Gardens of Salonica

Gardens of Salonica

19 5th St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
http://www.gardensofsalonica.com/

I have been to this restaurant a couple of times now, and I must say... GO. DROP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING AND GO IMMEDIATELY.

I mean, yea... it's good.

The vibe of this place is really cool. Its got a minimal decor with lots of iron sculptures inside and out by a greek artist. The dining room is warm with lots of light as well. Also, both times I went it wasn't crazy busy, so I was able to enjoy the place.

The food here is also top rate and very reasonably priced overall. Some of the entrees and specials can get a little pricey though. However, the menu prices are more than fair.

My favorite thing about this restaurant is the pita. I know what you are thinking, "th PITA?!?!" Yes. The pita. I think it is made fresh in house and it comes out warm and soft and a little buttery tasting. When you eat it, it just melts in your mouth. I have never had pita that tasted quite like that, and I get cravings for it just thinking about it.

Over my two visits, I also tried some great appetizers. I has the Tyro, which is soft feta cheese that is combined with spices and peppers. Its salty and spicy and wonderful on the warm pita. I also tried the Skordalia, which is a potato and garlic puree with lemon juice, olive oil, and spices. Its really good and a nice cool contrast to the Tyro. I also tried the pipperies, which are roasted red peppers in olive oil. Very light and nice.

On the two times I have visited, I tried several things. The first time I went, I had chicken Sovlaki. This is skewer cooked chicken, de-skewered and put in a pita with tzatziki sauce and vegetables. Theirs also comes with homemade potato wedges. YUMMY.

Also, the last time I tried three different Boughatsa. These are essentially phyllo pockets. I had the spinach-feta, which is also called spanakopita, I had the leek-lemon-garlic, and the Feta ric, which has feta, ricotta, and kefalotyri cheeses in it. All were very good, but I think the leek one was my favorite. Very nicely spiced and cooked. Even the phyllo was spiced a bit. I liked it.

Pat has the lamb sovlaki and liked it, and this last time, he has a vegetarian special with eggplant, potaoes and otehr veggies in a tomato sauce, served with feta on the side. It was fairly good.

Finally, there is dessert. This is also worthwhile. I recommend the baklava. Very nicely spiced and flavored without being too sweet. Pat also had something called Kataifi, which is a lot like baklava, but it is covered with shredded wheat and honey. Its pretty good too. This last time, Pat has the rice pudding. I was not as fond of this. It was lightly spiced and I thought it could be a little sweeter and spicier. But this could be a taste issue. Pat liked it very much.

A last little note. The wine list here is all Greek. On my first visit, I had one of the house whites and it was very good. Sweet, but not overly sweet. It was light and refreshing.