Hubby found us a gem in West Seattle last weekend. Kokara’s Greek Grill, situated on California Avenue, a half block north of Fauntleroy is easy to pass by, but I’m so glad we didn’t. Hubby has been watching out for deals at local Greek restaurants, and he found this one through Living Social; so we decided to make the trek out to West Seattle and give it a try.
As we walked in, I was immediately brought back to my childhood summers in Greece, sitting in a taverna with my parents, cousins, aunts and uncles. Fresh, hot pita bread and lamb roasting on a spit, along with perfectly baked Greek desserts tantalized my nose. But there was one problem. We could barely get in the door. There were so many people waiting to be seated.
Look at all these happy people chowing down on Greek food
Kokaras Greek Grill is just like the tavernas you see in Greece. Simple, small and unpretentious. I love that. The problem was that we were starved, and the amazing smells weren’t helping. Everyone looked content at their tables, as they lingered and sipped from their wine glasses. Five people stood waiting against the entrance wall, while a couple more stood in line for takeout. There was nowhere for us to stand, but we squeezed into a corner by the door.
Familiar Greek music played in the background, while the owner walked around
and handed out mini plates of hummus and pita triangles. Wow! What a nice touch, I thought. It’s so typical of Greeks to make sure everyone they are hosting is well-fed.
“If this place is this busy, that’s a good sign,” I said to Hubby.
At that moment, an energetic twenty something waiter walked over to us and apologized for the wait. He told us it would probably only be about a ten minute wait. We were relieved. It was nice that he was so friendly.
Even though we were famished, it worked out well that there was a wait. It took forever for us to decide what we wanted to order. Hubby was determined to get the saganaki, a Greek pan fried cheese, often served flaming from the pan.
“Okay. How about we get the small bowl of soup and…saganaki?” He said.
‘No, I want the soup, pita bread, and Greek salad combo and dessert,” I said.
“Okay, how about we get soup and pita bread, no dessert or salad…and saganaki?” Hubby tried again.
“But I really want the Greek salad and dessert.”
“How about we just get saganaki?”
Finally, I said to Hubby: “I will make you saganaki at home. Let’s just have soup, salad, pita and dessert – because the saganaki is $9, and that will not leave us much room for other stuff.”
“Okay fine.” He said; “but I’m not going to forget you said you’d make me saganaki.”
“I’m sure you won’t,” I said. Hubby is a very persistent man.
We had just figured it all out, when our waiter notified us that our table was ready. He was right. We thought it would be a long wait, but it wasn’t bad at all.
We sat next to the window at a cute little checkered blue and white table. All around us, it felt like a party. People were laughing, drinking and just having fun celebrating life. A constant stream of new arrivals walked in, and soon there were twelve people waiting. And again, the owner brought them out plates of pita and hummus.
“This reminds me of the taverna in My Papou’s village,” I told Hubby.
He smiled, remembering our last trip to Greece in 2006. We had hoped to go back sooner, but it hasn’t yet fit intothe budget. That’s why places like Kokaras are so special to us. They aren’t just about filling your belly. They bring back memories. It’s all about the experience: the aromas, the atmosphere, the happy, lively people.
So, we each ordered the pita, Greek Lentil soup (I grew up on that stuff!), Greek salad, Greek fries and Bougatsa for dessert.
soup, salad and pita triangles
I thought of Hubby’s Aunt, who loves Bougatsa like I do. Everytime we see each other, I ask her if she’s tried making it yet. I still have the recipes in my recipe binder, of the many versions of Bougatsa she found for me to try making.
“I’m going to have to make that soon….one of these days,” I tell Hubby.
“Ok!” Hubby says…as if to say, “I will gladly be your guinea pig taste-tester.”
As we sipped our glasses of iced water, and gazed out the window at the West Seattle sunset, our waiter arrived with dinner: on a platter was a heaping helping of Greek salad, decorated with Kalamata olives and fresh, crisp vegetables, a dainty bowl of Fakes (Greek lentil soup) and two stacks of the most amazing pita bread. I don’t know how they cooked it, but both Hubby and I took one bite and exclaimed:
“MMMMMM! This tastes like it was baked in a brick oven!” Maybe it was. We never got a chance to ask.
Greek fries, oozing with feta cheese
A few minutes later, a giant plate of steak-cut fries, speckled with feta cheese were brought to us. Believe it or not, we couldn’t finish all of our food! It’s craziness that some people think we can’t do this 20 dollar date night thing! We sometimes even go under budget, and often there’s still a ton of food left…and we have healthy appetites!
Our waiter came by to check on us, and we started talking with him. Hubby just had to tell him that his wife is half Greek, and about how amazing the food is. The waiter then turned to me and began spouting off in Greek a hundred words a minute, like most Greeks do when they know another one is in the house. My Greek is broken, but I was able to understand and converse enough to make sense. We enjoyed our conversation with him, and were not surprised to find that he was family to the owners of the restaurant. He seemed to personally care about each customer that arrived.
You can’t have my Bougatsa!
By the time the Bougatsa arrived, we were just about full to the brim…but I love Bougatsa. So, we shared each flaky, custard filled bite of deliciousness, and then I wanted to cry when it was over. It hit the spot.
On top of it all, with the Living Social coupon, we made it just under twenty dollars, even with a tip above twenty percent.
“Let’s go meet the owner!” Hubby said – when he had just finished filling out the debit card receipt.
So, we walked over to the front register. Through the noise, Hubby managed to say: “It’s our first time here and…“
“Wait!” She said with urgency and touched his arm. Then,she disappeared into the kitchen, while yelling back: “It’s a tradition!”
Through the music and the talking and laughing, I hadn’t heard what Hubby said.
“What did you say to her?” I asked, thinking maybe she knew him from somewhere.
“I just said it was our first time here…” Hubby was now laughing and amused, trying to figure out what triggered her quick rush into the kitchen.
A quick moment later, she appeared back at the register – and presented us with a takeout box and a big expectant smile. We thanked her and introduced ourselves; and told her about what a great time we had, about my blog, and about the heritage and Orthodox Christian faith we have in common.
As we walked out she yelled, “Happy Easter!” And I said it back in Greek. She smiled and said, “I can’t wait!”
We walked out of that place on a cloud. What food, what people, what a place!
“That’s definitely on the go back to again soon list!” Hubby said. I heartily agreed. Then, I couldn’t help myself; I had to peek and see what was in the takeout box. So, I slowly opened it up as we walked through the parking lot to our car. And there sat a big, hulking triangular slab of gooey, walnuty phyllo dough wrapped Baklava. And suddenly, I wasn’t full anymore. Hubby and I savored every bite of it and it was sooooo good.
The View from our walk on Alki Beach
After that, we went for a walk on Alki Beach in the moonlight. It was almost 10pm, and everything was shutting down for the night. We walked hand in hand and talked, and didn’t want to leave.
As we drove to pick up our kids, Hubby held my hand and said, “I had a really fun time with you tonight.”
Now that was a five star date night all around.
Atmosphere (romantic appeal)-5. Happy people, good memories of Greece, and a window seat were all a part of a very special night.
Budget Friendly: 5. Lots of choices on the menu and Greek size portions. The Living Social coupon was quite the steal!
Fun and Unique: 5. Who would have known this place was here if Hubby hadn’t found it? I can’t even count how many people we’ve already told to check it out!
Memorable: 5. All of the above and a walk on the beach in the warm spring night air. Very memorable.
