New2Maine.com

Okay, so it wasn’t exactly “next on our list.” And yes, it took almost three months for us to actually stop in and try out Portland’s newest (is it even the newest at this point?) Greek restaurant. But last night Amber and I finally found ourselves looking for parking off Congress Street in hopes of getting a table at Emilitsa. Note to selves: do not attempt to park on Congress on First Friday. D’oh!

After finding somewhere to park only a block from Five Fifty-five, we marched toward the Hill a half-block and entered a modest, contemporary space with a small bar to the left and maybe 12 or 14 tables on the right. There is no sign (that I saw) outside Emilitsa, so know that its address is 547 Congress St. Also of interest, they take reservations—(207) 221-0245. We didn’t have one, and arrived about 7:20 PM on First Friday. We were told we could get a table by about 8:00 and took at seat at the bar. Somewhat surprisingly, we were seated at our table by 7:40. We were most of the way back toward the kitchen and noticed that there was one more large table around the corner, but this is a pretty small restaurant with a long, narrow galley sort of feel.

The wine list included a number of Greek wines and some other varietals as well. I’m a beer drinker though, so I flipped the wine list and found a half dozen very good beers to choose from (actually, make that five very good beers and an obligatory Mythos Hellenic Lager that doesn’t review particularly well). I went with the Old Engine Oil black ale. Scotland isn’t all that far from Greece. Our waitress was friendly and very upbeat. The table next to us described her as “sassy,” and I quite agree.

For starters I ordered the spanakopita and Amber selected a Greek salad. The three phyllo dough pastries filled with a tangy feta and baby spinach were excellent and probably big enough that we could have shared. The salad was huge and definitely enough to split. For our dinners Amber selected the moussaka from the “Greek Comfort Food” section of the menu and I chose the pork tenderloin souvlaki. I’ve usually had souvlaki with lesser cuts of meat, so the tenderloin was a great change from past experiences. Served with grilled red onion, red and yellow pepper wedges, and lemon potatoes, this was an excellent meal. The moussaka featured ground beef filling between the slices of eggplant and a homemade yogurt sauce on top. Amber said it was excellent, and the bite I tried did not contradict her. Both meals were served with a nice slice of that tangy feta on the side (yum).

The majority of Greek food I’ve had in the past has been at diners, so this was a huge step up in quality and complexity of taste. Of course, the cost of the meal went up accordingly. Our meal, with three drinks between us, and no dessert (we were left with no room for dessert at all) came to $85, not including tip. There were some lamb dishes and a porterhouse on the menu that were a little pricier (I think the steak was the most expensive entrée at $30), but the average plate was just over $20 and worth every penny in our opinions. Neither of us is of Greek descent, so this certainly wasn’t “just like mom used to make,” but we were thoroughly delighted with our meal and our waitress. As most of the other reviewers have concluded, eating at Emilitsa is highly recommended.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS