Aristo's

Last Sunday, the Spicy Sicilian had a birthday, and it dawned on me that we ought to go somewhere to eat. But where, oh where, is a foodie to take her? Obviously, I have a reputation to uphold, so I had to pick somewhere that didn't suck. Also, since her cooking is good enough to open up her own Italian restaurant, I did not want to take the chance that we would end up somewhere inferior to her culinary abilities. Fortunately, this is just the kind of situation I was made for. I often think that I know the woman better than she knows herself, and a thought came to me: Greek! She LOVES Greek! But where to go? Not to worry. Drawing deep into my memory, I recalled a conversation with my twin sister (yes, tis true I have a twin..but I'm older by 21 minutes!) about Greek food. She has been to Greece, and told me about a place around these parts that is about as authentic Greek as one could get outside of the cradle of Hellenistic culture. So, it was off to Aristo's we went.

This is located at one of my favorite spots - the cozy little restaurant row on 1300 E. right by the U. of Utah campus, and the Pie Pizzeria to boot. We waltzed in and found it sparsely populated enough that we did not need to tell them of our reservation. Out to the patio we went. I strongly suggest the patio if you are going to eat here and the temperature is even close to warm. What a beautiful setting. After perusing the appetizers, which took a while since there is an entire page of them(!) we decided that we were indecisive, and so ordered the Orektika. This is a sampler of any three spreads served with pita bread, cucumbers, and olives. We opted for the Hummus, Tzatziki (that white sauce they put on Gyros for the uneducated), and Kafteri, the latter consisting of Roasted Macedonian Peppers, Feta, Cayenne, and Olive Oil. The pita came out in a spiral container cut into perfect dipping-size pieces and was soft, pillowy, and pretty much the best pita I have ever had. The Hummus was magnificent. Smooth and creamy, it melted away inside my mouth. I would have downed it with a spoon if I could have, but there were other sauces to explore! The Tzatziki went great with the fresh cucumber slices, and lightened the palette perfectly. And the Kafteri...WOW. I can't do it justice in the written word. It was amazing.

For our entrees, we took divergent paths. SS ordered two of her personal favorite Greek comfort foods: Lemon-Rice Soup, which was fantastic, and the Village Salad. The Village Salad was, surprisingly, the highlight of the evening. It is a bowl of tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, red onions, and Kalamata olives tossed in olive oil. It is topped with 3 "sheets" of Feta which can then be broken up on top of or throughout the salad. The Feta by itself was delicious. Combined with the rest of the salad it was even better. You know how when you eat a salad you can pick out all of the different flavors and they sort of combine in a nice, refreshing dish? This is not that kind of salad. This salad was, to use a very unsalad-like term, smooth. That's really the best word I can use to describe it. The flavors all combined into one uber tasty treat that just seemed to dance on your tongue and remind you that you were experiencing something special. I never thought I would write that about a salad, but this was no ordinary salad! My entree was more of a tradtional entree-type meal. Unfortunately I cannot tell you the name of it because as I look at the online menu for reference, it is not listed. I can tell you about it though :) It was chicken breast rolled around spinach and feta, then breaded and quickly fried. It was served over a bed of rice pilaf and drizzled with a mushroom-scallion sauce. The presentation was beautiful, and the food did not lag far behind. This wasn't one of those "special" dishes like the salad, but it was very good nonetheless. The stuffing was a wonderful complement to the chicken, the sauce was just enough of an addition, and the pilaf was nice. One thing that stood out to me here is that the flavors don't really jump out and grab you. Instead, they are subtle and understated, and kind of catch your attention when you are going along with your meal and realize that you can't stop eating it. After finishing, your tastebuds haven't been through a an in-your-face kind of journey, but rather an artistic voyage, where subtlety is key and the mastery builds ever so gently until you are done and realize that everything just seems to be right. Ahhhh. Sounds nice, doesn't it? And the prices are far less than I would expect to pay for the quality of the food.

Not wanting to leave, we decided to finish the evening with some Baklava. One of my favorite meal-enders, it was actually the only thing here that I might say could use improvement. Granted, Baklava should not be overly sweet, but this one was almost more savory, and my sweet tooth could have used a little more kick, to be honest. Still, not bad, and upon leaving, we called the experience a resounding success and vowed to be back to the best restaurant either of us have tried this year. And I vowed to listen to my twin sis more often! (p.s. her favorite dish here is the Mousaka. Since she suggested this place to me, I would probably trust her on this entree selection, too)