Reviews
“An unbeatable combination of good food, prices and service makes this restaurant a favourite”.
“It takes some imagination to transplant the spirit of a Greek taverna to the commercial strip that is Plains Road in Burlington, but Joseph and Mata Koutsogiorgas have managed with a combination of colourful decor, big windows and the always unbeatable threesome of good food, good prices and good service.
The experience was fine on two recent visits to the big restaurant, which was highlighted by some of the quickest service I’ve enjoyed in some time.
Mata Koutsogiorgias, owner of Sotiris Shish Kebob, enjoys conversing with guests who like the friendly atmosphere at the restaurant.
The A-frame dining room has been fashioned into a Greek setting with stucco walls and murals of churches and fishing scenes. Large baskets of faux grape vines hang over the dining area, and mock lemon and orange trees grace the floor.
Bold red, green and blue chairs combine with striped tablecloths and ample light to give a festive air. A series of arches lead to the open kitchen, where Joseph spins out solid homemade fare.
Most meals come with a basket of garlic bread, which arrives with heat drifting off it, and the Greek salad is a dependable side too, a fresh mix of iceberg lettuce, red onions, olives, tomato and substantial sprinkling of feta cheese. It’s $5.99 as an appetizer but comes as a matter of course with most platters.
I started with Tiropites ($4.95) on the first visit and was rewarded with four fat triangles of bronzed phyllo pastry. The flaky wrap embraced a combination of feta and cottage cheeses, providing the tart and salty feta taste plus a lighter feel courtesy of the cottage cheese.
A review of the featured platters brought me back to an old favourite, Moussaka ($12.95). The traditional Greek dinner provides vegetable, carbohydrate and protein elements in layers topped by a light bechamel sauce.
Sotiris’s version held up well, avoiding the pitfall of being greasy, and it was still nicely moist. The base of potato was not overdone, and the levels of lightly spiced ground beef and eggplant sections provided contrasts in taste and texture. The bechamel topping provided a velvet finish to each forkful.
I finished with Baklava ($4.45), a multi-layered bit of magic that was nicely, not overly, sweet as it oozed honey.
As mentioned, service was beyond prompt, highly agreeable and clearly intent on customer satisfaction.
On a second visit, the Wine Sausage ($4.95) called out for openers. I expected a couple of smaller cylinders, but this product was one big and beautifully broiled appetizer. The mildly spiced pork was succulent and was attended by a dollop of tzatziki, a hill of red onion and wedge of lemon.
Our guests enjoy the lively and warm atmosphere that we deliver. The music and the murals make you feel like you are in Greece.
I then tried the Small Pork Souvlaki Dinner ($7.99), perhaps the largest small dinner ever to land in front of me. The three sticks of pork contained five or six golden nuggets each, and they were flanked by a mound of rice and three big roast potato portions. And that’s not to mention the Greek salad and garlic bread that came with it.
I was able to handle the one stick of moist pork chunks, some of the rice carrot- and celery-studded rice and a few mouthfuls of steaming potato before calling for a take-home container. This was a two-meal “small dinner.”
Mata, who runs the front of the house, and Joseph have got it down to a simple art after nine years at this location. It’s based on good product, done in time-honoured, not time-consuming, ways.
So, with all the basics covered, it was hard to find fault with any element at the restaurant.”
By John Kernaghan
The Hamilton Spectator
