Birthday Baklava

Food... it is always about the food. I would say one of the things I have encouraged my kids is to try different dishes from different cultures. We did that again this past weekend.

Since it was close to elder daughter's anniversary of the day of her birth, it was her turn to pick the eating establishment. Her pick was Greek cuisine.

We have not had a lot of experience with Greek foods. Hubby had a little more experience because growing up, there were families in his town and surrounding towns have a rich Greek heritage. I can't say I had ever been to a specifically Greek restaurant.

The waiter was rather perceptive because he asked first thing if any of us had experience with the cuisine.

The blank stares gave us away. He took our drink orders and delivered them speedy quick. He then walked us through the menu explaining the main dishes and what sides were what. That was extremely helpful and helped him earn a better tip.

The appetizer chosen were zucchini cakes. There had a light coating but came with a creamy dipping sauce. The sauce seemly had a lightness to it but about three seconds in, its bite became apparently. It was very good but not what was expected.

Two of us ordered pitas. One had a gyro and one of us had a hamburger. The pitas were light and did not over power the filling. The sauce was great because it added flavor. The sauce didn't over power the remaining ingredients. The hamburger was reportedly excellent and the gyro was fine. The side dishes were potatoes of the fried varieties. I was very,very tempted to try a lamb dish. It had been a three decades since I had eaten lamb so decided against it. However, it most likely would be a dish of choice upon a second visit.

The desserts were excellent. Since it was a celebration, we ordered a couple of desserts. One was a baklava cheesecake and I ordered baklava. Wow. The layers were flaky. The mixture of the pistachios and honey and pastry were a bit decadent. It was very good but it was a dessert to be shared. A little bit of the sweetness goes a long way. Kudos again to the waiter for picking out the coffee drinker in the bunch and bring a cup to me.

Elder daughter made an excellent choice and I am glad she helped broaden my eating experience. Like I said before, it is always about the food and the company.