Relish: Yanni's Greek Cuisine

Seattlest started with the Deep Fried Calamari ($7.25), which was coated in a light, pale batter. The batter was just barely crisp and the squid was pleasantly chewy. On its own the calamari wasn't terribly exciting, but the accompanying garlic (and we mean garlic) sauce gave the calamari the kick it needed to be addictive.

For dinner Seattlest ordered the Moussaka ($11.95) and Chicken Souvlaki ($12.25), both of which came with a choice of soup or salad. The Caesar salad had a nice ratio of garlicky dressing to lettuce, but the lettuce was unfortunately limp and past its prime. By contrast, the avgolemono soup was outstanding--especially given that Seattlest is very picky when it comes to lemon (too much and we think it starts tasting dirty). The soup had a great thick texture with soft, melting rice and visible bits of shredded chicken. The avgolemono had a clean lemon taste that wasn't too assertive and played well with the other flavors.

We smelled our Moussaka before we saw it. There was an incredible aroma of nutmeg and clove that made us want to dive in despite it still being hot from the oven. The thick slices of tender, cut-with-your-fork eggplant were layered with highly spiced ground lamb and topped with the requisite creamy, rich béchamel. The dish was rich, rich, rich, but it was also so comforting that it made the richness seem okay. The pita bread was decent, but Seattlest prefers it fried just a bit more so it's puffed and crisp. After one bite of the vegetables Seattlest decided that they were just for show. They looked pretty but tasted like they plopped fresh out of a can and onto the plate--but the two boiled potatoes made up for this. Seattlest doesn't know what they do to those potatoes, but they are soft and creamy and taste like they've been directly injected with olive oil, garlic and lemon.

The Chicken Souvlaki was just how we remembered it: a giant, single skewer of perfectly cooked chicken that's been marinated in a flawless mix of lemon, olive oil, oregano and garlic. The souvlaki was great on its own but was heavenly when dipped in the tzatziki. Normally tzatziki doesn't really excite us, but Yanni's has perfected the combo of yogurt, shredded cucumber and lemon.

Seattlest managed to only get halfway through our meals, as they were so filling. We happily drove back to Capitol Hill with our leftovers infusing the car with smells of garlic and lemon, adding one more pleasant food memory to those from childhood.

Yanni's Greek Cuisine
7419 Greenwood Avenue N
206.783.6945