The flavours sing like Nana
Mark Laba
Province
It’s all Greek to Rania Bonofas and Melind Hind, who serve up plates of chicken souvlaki, calamari and roast lamb with a bottle of Rapsani wine. Mmmm. –SAM LEUNG – THE PROVINCE
Review
Kerkis Taverna
Where: 3605 W. 4th Ave., Vancouver
Payment/reservations: Major credit cards, 604-731-2712
Drinks: Fully licensed
Hours: Tues.-Thurs., 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri., 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sat., 4 p.m.-11 p.m.; Sun.-Mon., 4 p.m.-10 p.m.
The Greeks are known for many impressive and influential things that have been handed down over the ages and still hold sway over our lives today, such as democracy, philosophy, the Olympic games and chicken souvlaki. I would dare say that the latter is even on par with the invention of the wheel, although feta cheese is not to be underestimated either when it comes to the shaping of Western Civilization.
One thing you can say about Greek cuisine is that it remains as steadfast in its ways as Mt. Olympus, even on a smoggy Athens day. No fusion fussing or fancypants finagling with this food — it’s just the good old straight up Mediterranean diet with copious amounts of olive oil and garlic.
I’d heard that some of the best to be found in the city was at this place, so Peaches headed there immediately. The name puzzled me and I found that Kerkis is a mountain on the island of Samos and not, as I thought, the name for Capt. Kirk in ancient Greek. Live and learn.
This is the mountain where it’s said Pythagoras hid out in a cave after he shook up the world of triangle theorists and they came looking for him. I myself have a bone to pick with this Pythagoras guy, No. 1 being he liked math, whereas I still can’t figure out a 15-per-cent tip on my restaurant bill.
I put aside these feelings, though, as we stepped into the Parthenon-inspired pillared foyer of this warm, woodsy-toned establishment.
The interior is as welcoming as the menu, which features all your old Greek favourites but cooked with an Old World warmth and flair that really makes the flavours sing.
The chicken souvlaki ($16.99) and roast lamb ($17.99) are as tender as a Nana Mouskouri ballad and as juicy as a joke in an Aristophanes comedy, especially the one about the two Greeks, a Catholic priest and a rabbi in a chariot race.
Truly tasty (and this comes from a guy who’s not exactly enamoured of eating cephalopod parts) is the calamari skaras appetizer ($9.99), broiled squid that’s been marinated in olive oil, lemon and a tantalizing mix of herbs and spices. Equally delicious is the biftekia ($8.99), the char-broiled beef patties done up with onion and a hint of light gravy with a lemony undercurrent.
We also sampled the hummus ($5.99), which was excellent and had enough garlic to punch a hole in your esophagus. If you’re dining with a group of people and want to sample a bit of everything a good route to take is one of the three platter options. The Kerkis, the Samos or the Pythagoras Seafood Platter span the spectrum of Greek cuisine, from mousaka to lamb chops, dolmathes to scallops and prawns. And I’ve got to say the feta cheese here has that exquisite pungency I usually equate with washing your socks in the Aegean.
Which is not a bad thing for me, since I’m from the stinky cheese school of thinking, the smellier the better, which I believe is one of Socrates’ paradoxes.
While eating here, I had a brainstorm (Greek food often affects me that way) and on a napkin I worked out my very own Pythagorean Poultry Theorem that should take the mathematical world by storm. Now all I need to find is a square chicken.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
A splash of Mediterranean warmth on West 4th.
RATINGS: Food: B+ Service: A- Atmosphere: B+
