4 star review
Papapavlo's may want to expand.
Sure, the Mediterranean bistro recently moved from its longtime 3,000-square-foot Pacific Avenue storefront to a 5,700-square-foot building in Lincoln Center. Still, the restaurant was packed on a recent Thursday night, and my dining partner and I had to wait about 20 minutes for a table. (Reservations are recommended.)
The wait, however, was well worth it. Our dinner at Papapavlo's was excellent, the wait staff was attentive and the atmosphere was intimate and relaxing.
We took the last two seats at the bar to wait. A diverse crowd surrounded us - on our right were two 30-somethings sipping drinks and dressed for a night on the town; to our left, a baby-boomer couple enjoying dinner.
Papapavlo's has an open kitchen adjacent to the bar, and glowing flames shot up from sauté pans as the staff worked. The restaurant is decorated in warm brown tones, which creates an intimate feel.
At the bar, we ordered hummos ($7.95), a spread of puréed garbanzo beans mixed with garlic and lemon juice. It was mild but still flavorful and tasty and accompanied by a basket of warm, soft pita bread.
Our waiter was quick to offer us another basket of pita bread once we were seated at our table. He stopped by constantly to make sure we had everything we needed.
My dining partner described him as "oppressively helpful." We didn't mind, but if you like to be left alone during dinner, it's something to consider before you check out the restaurant.
The menu is extensive and ranges from pork tenderloin medallions ($17.95) and grilled vegetable pasta ($14.50) to Mediterranean specialties such as moussaka (grilled eggplant casserole, $14.95).
Entrées come with a salad that isn't your typical pre-dinner pile of vegetables. It was a big meal unto itself that was highlighted by a tangy greek dressing and Kalamata olives. A small block of feta cheese topped it off.
My dining partner, a vegetarian, ordered spanakopita ($12.95,) a spinach-and-feta-cheese casserole served in a phylo dough pie crust. The portion was generous - two huge slices - the casserole was rich and the crust, crispy. We ended up taking home one of the slices.
I ordered the gyro plate ($15.95), which was a huge pile of meat accompanied by rice and tzatiki sauce. Gyro (pronounced year-o) meat is like Greek meatloaf; it's typically beef or lamb that's ground, mixed with spices and cooked on a rotisserie.
Since many Greek restaurants leave their meat cooking on the rotisseries throughout the day, gyros done poorly can be dry and jerky-like. The gyro meat at Papapavlo's, however, was perfectly hot and moist. It was still juicy when I ate the leftovers two days later.
Yet the main dishes weren't the best part of the meal for myself or my dining partner. We were both struck by the asparagus that accompanied our dinners.
They didn't seem like much, just a few grilled spears. But the asparagus had a phenomenal earthy flavor, as if it had been cooked on the world's best outdoor barbecue.
It was a small, simple thing that capped off an excellent meal.
Papapavlo's
****
Type of food:
Mediterranean/American
No comments:
Post a Comment