Greece Is the Word

grecian formula: Roasted leg of lamb is one of several typical Greek lamb dishes offered at Zorba’s.

What Zorba's lacks in flash it makes up for in authenticity and flavor.

by Maxine Keyser

You may want to avoid Greeks with gifts, but when they give you a restaurant recommendation, pay attention. After all, they are probably the oldest restaurateurs in the world, dating back before the kitchens of Pompeii. So when a recent emigre from Thessalonika told me that Zorba's had the most authentic Greek food in the city, I headed right over.

Located on Fairmount Avenue, which is sort of a Restaurant Row in itself (London, Illuminare, Jack's, to name a few), Zorba's is rather un-prepossessing. In front, it looks like any pizzeria around town, but in the rear there are tables with white linens and friendly waitresses. On the menu cover, there's a picture of Anthony Quinn in the famous role of Zorba, dancing to the music of a lyre played by a Grecian youth of long ago. This is supposed to indicate, I suppose, the continuity of Greek cuisine, for it has changed very little since antiquity. Occasionally I read a review of a restaurant (usually in California) that serves "nouvelle Greek," but basically, this is what you expect a Greek restaurant to be.

We set down the light, dry, white wines we have brought, and immediately order a platter of cold appetizers. There's skordalia, the dip of garlic, bread crumbs, olive oil and vinegar, on the table already. We get tzatziki, a wonderful, thick, homemade yogurt dashed with garlic, dill and olive oil; creamy, garlicky hummus with just enough lemon flavor; melitzana, a coarsely chopped dip of roasted eggplant, chopped peppers, garlic and feta cheese; moist and sprightly stuffed grape leaves; and silken taramasalata, or cod roe, olive oil and potato whipped together -- and Zorba's is probably the best version of this that I have had. It's so good, in fact, that we order another portion to eat slathered on the crusty bread that they serve. They seem to make a point of not serving pita, for twice on the menu, they mention that everything is served with regular bread. No matter, these hearty salads are food enough for the gods.

Fried baby squid is already a cliche, but Zorba's is greaseless and very good. Combined with surprisingly tender octopus and sautéed mussels in red wine and tomato sauce, they make a very hefty warm appetizer. And the traditional Greek peasant salad, called horiatiki, is a gorgeous mix of fresh tomato halves, cucumbers, red onions, olives and feta cheese, all lightly tossed with only oil and vinegar -- looking like springtime in a bowl. The service is well-paced, and the inevitable Greek music in the background is kept at a pleasant level.

Next comes the fish du jour, red snapper, served whole and charcoal grilled; the skin is charred black and the meat, unfortunately, is a little dry. A squeeze of lemon helps, but it has been too long on the grill. The sides that accompany it are distinguished nevertheless. Greens lightly cooked and edged with garlic, and mixed vegetables -- called tourlou, and consisting of carrots, zucchini, cauliflower and cabbage, roasted to almost the consistency of a coarse puree -- taste like they came out of a Greek grandmother's kitchen.

Lamb is to be expected, and they have a number of lamb dishes offered, such as roasted leg, or ground up with beef and onions. Avgolemono sauce graces the succulent baby lamb shank; the meat falls off the bone. The sauce, authentically composed of egg, lemon juice and artichoke hearts, is tart and creamy and not only heightens the lamb shank, but the rice and roasted potatoes on the side. There's a clever poke at the excess of lamb on Greek menus -- in a box labeled "For those who prefer anything but lamb," they offer veal with pearl onions cooked in red wine, called kokinisto.

A good idea, from the charcoal grille, is the sampler for two, which includes a chicken kebob, pork kebob, marinated chicken breast and two lamb chops. The meat manages to stay moist, despite being heavily charcoaled, and there's an extra fillip provided by some slices of gyro, or "yeeros," that magically manage to be moist as well. Yogurt to dip the slices in makes for a perfect sauce. By Zeus, this is a feast, what with rice, potatoes and those delicious vegetables too.

For dessert, you can count on baklava -- not too sweet and quite delicious -- and rice pudding, with rice kernels that retain their individual bite despite the creaminess of the dish.

Zorba's may not have the quaint decor and large fish selection of Effie's, or the oysters and cache that one finds at Dmitri's or even the pretty, filmy-white decor of Lourdas in Bryn Mawr, but it does have a friendly coziness and respect for raw ingredients that you could find at any taverna in Greece. It feels authentic.

Zorba's Taverna

2230 Fairmount Ave., 215-978-5990

Appetizers, $4-$8; entrees, $13-$23 (for two)

Lunch: Fri.-Sat., 11-3 p.m. Dinner: Tue.-Thu., 5-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5-11 p.m.; Sun., 4-10 p.m.

BYOB. Not wheelchair accessible. Smoking is not permitted. Reservations are accepted. Most major credit cards.