Greek Islands

Friday, July 19, 2019

Greek Islands

3821 Center Street, Omaha, NE

Where we went:

We wanted to try something new and different tonight. A foodie friend suggested we try Greek food. We had each only had Greek food once in the past (other than gyros), and we didn’t really care for it, but we are always willing to try things again. So we decided to go to a Omaha staple for Greek food, Greek Islands.

What We Ate:

Eric started with evening with two drinks from their Drink Menu, the Mediterranean Oil Spill: Ouzorita with a shot of Metaxa, and the Apollo: Cointreau, Creme de Cassis, Orange Juice, Passion Fruit and Cranberry Juice.

There were a lot of options on the menu, and we couldn’t even pronounce a lot of them, let alone know if we would like them, so we had our foodie friend help us make some decisions. First he ordered the Flaming Saganaki - Opa as an appetizer for the table. Imported Greek Cheese, cooked to a golden brown.

Kyle chose to have the Pastichio, a lasagna looking dish made of up greek macaroni and seasoned ground beef topped with bechamel sauce and baked till golden brown. Eric, however, had a difficult time choosing, and eventually decided that if he was going to try something new, why not just get a sampler of multiple things! So he ordered the Pikilia, this included Chicken Riganato, Dolmathes, Souvlaki, Greek Potatoes, and Moussaka. Both entrees came with house salads and we both chose the special house dressing to go on top.

For dessert Kyle went with a Greek wedding cookie, while Eric had the traditional Baklava a la mode.

The Food:

The meal certainly kicked off on a strong note, literally, as Eric’s cocktails were awesome. His first, the Mediterranean Oil Spill was delightfully strong, and was made with a traditional Greek liquor, Ouzo, which tastes like anise (think the flavor of black licorice). Mixed with the tequila, it was a particularly potent drink, which Eric really enjoyed. He could feel it putting hair on his chest. He insisted that Kyle try some, but Kyle’s palate was less enthused. However, Eric’s next drink, Apollo, was truly the nectar of the gods. The variety of fruit juices present blended together perfectly, and while the drink was also strong, the fruit flavors complimented the mix so well that it went down super smooth. Even Kyle loved this drink.

The Flaming Saganaki- Opa! arrived soon after, with the server presenting it with a flourish and LIGHTING IT ON FIRE right next to our table, and after blazing for a few seconds, she squeezed a lemon to quench the fire with citrus juice! After the exciting presentation, the cheese itself was delicious. We weren’t sure what it was other than the menu description saying it was imported from Greece, but it was really good. It had some kind of lemony-honey-esque drizzle on top that was mostly savory, but a little bit sweet and was just so, so DELICIOUS!

The salads weren’t anything terribly exciting on their own. The menu includes upcharge add-ons like feta cheese and olives, and even upgrades to Athenian and Greek salads. While Eric loves feta cheese, the prices of these extra options seemed a tad high, so we both just stuck with the basic salads with the house dressing. And, wow, the house dressing was really really good. It’s a kind of vinaigrette dressing that definitely elevated a generic salad into a delicious appetizer.

After the amazingly delicious start to the meal, Eric was very eager to get to the main course to see what other wonders Greek Islands had in store for us. Sure enough, when it finally arrived, Eric’s Pikilia plate was nearly overflowing with trial-sized versions of many of Greek Island’s signature dishes. This section may take a while, so here we go!

He first dug into the roasted potatoes, which were cooked perfectly, and seasoned with a very unique blend of herbs that was so good that he ate them too fast and gave himself heartburn and had to slow down for the rest of the meal. Next up was the Souvlaki, roasted meat on kebabs. Greek Islands has a few different meat options, but the Pikilia dish came with the basic, traditional pork Souvlaki. This, also, was cooked perfectly, and was juicy and tender and consumed before you could blink.

After those two hits, Eric decided to turn his attention to the Dolmathes, seasoned ground beef and rice wrapped in grape leaves and topped with a lemon egg sauce. Now, the first time Eric had been to Greek Islands, nearly a decade prior, he got an entire dish of Dolmathes, and . . . he really did not like them. In fact, his distate for that dish had him avoiding this restaurant ever since. But after all this time, and after how delicious everything else had been to this point, Eric decided to try them again. He still didn’t really care for them. The seasoned ground beef tasted fairly bland, with a surprisingly strong mint flavor that was just kind of weird. The Dolmathes didn’t taste horrible, but was strange enough that Eric was content with just one bite and decided to move on to other options on his plate.

