The Greek Marina

We've eaten here once before, but it was too good to pass up. Plus, we were near the area.

Ambiance:
A quaint place, this restaurant has both inside and outside dining options. We elected to sit inside. Casual dining, and the ability to bring your own drinks, this place is a winner! (And there's no corkage fee)

Service:
Though it looked like the restaurant was short-staffed, they were really quick with our orders, and friendly all the while. All three of the wait-staff really hustled. (And there's no corkage fee)

Food:
We ordered calamari for our appetizer, and moussaka and the veggie plate for our entrees.

• Calamari: Though it was fried, the squid-to-batter ratio was better than the competition. Far more squid than batter. The dipping sauce had a more Greek feel. It looked like a creamy sauce with paprika on top.
• Moussaka: This entree was like a Greek version of shepherd's pie--ground beef, and eggplant, topped with béchamel cream. Whatever that is. In any case, it was good.
• Veggie Plate: The plate consisted of "grape leaves, falafel served with salad and pita Hummus, Baba Ghanouj" [link].
• Wine: We bought the wine from the Foodland across the way. It was Italian, and was an 85% Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Savignon, and 5% Merlot. It was good.

Value:
It was a little on the pricey side, so it's not in our budget to come here regularly. However, the food is delicious and a nice little splurge. Moderation is key.

Overall:
A great restaurant with delicious food. We'll definitely come here again if we're ever in the Hawaii Kai area.

Chinatown Series: Little Village Noodle House (Take Two)

We've already done a review on this restaurant, but since we enjoy it so much we decided to stop by again last night. Just a quick overview of the food this time. Everything else remained the same! See our previous review for the additional info.


Food:

• Lettuce Wrap: We tried to order a half-order, but unfortunately it's not allowed. We ended up getting 8 pieces of iceberg lettuce with a plate of filling (mostly meat, shiitake and other chopped up veggies) and plum sauce. The crispiness of the lettuce went well with the warm, salty filling.
• Lamb Stew Hot Pot: This was the surprise of the night. So delicious! Definitely one of our new favorites. The portion of lamb was quite generous and the meat itself was so tender that it fell of the bone. The broth was heavenly, rich with flavor. The vegetables, won bok, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and shiitake mushrooms, complemented the dish very nicely.
• Tofu w/Bamboo Fungus: Our favorite dish. We keep coming back to it every time. So good!
• Egg Fu Yong: For newbies, this dish is a good way to transition into eating Chinese food. Basically a large omelette with vegetables. Pretty good.

We're never disappointed with Little Village. Every experience is a positive one. No MSG, high-quality ingredients, dishes prepared with a skilled hand...absolutely nothing but praise for this wonderful restaurant!

Chinatown Series: Vietnam Cafe Pho Saigon

The promise of hot pot was an enticement for us to check this restaurant out. Once we arrived, however, the multitude of items intrigued us, and the hot pot was saved for another day. 


Ambiance:
The restaurant looked like a typical Chinese restaurant, but it looked like they added some Vietnamese flair. Not to mention the nearly completed self-serve frozen yogurt stand, complete with two flavors: durian and vanilla. Imagine a Chinese restaurant with a Yogurtland on the side.


Service:
It looked like it was just a mom and pop running the restaurant. Lucky for us, it wasn't crowded.


Food:
We ordered beef pho and (since they were out of duck) chicken rice soup.

• Beef Pho: It was like most other beef pho we've had. Nothing particularly unique stood out to us, though the portions were on the smaller side. If the weary traveler is famished, we recommend the large portion.
• Chicken Rice Soup: Another pretty standard dish, with not too much pizazz, though there were onion crisps! It had a real home-style vibe: simple and soothing.

Value:
For the amount of food, it was a reasonable deal. Though it was relatively cheap, the possibility of MSG may deter some from trying it.


Overall:
It was a good experience in the Chinatown saga, but because of the multitude of restaurants, we may not be back to this one for a while.