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Review: Evvia

Evvia in Palo Alto fills up early and often with diners who appreciate both its Greek specialties and its warm, friendly staff

by Stett Holbrook on Jan 21, 2010
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THE FIRST TIME I walked into Evvia was 5:30pm, and the restaurant had just opened. The place was empty, and when the hostess asked if I had a reservation, I confidently, and a little bit irritably, said no. The restaurant was empty!

She told me they were booked and that no tables were available. I didn’t believe her. But then a gracious manager saw that one of my dining companions was very pregnant and said pregnant women are never permitted to wait, and we were promptly shown a table. I would say that I should bring her with me more often, but then this is Silicon Valley, and reservations are almost never needed. But they are necessary at Evvia, a 15-year-old Greek restaurant in Palo Alto.

Sure enough, shortly after we were seated, the restaurant started to fill up. By 6pm, every table was packed. It was a Tuesday night. This just doesn’t happen in Silicon Valley.

I went back for lunch a few days later. I didn’t have a reservation that time either, but I figured, it’s lunch—who needs a reservation for lunch? I did. This place was booked solid, but I managed to squeeze in at the bar, unfortunately sending my would-be dining companion back to work without lunch. (Sorry about that, Fritz. Next time.)

So what’s the deal with Evvia? Why is this restaurant so busy while elsewhere busboys outnumber customers? I’ll tell you why. Evvia not only serves supremely satisfying upscale Greek food anointed in olive oil, oregano and authenticity, but the restaurant also offers something else: a genuine feeling of conviviality backed by a floor staff that’s knowledgeable, friendly and thoroughly professional.

For example, during my almost failed lunch visit, the manager saw my friend and me standing out front talking about what to do, and he came outside to ask how he could accommodate us. That kind of thing just doesn’t happen very often. Same goes for the effort to seat my pregnant friend.

Visually, Evvia is easy to love. The scent of the wood-fired grill and the sight of the slowly spinning rotisserie meats from the open kitchen greet you as you arrive, creating a feeling of homey warmth. Hanging pots and pans, Greek cooking implements, study wooden beams, old wine barrels and beautifully backlit bottles filled with colorful blue, yellow and green liquids add up to an inviting, lived-in look. Evvia was closed for eight weeks after a fire in the kitchen last year. The owners took the opportunity to freshen the place up but wisely didn’t change the overall look.

As for the food, let’s start with the lamb. Evvia is known for its lamb—and rightly so. Spit-roasted or cooked in the wood-fired oven, the stuff is superb. On my dinner visit, the rotisserie special ($32) was Napa Valley spring lamb—chops and loin blistered a beautiful dark, crackling brown. Served simply with half a lemon and remarkably delicious roasted potatoes, this is as succulent and flavorful as lamb gets. Some people complain about lamb’s gamey tang but not here. It was so mild (too mild?), it could pass for veal.

Fish is another standout. Halibut was the special of the night ($32) on one of my visits. When our waiter told us it had been caught that morning, I couldn’t say no. The fillet spent a few minutes in the loving wood-fired oven and emerged perfectly crusted, and snowy white and moist inside. The white bean and arugula ragout served with it made a great accompaniment.

The lamb and fish dishes garner the most attention, but the unassuming rotisserie chicken ($21.75) is a sleeper hit. Marinated with lemon and oregano and slow-roasted a crusty, bubbling golden brown, it’s juicy and wonderful.

I don’t think of pasta when I think of Greek food, but the cheese-filled ravioli ($19.50) are the real deal and offer a vegetarian option on a meat-dominated menu. The plump ravioli are filled with Manouri and feta cheese and the subtle bite of erbette, a bitter winter green. What really sets the dish apart—visually and flavorwise—is the scattering of sliced artichoke hearts, fennel fronds, roasted red bell peppers, green onions, feta and Kalamata olives, the last of which contrast deliciously with the creamy, rich cheese.

Appetizers score as well. On one of my visits, fresh, wild oven-roasted chanterelles tossed with chunks of Haloumi cheese was one of the specials of the night, and special it was. I don’t know how Greek roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon and lemon peel ($8.25) is, but who cares. It’s very good and a perfect example of Evvia’s hearty, upscale-peasant approach to cooking. The artichoke and eggplant skewer ($12) and wonderfully tender grilled octopus with lemon, oregano and olive oil ($11.75) are two other winners.

For dessert, there’s a good house-made baklava ($8.25) served with a scoop of vanilla gelato that’s a few notches less sweet than the walnut-honey puffed phyllo dessert is typically made. The real star of the dessert menu is the galaktoboureko ($8.25), vanilla-custard-filled tubes of flaky phyllo with a generous scoop of pistachio ice cream on the side.

The dessert is a good match for a glass of ouzo, Greece’s anise-flavored liquor. Evvia has nearly a dozen brands of ouzo to choose from, and they range from dry to syrupy sweet. I chose a glass of one right in the middle, Ouzo Plomari ($9). Ouzo is traditionally served over ice with a splash of water. It’s good stuff, and the water turns the clear liquid a milky white. Even at 84 proof, it’s surprisingly smooth. Too smooth.

There’s also a well-traveled wine list that features a few Greek wines worth checking out, such as the 2005 Tsantali Rapsani ($13 a glass), which features the big and bold Xinomavro grape, a wine midway between pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon.

Good food, good drinks and good people who make you feel good about being there—it is no wonder you need a reservation to get in here.

Evvia
Address: 420 Emerson St., Palo Alto.
Phone: 650.326.0983.
Hours: 11:30am–2pm Mon–Fri, 5:30–10pm Mon–Thu, 5:30–11pm Fri, 5–11pm
Sat and 5–9pm Sun.
Cuisine: Greek.
Price Range: $19.50–$32.
Web: evvia.net



by Stett Holbrook on Jan 21, 2010
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