He went for the Moussaka next. The contents of this dish were actually so similar to Kyle’s Pastichio that Eric had a difficult time choosing between those two options when he ordered. The main difference that he could read was the layers of eggplant present in the Moussaka, and it made the dish sort of seem like it was a Greek lasagna. The slice was smaller than he expected, but with all the other options on his plate, he supposes it was for the best, even if it was one of the most delicious items on a plate full of deliciousness.

Finally, the Chicken Riganato was, again, really really good. Eric saved it for last because a) it was huge and took up half his already large, overflowing plate, and b) because it was bone-in chicken and Eric is HELPLESS when it comes to dealing with bones in his food. However, after some of the other items on the plate had been eaten away, Eric had room to maneuver with his knife and fork and was surprised that the chicken was so juicy and tender that it just fell off the bone with the lightest of tugs. Yet another expertly prepared and cooked and seasoned dish. Everything (except the Dolmathes) was so good that Eric was in danger of running out of stomach space for dessert, so he asked for a box to take this feast back home to finish rather than make himself sick.

Kyle’s dish, while not as massive as Eric’s, was equally as good. Kyle agrees 100% with Eric that the roasted Greek potatoes were exceptional. Kyle could have eaten an entire meal of just the potatoes. When it came to the Pastichio, Kyle had some mixed feelings about it. At first taste, he thought it was good. The pasta was tasty and the golden brown sauce on the tap made a good combination. However, the more he ate, the blander it seemed to get. The ground beef didn’t seem to have that much seasoning on it. But, by the end, it had really grown on him. He isn’t sure if it was the mixture of seasonings finally coming together, or even the unique texture of the noodles, sauce and meat, but by the end, he was ready for more!

Kyle’s wedding cookie was good, he liked the nuts that were in there, and is always a fan of powdered sugar. However, it was a little drier and denser than he expected. The cookie was big, so he thought it was light and fluffy, and that wasn’t the case. He was glad he only got one, because he wasn’t sure if he could have eaten a second.

Eric’s Baklava was another home run. The flaky crust, and the sweet nutty soft filling were surprisingly delicious, even after all the other amazing dishes over the course of the night. And even the ice cream that made it a la mode was actually Baklava ice cream! Alas, even Eric’s renewed appetite over this scrumptious dessert was not enough to overcome the limitations of his mortal stomach. He made a valiant effort, but, tragically was unable to finish this heavenly dessert. He’s still broken up about it to this day.

The Atmosphere:

One can argue that the atmosphere of Greek Islands is a tale of two words. From the outside the building is very dull, it is made of nothing more then cinder block and corrugated steel. The only thing that draws your attention is the vibrant blue the cinder blocks are painted, and a set of faux Doric columns. If it wasn’t for the decorations, the inside would be just as dull as the outside, with fake wood floors and drop ceilings with gray and white tables and chairs.

Luckily, the owners, who immigrated to Omaha in 1966 from Arfara Greece, have taken the time to add touches of their homeland to try and bring the feeling of the Greek Islands to you. Two giant murals grace the back wall of the restaurant, one being the famous vistas of Santorini Island, the other being an Athenian garden scene. More faux doric columns frame a blue wall with curved “Windows” that match the shape of the curved shutters on the opposite wall.

A party room is off to the far side of the restaurant, though decorated more subtle, it has travel posters from several famous Greek vacation spots. Although the posters are outdated, possibly from the 1970s, they still give that hint of wanderlust to anyone who enjoys travel. The restaurants bar is small, and jammed in the corner. There is nothing wrong with it, except maybe the neon Budweiser sign that really distracts from the Greek decor.

Service:

The service at Greek Islands was good. Although the restaurant was quite full when we arrived, we were seated fairly quickly. Our waitress took our drink orders promptly, and the food came out fairly fast.

The most interesting thing about the service was the dessert. When we asked for the dessert menu, we expected a menu. Instead, she brought out a silver platter with one of each of the desserts they offered and explained each of them to us- not only what they were and what they were made of, but also their place in Greek culture. This was particularly unique, and, next to the Flaming Saganaki was the highlight of the meal.

In the End:

Greek Islands is an excellent place to really expand your dining experiences. If you have never had Greek food before, it helps if you can bring along a friend who knows a little something about food. But if not, I have no doubt the wait staff would be happy to answer any questions you may have about the menu.