The bills are in the mail. Few other statements offer such certain and universal truth this time of year.
In a culture that is prone to excess, December is the apex of immoderation, a time when credit cards and belt buckles are pushed to their limits in an eggnog-fuelled frenzy of indulgence.
We milk the season dry, wringing every last ounce of its exorbitance until its final seconds are upon us and we begin the countdown to January, a time of self-imposed frugality and self-discipline. Ten, nine, eight. .. .
Kypriaki Taverna Mediterranean Grill, the nearly 40-year-old Greek institution on Marine Drive in North Vancouver, is a haven for those of you who, like me, wish to avoid making ill-fated resolutions of complete austerity while nevertheless exhibiting some manner of spending restraint in the New Year.
A mail flyer from Kypriaki announced a new, value-priced menu. This is the sort of marketing jargon that usually doesn't sway me, but a quick scan of the flyer suggested that there was indeed some truth to the advertising, with the wide range of entrées rarely crossing the $15 mark.
Armed with a hearty appetite on a rare, child-free evening, my wife DJ and I recently visited the restaurant and discovered that Kypriaki does, in fact, over-deliver on the quality and quantity of its food while surprising on the pricing front. My biggest issue with Greek food is that I pretty much like everything, making menu selections challenging. There is something about the interplay of fragrant citrus and olive flavours with the pungency of ingredients like garlic, feta, squid and lamb that appeals to me in a profound way. While I harbour the unfulfilled fantasy of one day walking into a restaurant and boldly asking for one of everything on the menu, I decided that such an approach would be inconsistent with the spirit of early January and elected instead to sample a more modest (though admittedly still large) cross section of dishes.
Our meal began with Saganaki, a roughly three-ounce slab of kefalograviera cheese that was lightly breaded, pan-fried to golden perfection and topped with freshly squeezed lemon. A pleasantly salty, slightly chewy sheep's milk cheese, kefalograviera is ideal for frying, largely retaining its shape and texture while providing just enough melty goodness to make it feel decadent.
Next up was an assortment of traditional Mediterranean dips served with toasted pita bread. These included a wonderfully simple, impossibly fresh homemade hummus; a cucumber-rich, potently garlicky tzatziki that will not earn you any friends on public transit; and my favourite: tarama, a creamy, slightly pink-hued dip comprised principally of fish roe, olive oil, and lemon juice.
The flavour of the roe, which is conventionally cod or carp, is subtle and makes for a delicious first course, particularly when paired, as DJ and I did, with nicely chilled retsina. Restina is the traditional Greek white wine that is produced with the addition of pine sap to the grape must ("grape must" is the juice from the grape that contains skins, seeds and stems of the fruit) prior to fermentation. The wine is bright, aromatic, unmistakably unique, and serves as a great conversation piece when served to the uninitiated.
Next up was an order of Kypriaki calamari, consisting of grilled squid with capsicum peppers and artichoke hearts in a flavourful tomato sauce with a touch of chili heat. This dish was the star of the evening and undoubtedly one of the best preparations of squid I have tasted in recent memory. The small, tender morsels of squid were remarkably tender and were greatly enhanced by the rustic and simple tomato sauce. For those who have only ever experienced calamari in its more common North American breaded incarnation, this dish is an absolute must try and will likely forever transform your perspective on this versatile cephalopod.
For her main course, DJ ordered spanakopita, which can be upsized from its appetizer portion to an entrée for $6. The entrée version includes two generous servings of densely packed spinach and feta cheese pies served with lemon roasted potatoes, rice, Greek salad and tzatziki. The freshly made pies were light and flaky and contained enough spinach filling to easily serve as two meals.
My entrée, the seafood trio, consisted of a hearty fillet of tender Pacific halibut, two enormous tiger prawns and two plump and succulent scallops in a garlic and white wine butter, served with the same assortment of sides found on DJ's main. Kypriaki's kitchen brigade did a commendable job of ensuring that the seafood, each item requiring different cooking temperatures and durations, arrived hot and tender.
Our meal of three appetizers, two entrées and a one-litre bottle of retsina (which we were able to re-seal halfway through and take home as per B.C.'s relatively recent liquor law changes) was an exceptionally good value at $90 before taxes and gratuity. Kypriaki Taverna Mediterranean Grill is located at 1356 Marine Dr. Phone: 604-985-7955. kypriaki.ca
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. Contact: [email protected].
