wasn't. The control of the flame grilling could have been better. The outside dried out to get it cooked to order (medium). 2,5 stars.
Mixed Baby Greens salad. This came with the pork souvlaki and the veggies were fresh. The dressing was a house Greek vinaigrette and was very flavourful. 4 stars.
Grilled Sea Bass. I was actually expecting more from this dish. It was cooked thoroughly, but sea bass is a pretty lean fish, so flavouring and cooking is key, and here I think they came up short. The dish came with steamed veggies whose flavours were also lacking. Like most places the veggies were also overcooked and slightly mushy. 2,5 stars.
Kleftiko. Cubes of lamb wrapped in grape leaves wrapped in filo. The filo was crispy on outside, but signs showed signs of softening. The lamb was diced into small pieces and there was very subtle gaminess in the meat. The sauce was a gravy of sorts and on par. Grilled tomatoes, broasted potatoes, and asparagus finished the dish. The tomatoes had nice grill marks, but came at the cost of over cooking them. The asparagus was steamed but should have been grilled as they're more resilient to the heat. Overall the dish was just OK. 3 stars.
Shrimp Giouvetsi. Grilled butterflied shrimp. They were the 26-30 ct. size so 6 pieces provided roughly a quarter pound. They were grilled nicely and not overcooked. 3-stars. The rice looked better than it was. There was not much flavour and it was a on the mushy side. 2 stars. The veggies were similar to those that came with the fish (tomato had nice grille marks but overcooked, and the asparagus was once again steamed when grilled would have been better.) Overall 2,5 stars.
From a price point, they were very similar to KouTouki, perhaps a smidgen higher even, and the food was not as good. Does it pass for authentic, I would say so. Does it pass for decent? Sure, some dishes do, but their prices don't. Once again, I seem to be going against the grain based on my rating, as only some elements of each dish was executed well. Overall 3 stars.
If you would like to experience more, come dine-with-me.yelp.com I'd love to have your company... Bon Appétit!
