Marcus O.
Yelp
TL;DR Phenomenal flight of flavor, texture, and authenticity all displayed in a brightly lit setting, reminiscent of Santorini.
I have zero travel experience in Greece or anywhere in the Mediterranean sadly, so if while you are reading this, I sound like an authority on the subject, just... take it with a grain of salt. I happen to think I know good food pretty well though. I have a lot of experience in eating. :-)
VAS Kouzina is one of my new favorites. Along with some very typical things you've probably had elsewhere (gyros, burgers, etc) there is a selection of authentic, Greek cuisine. I mean, at least, that's what the server told me, and that dude is the chef's brother.
We went with a shared entree style dining and ended up with this stuff, largely on recommendation:
Sauteed Calamari - pretty good though not quite as flavorful as I would have hoped, but I didn't turn down a second helping.
Psaro Keftedes (fish cakes) - freaking amazing, almost pungent it was so flavorful.
Saganaki (flaming cheese) - basically kefalograviera served hot and gooey in a cast iron skillet, set on fire with Ouvo as the accelerant.
The caramelized edges of the flaming cheese, spooned and lathered over pita bread was a real highlight. WTAF. If you like cheese, don't pass this up.
Entrees consisted of lavraki (whole Mediterranean sea bass) and lamb chops along with a side of grilled vegetables. Let's start with the fish. Very flaky, flavorful, not overpowering. The chef comes table side and de-bones it in front of you. You can keep the head if you want to get to the cheeks. Optional.
The lamb chops were rich with flavor and tender enough that cutting with a butter knife was no issue. The grilled vegetables consist of eggplant, zucchini, squash, onions, peppers and had some type of balsamic reduction. That was really good and paired well with the lamb chops and fish.
Rounded off the dessert course with a selection of loukoumades (basically donuts), baklava cheesecake, and mastiha panna cotta. The loukoumades disappeared. The baklava cheesecake was a nice hybrid twist on two classics. Extremely rich. I recommend cutting that with black coffee. Or whiskey. :) The panna cotta had an interesting taste of juniper to it that you either like or don't like. I liked it, personally. It gave it a complex, herbal flavor not typically associated to American sweets.
The prices here range from reasonable to steep. The entrees do not come with a date so if you order multiples, the price starts to stack up. The drink prices are a bit stiff if you ask me, but everything else seemed in the right range.
It's definitely worth checking out if you like Mediterranean cuisine. BTW if you were wondering, VAS is short for Vasilios. It's the equivalent of saying Bill for William.
HOW TO READ MY REVIEWS:
1 Star - Does not approach edible. Enter at your own risk.
2 Stars - If I'm in the area, I'd pick something else.
3 Stars - I would stop by if I happen to be in the area.
4 Stars - I would pick this place out of other places nearby.
5 Stars - I would go out of my way to dine here.