Greek City

[Kobi]

In the location where Ginger and Spice used to be (1300 Route 17N, Ramsey NJ, 201-760-2500) a new Greek restaurant, Greek City, has opened.

I went for lunch today and was impressed. Had a chicken souvlaki that was very good. The tzatiki, to my liking, was a little light on the dill and garlic, but everything else was great. My dining companion had a Maroulosalata salad (romaine, dill, scallions, feta, olive oil and lemon) that she loved.

Seems like the place is definitely still getting its feet under it, but we will absolutely be back. Instead of pitas, they served bread and olive oil (almost certain the bread was from Panera, which is in the shopping center) to start the meal. Prices were just as expected - 8 for the souvlaki, 11 for the salad. Certainly worth a second look, and next time will probably be more creative - they have some great sounding clay pot dishes.

KOBI

[squids]

We were in Ramsey for two nights, and were at a loss as to know where to find something to eat in this unfamiliar territory. Wednesday night we were going to pick up some eats at TJ's and make dinner, but we arrived just a few minutes after 9pm and were turned away at the door. Asked for recommendations for not fast food but not a long sit down dinner at that time of night and the best we got was I think called The Fireside. We stopped and it was not what we were looking for...order a burger or pizza at the counter and bring to your table. Unfortunately for a non-local, it's difficult to see what's on the either side of the road, and figure out how to make a ubie if you do see something on the other side of the highway. We ended up at the Olive Garden as it was next to our hotel and could feed us as they were seating us 10 minutes before their listed "closing" time. Props to the servers for not making us feel as if we were imposing or rushing us to get out the door. While not fine dining, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

So, after a day of shopping at Woodbury Common in NY we were hungry and determined to find something better for Thursday night. We stopped on the way home at Rite-Aid, and saw the blue sign for Greek City. To me, it looked like a neighborhood spot that could have been there for years, like the strip center local places back in suburban MD. Usually OK food, best because of location. I picked up a carry out menu to show my husband to see if he would want to give it a try, and got the OK. Boy am I glad we did! First, the exterior does not indicate at all what is inside...the design outside looks older, but the inside looks new; I thought maybe it had just been a renovation. Later in the dinner I had asked when they had opened, and was told July 1st! Unbelievable, because it certainly was not apparent that the restaurant was that new by the food, the service and the number of people who had "discovered" the place as we did. It did appear as if the owners had opened and operated other establishments, but I did not get a chance to get the scoop on it.

The restaurant calls itself "Greek City Family Restaurant: Traditional Greek Dishes and Grilled Fish" The food was fantastic--so many things looked appealing on the menu it was difficult to decide what to order! For appetizers my husband and I shared the Grilled Octopus and Calamari, the Horta (special vegetable, today was dandelion greens) and Greek Fries. We were also going to share the Grilled Branzino for dinner. Well, after having the appetizer, I placed another order for just the Grilled Octopus for my dinner...I don't know why I rarely see this on menus in the DC area, but I will certainly look harder for it after this preparation. Simply grilled, but done perfectly. Octopus retains the grill flavor, unlike squid, and has an almost "meaty" taste. I will remember this meal for a long time. The Greek Fries were exceptional as well--thin, crisp, not oily and topped with Greek Cheese and Oregano.

The octopus was served sitting atop field greens drizzled with a wonderful balsamic vinegar. We enjoyed the bread, not quite on par with the bread from the Greek Deli in DC , but definitely worth a second basket to go with the fruity, rich olive oil. My husband also enjoyed his Grilled Branzino, again perfectly prepared. I'm just sorry we won't have an opportunity to try out more of this menu, as we saw some other diners' meals on our way out the door. The clay pot dishes are very appealing, and I saw one diner with the greek fried cheese that looked out of this world. I noted that the restaurant is BYOB--I don't know if this is common in NJ, but it is not allowed in DC. We were out the door for less than $40pp before tax and tip. I would love to find a restaurant like this a "bit" closer to home! Needless to say, I highly recommend checking it out. I commented to the server and the hostess that while the place seems new, it was totally not apparent that they had only been open for three days. From what I read on the 'net, most places would need quite a few weeks to work out the kinks to be at the stage where Greek City was on that night. Maybe we just hit them at at good time, but I will definitely seek them out again when next in the area.

--

PS--the bamboo flooring continues from the floor up the entire wall, which I have never seen before. There were geometric panels on the walls, which appeared to me to be acoustic panels. Nice touch.

[Kobi]

Went back to Greek City for dinner last night. Great meal.

Didn't get adventurous on the menu, having just salads, but the portions were huge and everything was REALLY tasty. The greek fries were fantastic. The tzatiki was clearly different and MARKEDLY improved from our last experience. The only downside, still, is that they continue to give bread instead of pitas with the meal. I love the olive oil, but would sacrifice it for pitas instead. Ideally, in fact, would be a mix of bread and pitas. A minor quibble with a very promising place. Didn't try any, but apparently all the desserts are home made.

KOBI

[ELA]

Sounds good. I will have to try the place our very soon!

Thanks.

Eric

[rooftop1000]

We finally got down here tonight for the not so youngun's birthday dinner

We went a little overboard but its like a job to be able to report back and all

Started with the Hummus with hot just barely glistening pita wedges ( I love how some places can serve them hot and soft) My husband immediatly said make your hummus like this...meaning super garlicky

Next up was the grilled Octopus, charred and so tender without being mushy served tossed with diced red and yellow peppers, red onion and drizzled with olive oil, lemon wedges on the side

House made (I believe) Sausage was the 3rd app - 4 quennell shaped chunky herby sausage torpedos... also yummy

Hubby got the standard Mousaka with a good layer of cinnamon scented meat at the bottom and the child had the vegetarian version with stewed lentils replacing the meat

I ordered the Bifteki Sparti which was at least a half pound of ground spiced lamb mixed with cheese and tomatoes chargrilled a bit rare. Served with potato wedges...a tad bit overpowering especially in the portion size...good but I am not even sure I can face the leftovers for lunch tomorrow

The owners were on site and very personable...one brother asking how my hubby scored 2 good looking women for dinner companions.

Service was very good each app was presented individually and as we finished they brought the next...so if you arent sharing them you may need to say so.

tracey

Edited September 30, 2008 by rooftop1000 (log)

[Kobi]

Went back to Greek City today for lunch. First visit in a while and everything was extremely good. Had a greek salad with grilled chicken (and the house dressing) and a chicken souvlaki pita. The place was MOBBED at about 1:00 PM; we had to wait for a table, and there were 2 or 3 groups behind us. Service was a little flustered but extremely nice. 24 dollars for two, including 6 dollars spent on Greek Coffee (which we didn't love). Great lunch.

KOBI