Galveston.com Review

A fall-ish Friday evening was our first experience of this new downtown waterfront establishment, but it won't be our last! This is a great addition to dining choices on the Island. The place was busy but there was room at an outside table. We were too late for happy hour and the band was setting up nearby. The atmosphere was festive and the place looks beautiful, with huge windows looking out on the harbor. I am pleased that the food matched the ambiance.

Rather than order a separate appetizer, I picked the "Taste of Olympia" dinner because it came with soup or Greek salad, appetizer plate and a sampling of traditional Greek dishes. We had a light and fruity Italian Pinot Grigio as accompaniment. The appetizer plate included dolma, hummus, tzatziki and of course pita. The dolma were small but tangy with tender grape leaves; the hummus seemed a bit bland. The generous Greek salad was fresh and full of olives, feta cheese, and everything you'd expect. My entrée included spanakopita, tiropita, gyro slices, keftedes, pastitsio, moussaka and Greek style vegetables. A huge plate! The food was as good as any Greek food I've had, delicately flavored. I don't usually enjoy gyros but these made me change my mind; the generous serving was moist and tender and well flavored. The sautéed mushrooms were out of this world. Only the spanakopita was disappointing, dry and light on filling.

My dining companion opted for Avgolemono soup, "Greek egg drop" with chicken, which was amazing. Tangy and lemony, looking creamy but very light on the palate. She ordered the grilled whole Gulf Flounder with pilaf. The flounder was beautiful to behold, expertly grilled. My friend, a self-proclaimed flounder expert, said it was the best she had ever eaten. It was grilled slowly enough to remain moist and very tender. She ordered the Greco sauce on the side, thinking that it might overwhelm the delicate flavor of the flounder, However the sauce itself was so delicate that she used it all and said it enhanced the flounder. The pilaf was uninspired.

We could not choose from the mouth-watering dessert choices, so we had a mini dessert sampler. Generous bites of fabulous Galaktoboureko (Greek custard with phyllo, honey and cinnamon) and the ubiquitous baklava, plus flan and Tres Leches. All were delicious.

What's not to like about this place? Great service, beautiful surroundings, truly delicious food, and we were very pleasantly surprised by the reasonable cost.