The Greek by Anatoli
1043 Mainland
604-979-0700
TheGreekByAnatoli.com
Open Monday to Friday, 11:30am-late; Saturday-Sunday, 5pm-11pm.
Yaletown used to be Vancouver’s dining mecca less than a decade ago. Restaurants like Amarcord, the original Glowbal Grill, and Blue Water Café (the latter is the only one still standing) set the stage for a whole host of local, independent followers. These trendy eateries churned out small plates and cocktails for the hip, upwardly-mobile residents of the dozens of warehouse conversions that pre-dated the shining white towers.
Then came the onslaught of the chains, and the restaurant cognoscenti set their sights on Gastown and points east. Truth to tell, the chains weren’t wholly to blame, here. The demographic of Yaletown has always been a little Robson-lite. Yoga pants and pooches in purses are common here, with the number of beauty and aesthetic businesses almost matching the number of restaurants. And, while the rise of young families in the neighbourhood is a sign of things to come, this is still an area that caters to an easy-going, fashion-conscious (and therefore slightly food-wary) crowd that prefers casual comfort on the plate and easy sippers in the glass, as they people-watch from their patio of choice.
Restaurants like The Flying Pig, Hub, and Rodney’s, as well as chains like The Keg and Earls, cater to this crowd perfectly. The food is just inventive enough to be slightly different without alarming anyone, and cocktail lists mainly feature fruity vodka-based concoctions, with occasional forays into gin and bourbon.
With the opening of The Greek by Anatoli, that hint of family-friendly dining has risen to the level of a loud whisper. If you’ve ever spent time or lived on the North Shore, chances are you’ve heard of Anatoli. The popular Greek eatery near Lonsdale Quay has been serving up fall-apart roast lamb and tender pork souvlaki for over three decades. The food here is based on solid family-style cookery with a nod to the Pacific Northwest (alkaline water, anyone?).
The new Yaletown location follows the same principles, albeit with a tighter menu and more adult cocktails. The braised “country” lamb is here ($24), falling off the bone at the touch of a fork. At lunch, it’s served as a meal, with the ubiquitous rice, potatoes and Greek salad (the dinner option sees the salad switched out with seasonal vegetables). The roasted potato wedges are zesty with lemon, the rice pilaf is perfectly cooked and studded with herbs and diced vegetables, and the salad is pretty, with shaved ribbons of cucumber and chunks of tomato topped with a delicate feta and red onion. Roast chicken ($19 for half a bird) is juicy, well-marinated and cooked with oil, rosemary, and lemon; simple and satisfying.
Sides like the taramasolata ($6.50) are excellent, but the chicken souvlaki ($9 as a mezze at dinner; $16 as a meal at lunch) was completely dried out and tasteless. Likewise, the keftedes (grilled meatballs) were too hard and could have used more cooking time.
My watermelon basil mojito ($12) was fun, and the famous sangria from the North Shore location is here as well. Wines are from BC, Greece and warm-climate regions like New Zealand, California, and Argentina. Only one dessert was available the one time I felt like ordering it. Ekmek is a popular Greek dessert that features a honeyed pastry topped with custard, whipped cream and crushed nuts. The version here is fairly good, with pistachios and a light, not-too-sweet base.
The Greek isn’t going to start any revolutions, but its solid, homey, and comfortable food fits perfectly into the Yaletown milieu of young families and the cocktail set, so it will likely do well here.
All ratings out of five stars.
Food: ★★1/2
Service: ★★★
Ambiance: ★★★
Value: ★★1/2
Overall: ★★1/2
Anya Levykh has been writing about all things ingestible for more than 10 years. Hear her every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday.
