David’s cousin was in town for a night so we went to dinner with him. Having never had Greek food, and it being a beautiful night, we went to It’s Greek To Me on the corner of Lake and Lyndale. Normally when you want good Greek food, one goes to Christos, but because it was so nice, we had to utilize the It’s Greek To Me outside patio. There was, a wait to be seated on the patio so D and I ordered some gin and tonics with Saphire.
We should have known from our first sip that this meal was going to be unsatisfactory as the bartender used some non-saphire gin, thus affecting any semblance of a good g&t. And why would he have used cheap gin anyway? – It wasn’t happy hour.
Shortly after we were seated and I eyed up the menu for the night, shying away from typical fare of gyros or kebobs. Tha lamb shank with onions, white wine, mint, and veggies atop a bed of rice piqued my interest and I ordered it with a side of fries. Meanwhile little cousin got the chicken kebob and David the lamb kebob. We also ordered a side of vegetarian dolma which was accompanied by tzatziki sauce. The dolma was oily, delicious and filled with rice, and thus in Greek called, pseftika. Regardless of what it’s called, it was the best part of my meal.
It was a busy night on the patio and there seemed to be only one server working it. This is not to say we had to wait long for our food, but our beverages certainly were not tended to in a timely manner. Anyway, we got our food. Little cousain really enjoyed his chicken kebob, David was very “meh’ on his lamb kebob as it lacked any seasoning thus, any flavor other than lamb.
Here’s my lamb shank before I ate it and after:
Oh what? You can’t tell the difference? You don’t think I ate anything off that plate? You are mostly right. I ate what i could of the lamb shank which, like David’s kebob was flavorless. So much so that we had to add our own salt and pepper. Don’t get me wrong, I buy low sodium soups and broths and things of that nature, but I shouldn’t have to add flavor at a restaurant. I knew I was chewing meat based on the texture, but not by the bland flavor. I was saddened and dismayed, and actually kind of grmpty in my choice.
Additionally, look at those veggies? They are a swamp green color that look like they came straight from a tin can at the food shelf. Unlike canned food though, and much like my lamb shank, these veggies also lacked any flavor and had to have salt and pepper added to them. Even then I couldn’t stomach the thought of eating limp beans at the start of the summer; at the start of fresh vegetable season after the longest winter of my life! And I didn’t. However, I did munch on the mint sprigs and they tasted as they were supposed to.
Le sigh. It was awful. I hate complaining about a meal, much less for one I didn’t pay for but this was deserved. On the upside, the french fies were perfect. They were thin and crispy and delightful with tzatziki sauce.
Bottom line: the only things I liked about It’s Greek To Me were their french/greek fries, dolma and the patio. I could have lived without the rest.
I would like to hear of other’s people’s experience with It’s Greek To Me though. Good, bad? Was mine out of the ordinary awful? Let me know in comments below.
