You asked for it, and here it comes: Restaurant reviews!
The first installment highlights a restaurant I just found rather than one of my old favorites. I'll come back to them later. Watch this space.
I was told of a new Greek restaurant slightly off the beaten path in Friendswood, and since I loves me some Greek food I was all over it.
Ellie is the owner, and she has created a masterpiece of neighborhood dining with this little hole-in-the-wall gem. When you step inside, the walls are painted with images from the Greek isles, with plenty of white stucco and blue highlights. The atmosphere, overall, is warm and welcoming. When Ellie greets you and talks about her food, her home in Cyprus, and the restaurant, you immediately know that she's the source of that welcome feeling. She is absolutely charming. Regulars abound, as it really is a neighborhood restaurant.
But enough about people. We're here to discuss food.
Most of the Greek eateries I've been to in the US have a fairly predictable menu: Gyro meat, chicken, pitas, Greek salad, dolmas, and various other items based on apparently random factors. The flavor tends to be the same, too: dolmas in most Greek places are the same ones I get out of a can from the local middle-eastern grocery. In fact, they're often served right out of the can: cold, clammy, and oily.
Ellie's was a really nice change. Her dolmas are made in house (as is everything she serves), and they are fantastic. Served warm with a tangy, slightly spicy flavor, it was the perfect entre into the rest of the meal. An order of dolmas (choice of meat or vegetarian) includes two plus a tzaziki sauce cup.
I'm a big fan of Spanakopita, or spinach pies as they are listed on Ellie's menu. Light fillo pastry triangles filled with feta cheese and spinach and served hot. Ellie said she thought that most Spanakopita were too tart, so she buffers the tang of the feta by mixing it with ricotta. The result is pure magic. She warned me that I would have to wait about 10 minutes for her to chill the pies before baking, but it was definitely worth the wait. I would have waited 30 minutes and made a meal of them (well, I would have needed more than the two pies that comes with an order, obviously).
Between the appetizers and the main course we got a small Greek salad. It consisted of the typical Greek salad ingredients, but was noteworthy in that they didn't overdo it with the dressing. It had a great tart flavor without the oilyness you get some places.
Main course: Moussaka. Wonderful. It's kind of like a Greek (or middle eastern) lasagna. Also reminiscent of shepherd's pie, only with vegetables and flavor. A baked casserole of seasoned ground beef layered with potato slices, eggplant, and yellow squash (!!), and topped with a creamy, whipped-cheese meringue (well, meringue-like). The serving size was on the large end of the scale, leading to a discussion of whether we'd be able to finish it. Of course, your humble servant had no such reservations. I would order it again the next time I eat there, but alas, there are other entrees I must try.
The sad consequence of my gluttony was that I was unable to try the desserts. After what she created with the spanakopita, I can only dream about what her baklava must be like.
I had to ask the waitress to refill my water. That's a pet peeve of mine.
Overall, excellent value. Great food, tricky to locate if you're not from the area.
Ellie's Kitchen & Catering
102 S. Friendswood Dr.
Friendswood, TX
281-648-2973
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