There a new little Greek place on Patterson at Pump next to Rare Olde Times called Greek-4-U. First order of business is getting past the unfortunate name and give this place a chance. Last Friday night basketball was on the agenda for the evening, so we decided to bring in take out as I do not cook on Friday nights.
We stopped in a couple of weeks ago and got some menus since they have no website and we decided to order the Hummus Platter (hummus, tzatziki, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and feta), the Horiatiki salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, feta and olive oil), Mousakka, Spanakorizo (spinach and rice pilaf with tomatoes and dill) and for dessert baklava, and Ravini (orange cake). The owner, George, was very patient with my butchering of the Greek language while taking my order over the phone.
I arrive for pick up and there's a healthy crowd in the tiny place; patrons mostly for take out and clearly regulars from the bantering between them and George. George asked me if I ordered soup and since I did not, he was kind enough to give me a cup to take home.
I bring the food home and much to my surprise, the food is not heated. At all. This was resolved by putting the Mousakka in the oven for 30 minutes and microwaving the green beans that came with it and the rice pilaf but I found it odd. If this practice is more common than I realize, please let me know and help me to understand.
While waiting for the Mousakka, we tried the Greek Lemon Chicken soup and I found it to be very good and the lemon really lightened it up. The hummus platter was very good and served with pita and I particularly liked that the hummus still had a bit of texture from the chick peas and wasn't completely smooth. The horiatiki salad benefited from the outstanding olive oil and feta.
When the Mousakka was heated, dinner was served. The Mousakka was very flavorful but not too heavy and was very nicely spiced with cinnamon and what I suspect was cardamon. The green beans on the side were very good and the rice was flavorful and moist and rounded out the meal nicely.
The baklava was some of the best I've ever had. And the orange cake was a bit dense but not heavy and not too sweet and was a nice contrast from the sweet baklava.
All in all a great meal and Greek-4-U is now a part of our regular take out rotation.
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7 comments:
I had the Greek Salad here and it was great! I agree that the soup was quite tasty. The spankakopita was good on the outside, but the texture of the filling was a bit odd. Very friendly service and the specials of the day look fabulous!
great to know as that is SO close to me. haven't been in yet. a number of the dishes at istanbul (another nearby gem) are cold too. and she's often asked me how quickly i'm going to eat it to decide whether she should heat it or i should. next time i plan to ask for more directions though.
the woman at istanbul told me george was a friend of hers and that what he does extraordinarily was pastries/cakes. i plan on trying it all so thanks for the review!
I need to try Istanbul. And glad to know that the cold thing isn't as uncommon as I thought.
It's nice to get some good Mediterranean cuisine close to home. Be sure to try George's baklava!
if u want Greek then Greek 4 u is the place to go!!! George really brings Greece to you. Everything he makes is the real deal! Baklava is out of this world! i do still miss the Nuara's caffe that was there befor ,what a great place that was ,but i here it may come back soon at another location. George & "Sal" the owner of Nuara's Caffe should come together and open up a Greek & Italian Caffe together, how great would that be!!!
so i went for lunch the other day and everything was FABULOUS. the chicken lemon soup, the hummus/tsatziki platter, the greek salad, the chicken gyro. the spankiopita i would agree was the weakest, i didn't love the filling.
the baklava is to die for. so excited!
I have a passion for Greek food this is the best authentic Greek cuisene I've eaten in Richmond, including the annual festival put on by Saints Constantine and Helen's Greek Orthodox Cathedral. My samplings thus far have been the mousakka (my favorite) served with fassoulakia yahni, Greek Lemon Chicken Soup, the meat gyro, assorted cookies that were gifted to me by George, and the baklava, all of which were excellent. The meat gyro is beef and lamb,heafty, and the best I've had anywhere. The baklava is perfection. George was dead on when he said to me that I have the Greek Festival 6 days a week right there(and within walking distance of home!) I'm looking forward to trying the rest; my only regret is that I didn't discover Greek 4 U before my doctor took me off of the Lipitor! The Greek culture's warm hospitality shines though when I visit this little gem-I wish Greek 4 U the very best!
My boyfriend's family is Greek, and he agrees that Greek4U is "legit." It is just SO good!
Just wrote about it here:
http://kittskittchen.blogspot.com/2010/04/elimination-diet-im-quitter.html
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