A Taste of Greece / River Edge

[finker99]

Just had an early lunch at A Taste Of Greece at 935 Kinderkamack Rd in River Edge 201 967 0116. I tried grape leaves stuffed with meat for an appetizer. They were ok, but I think next time I'll go for the veggie ones. I also got a Gyro that to be blunt was THE BEST DAMNED GYRO I HAVE EVER EATEN, EVER, AT ALL. The meat was full of flavor and tender and wow. The Pita was fresh and tasty, and enough sauce to make the whole thing yummy without making a total mess. Drinks are snapple brand self serve.

The menu has about 15 apps, a dozen or so salads and sandwiches, and another 15 or so entrees. The menu also has complete catering listings on the back.

Apps include grilled octopus, taramosalata, and broiled graviera cheese. Everything appears to be made fresh and I am going back later this week to try some more stuff for sure.

They just opened last week, it is mostly take-out and delivery with about seating for 10-15. They accept Visa & MC and ARE BYO. It used to be Roberto's Pizza and is directly across from Gates Ave. if you are looking on a map.

Fink

[menton1]

Sorry to respectfully disagree...

The wonderful Greek Village in Northvale that we have discussed here has far superior food to this place. A somewhat sad tale, the lovely owner of the place died suddenly in his early 40s but his relatives are carrying on. It is worth a little ride:

Greek Village

211 Livingston Street

Northvale, NJ

(Closed Sundays)

Edited December 7, 2004 by menton1 (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Greek Village is an excellent restaurant but its virtually impossible to eat at during the weekends or even on a weeknight as the waits for tables can go long, plus the place closes at 9PM. Their portion sizes are tremendous -- their mousakka or their gyro platters will feed 2 people.

[Rosie]

Interesting article by Jason Perlow in the NJ section of the New York Times on April 3, 2005

[Jason Perlow]

A tiny Greek restaurant with authentic food

Pork Gyro, the main event.

Pork Souvlaki, ready for the grill.

A plate of various Mezze -- Taramasalata (left), Skorthalia (top), Eggplant/Feta salad (right), Cheese/Tomato dip (bottom), Greek Feta (center)

Spinach and Cheese phyllo pies

Pork gyro (bottom) with Krinos beef/lamb gyro (top)

Pork Gyro closeup

Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) with meat and rice

Greek (Turkish) coffee

Home made baklava

Galactoboureko (custard pie with orange zest)

[Jason Perlow]

Here's the write up for those of you who missed it earlier:

A Taste of Greece, and They Mean It

[ghostrider]

Does anyone know what hours Taste of Greece keeps?

If not, I'll call when the urge for an excursion strikes.

[finker99]

Does anyone know what hours Taste of Greece keeps?

If not, I'll call when the urge for an excursion strikes.

←

I know they are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, beyond that I don't know.

I had the pork platter and the baklava today. Both really, really good.

Fink

[ghostrider]

Does anyone know what hours Taste of Greece keeps?

If not, I'll call when the urge for an excursion strikes.

←

I know they are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, beyond that I don't know.

I had the pork platter and the baklava today. Both really, really good.

Fink

←

Thanks. We tend to be late diners so that's really what I was after. I'll call them. This place definitely sounds like my idea of "destination dining."

[menton1]

On Kinderkamack Road, just about 1 mile south of A Taste of Greece, in the Kam Fung Shopping center, a new Greek restaurant/takeout is opening within 2 weeks. When it rains, it pours...

[Jason Perlow]

I noticed it under construction, and it seems they are putting a considerable amount of work into the place. Haven't seen a menu yet, though.

[Jason Perlow]

Had another great meal here last night. Its a tiny little place, and the food is more homestyle than restaurant style -- they're not trying for consistency of product here, just good food.

I should mention that even though the Pork Gyro is their specialty, even their regular gyro is very good -- its not made by Krinos, its sourced from a different purveyor and its a higher quality lamb/pork mixture, plus its got a lot more spices in it.

The avgolegmono soup here is to die for -- its more of a rice porridge, as it doesn't have orzo pasta in it. The rice is totally broken apart and adds a silkyness to the broth.

[menton1]

Hope this place survives, it seems to be absolutely empty, when I have passed by, at different times of day. They tried a Sunday opening, and then mysteriously cancelled that.

I still prefer, although it is a 15 minute ride, Greek Village in Northvale. This is a high-volume place that is busy from opening to closing 6 days a week. And they make their gyro mixture from scratch themselves! Jimmy's sister is carrying on an excellent little restaurant...

[Jason Perlow]

And they make their gyro mixture from scratch themselves!

That's not what I've been told by the manager there, Milton, the really nice bald guy and I think he was the nephew of the original owner that died. Its Krinos.

[menton1]

And they make their gyro mixture from scratch themselves!

That's not what I've been told. Its Krinos.

