When the opportunity presented itself, we had to jump. After all, a night out with a fellow restaurant critic to swap tales of taste bud trials and triumphs doesn't happen too often. I envisioned adjectives rolling off our weathered tongues as we noshed our way through steaming plates of Mexican food at the re-opened Blue Iguana, neighbor and relative of the famous red one.
I was also looking forward to picking the brain of Bob King, who not only writes the bimonthly restaurant column for the Event but is also registered with the Utah Endowment for the Humanities as a scholar. The title of his presentation, "From Tacos to Fajitas: The Mexican Restaurant in American Culture."But when we arrived at our long-awaited destination, we found that the Blue Iguana had closed its doors the night before, barely open a month. The folks at Rancho Lanes where the Blue Iguana was located gave us the sad news. My only consolation was King's insight that some of the best Mexican food in the Southwest is often served at bowling alleys, a truism yet to be tested in Salt Lake City. (And I thought they were best known for french fries.)
Disappointed, we drove around in the dense fog, finally arriving at a restaurant whose longevity is considerably more established. Yet the Dionysus Restaurant (which opened in May 1983) shares a cuisine of comparable color and simplicity.
Greek cuisine is characterized by fresh ingredients and simple preparation. Egg and lemon soup, stuffed vine leaves, spit-roasted meats, eggplant layered with custard and tomatoes, nuts stuffed into honey-drenched pastry, goat cheese and olives drenched in the brine of the crashing sea are menu mainstays.
When we asked about the specials, our waitress sensed our interest in specialties of the house, rather than the "evening specials." She said, "Have some of these. And besides, they will be especially good. My mom is cooking tonight." We were reassured.
The mezathakia plate ($5.99 - mezas are small appetizers) afforded the four of us a sampling of spit roasted gyro meat, two lemony dolmanthes, juicy marinated chunks of roasted pork, four crunchy fried smelts, several pieces of kalamari (squid), chunks of feta cheese (not too salty), and a couple of meltingly tender olives. They all came surrounding a large serving of lemony rice pilaf topped with tomato sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan.
We appreciated the light hand from the kitchen. All the seasonings were just nicely understated, though the vinaigrette salad dressing with the dinner salads needed just a bit more oregano and garlic, and we would have liked more lemon with the avgholemono.
The three lamb chops Greek-style ($8.99), were tender and redolent with herbs, as were the chunks of chicken with the shishkabob ($5.49) The mouska, layers of eggplant, tomato sauce, cheese and topped with a thick bechamel sauce ($4.99) was also wonderfully prepared. And considering the generous size of the portions, more than reasonably priced.
Each entree comes with thick-sliced white bread, soup or salad, vegetables and rice or potato.
Other Greek specialties on Dionysus' menu include sfugato ($4.69), Greek-style omelettes with feta cheese; souvlaki plate ($5.29); bifteki ($4.49), ground sirloin seasoned with Greek herbs and spices; gyro with tzatziki sauce ($4.49); and the Dionysus combination plate ($6.65). Sandwiches, burgers, and several cuts of steak, pork chops, and a few other meat and seafood specials, such as chicken fried steak and grilled halibut round out the menu. Pastitio, a macaroni casserole with ground meat, tomato sauce, onions and cheeses, is served on special nights.
Dionysus Restaurant presents Greek cuisine with the time-honored techniques imitated around the many other diverse cultures of the Mediterranean. Surely critic and scholar King can find another topic about the influences of Greek cooking, as well as philosophy, on today's dining-out scene.
Rating: * * * 1/2
Dionysus, 369 S. 400 East, 355-6688. Open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Opens at 8 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Major credit cards and check with guarantee card accepted.