←

Nope. You can see them making it if you peer in in the morning.

[Jason Perlow]

And they make their gyro mixture from scratch themselves!

That's not what I've been told. Its Krinos.

←

Nope. You can see them making it if you peer in in the morning.

←

Thats probably the beef/lamb mixture for the bifteki or the meatballs and the mousakka and pastitsio filling. Its way, way too labor intensive to make gyro cones, it has to be frozen and commercially grinded to get the right consistency for slicing and to stay on the spit.

Here's a eG Forums thread on making your own gyro meat. At the scale at which that place sells gyros it doesn't make sense for them to be making it themselves. And if they did, it wouldnt have the consistency of commercial gyro, which it does.

[menton1]

Well, it's a moot point. Greek Village has hundreds more customers than the place in River Edge. Fast turnover means fresh food, and great variety. You yourself have preached that often.

[Jason Perlow]

What's your point?

This place can seat maybe 16 people, the Greek Village seats at least 75. There's no comparing the two. The style of food they serve is totally different. I like them both.

Smaller restaurants means smaller batches.. closer attention to quality. And actually, they were out of a number of things when we were there at 8PM last night.

Taste of Greece's food tastes different, distinctively regional, homestyle, and less homogenized "Restaurant Greek Food" than Greek Village's. I like going there for that reason. I think their mezze is better than Greek Village's, they are using real feta cheese from Greece and greek olive oil, whereas Greek Village is using Bulgarian feta and I think some sort of Italian or restaurant quality oil. I like both restaurants, I just don't beleive in exclusivity and going to the same places all the time. Enjoying one place doesn't preclude enjoying or appreciating the food of another. I certainly haven't experienced any lack of freshness in Taste of Greece's food like you are suggesting.

[menton1]

Nothing to do whatever with restaurant capacity. I've never seen more than 1 customer in River Edge, and I pass it every day, several times, at different hours. They experimented with Sunday opening, which should have been a great day, and then retrenched. Greek Village is packed almost to capacity from before lunch until closing at about 9PM. So the RE place can't possibly have the same freshness quotient, nor the variety.

N.B. RE is the same ownership as the Bagel Store next door, strange bedfellows...

[Jason Perlow]

I've eaten there several times, and I like it. 'Nuff said.

How is owning the Bagel Store strange? Greeks aren't allowed to own Bagel places? Just Jews and Koreans?

[menton1]

N.B. RE is the same ownership as the Bagel Store next door, strange bedfellows

How is owning the Bagel Store strange? Greeks aren't allowed to own Bagel places? Just Jews and Koreans?

Funny, I remember the little game of "Telephone" kids play, and how the ending message bears little resemblance to the one at the beginning...

Your statement is a long way from my statement. Seems quite contentious and baiting, I have no idea why.

The real meaning of my statement, without over-interpretation, is that operating a Bagel Store in combination with a Greek Restaurant is an unusual combination. Something like a math teacher operating a dress shop after school (was in the newspaper last year). There is no sarcasm or hidden racism, as your statement implies. There is no implication as to the national origin of the owners, or anything that has to do with qualifications.

Edited to add:

N.B. Here is an old thread about GV where you had some wonderful things to say about it:

Greek Village Thread

Edited March 1, 2006 by menton1 (log)

[Jason Perlow]

N.B. Here is an old thread about GV where you had some wonderful things to say about it: 

Greek Village Thread

I don't have anything bad to say about Greek Village. I like eating there. Where have I said on this thread I don't like eating there? I said they use commercial gyro meat and their style of Greek food is more homogenized. That doesn't mean "bad".

[Jason Perlow]

The real meaning of my statement, without over-interpretation, is that operating a Bagel Store in combination with a Greek Restaurant is an unusual combination.

I don't see how owning two food service businesses right next to each other is weird. It happens all the time in NYC. If they owned a dress shop next door, that -would- be weird, like the Korean family that owns the Motor Vehicle Commission franchise in Englewood that also owns the Coffee Shop (with the artisinal Kimchi guy) next door.

[Rachel Perlow]

(Boys, boys! Play nice.)

We like both places. I think the reason Taste of Greece usually doesn't have patrons inside is that it does a lot of take out and delivery. It isn't as comfortable to eat in, especially in the winter, where every time the door opens, you get a chill (we have been there in the fall when we had to wait for a table). While we were there (arrived around 8 PM, they close at 9 on a weeknight), there were several orders of take out picked up and I'm pretty sure the delivery guy came and went more than once. So, I don't think freshness/turnover is a factor.

Actually, I wanted to go to Greek Village because I was craving their beet salad (Taste of Greece doesn't have this item). However, we have found that if you can't arrive there before 7 PM, there's always a long wait, which is uncomfortable (standing at the door, right in the other diners' faces). It's too far away from our house for us to do take out from them. So, if we can't get there by around 6:30, we go with other options.