Passero's, Victoria (Downtown)

Passero's, is a Greek/Italian restaurant located at Cook Street and Yates. From the outside it looks quite large; however, the inside reveals a small intimate restaurant where the staff are friendly and welcoming.

The menu at Passero's was much smaller than other Greek restaurants I have been too; thus, making it quicker to choose what to eat - or did it... I settled on the spinach pie (Spanakopita) with roast potato and seasonal veggies ($14). To my disappointment no Greek salad was offered with the meal - instead you could pay $7 for a starter (no thanks!). After waiting about 35-40 minutes for our food, thinking we might have to order another glass of wine each before dinner, our waiter came to our hunger rescue carrying four plates of food. Unfortunately, after waiting what seemed to be an eternity, I dived into my spanakopita only to reveal a super tough pastry and under-seasoned filling. A pinch more salt and a tad more fetta would have kicked it up a notch; nonetheless, it was edible and not the worst restaurant food I have ever eaten. As for the rest of my meal, the potato was as good as any Greek style potato I have eaten and the seasonal veggies were a bit overcooked.

All in all, I think the food matched the price we paid. As the old saying goes "you get what you pay for" and in this case; I got mediocre food for a cheap price. Oh and the atmosphere was pleasant; the staff were friendly; so maybe, I got more than I paid for.

Taverna Greka, New Westminster

I was on a business trip in New Westminster earlier this week; and, while walking with a co-worker down Columbia street we stumbled across Taverna Greka. As we were both starving and had hit about the end of the road - for dining choices, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice Greek dinner.

Taverna Greka isn't much to look at from the street, but it has a new modern feel upon walking in the doors. We were seated by the back of the restaurant with a nice waterfront view of the water; unfortunately, the water was the "dirty" Fraser River. All joking aside, I can't complain about the view, I actually enjoyed watching the tugs pull log booms down the river.

My co-worker decided on the Roast Lamb dinner and I the Calamari dinner. Both meals were served with rice pilaf, roasted potatoes, Greek salad and bread with tzatziki sauce. It wasn't my favorite Greek dining experience, but the food was decent. If I have any complaints about the food it would be this: both the roast potato and the calamari were a tad on the bland side. However, the Greek Salad was fresh and loaded with Feta. My co-worker absolutely loved his lamb and raved about the meal the next day at the office. With a pint of beer each, dinner landed us $24 a piece (including taxes); and, we both left their stuffed to the "gills"

The Black Olive, Downtown

Well...I just have to say, I am glad we had a Groupon!!!

My wife and I went to the Black Olive last night for a nice dinner. It started off alright, we were seated quickly and all of the staff were very friendly. Unfortunately, that is about all the good I can say for this place.

We started off with the crab cakes. They were supposed to have a mint flavour and were topped with a mango chutney. Neither of us could taste the mint and both agreed that they were under seasoned. I hate using salt or pepper at a restaurant, but in this case the crab cakes definitely needed it.

Next came the mains: Duck with pollenta and seasonal veggies ($28) for my wife and a rack of lamb with risotto and seasonal veggies ($34) for myself. The food came fairly quickly; however, sometime speed comes with mistakes. My wife was given risotto instead of polenta, her duck had a lack luster sear on the skin and was completely overcooked. The vegetables for both of us were a little undercooked.

As for the Lamb, it was good, but for a place that says they are known for their lamb...it was nothing special. The risotto was a gong show. This should be a fundamental started for any restaurant that wants to tout itself as fine dining. The rice was hard yet it was a congealed, glutenous lump on our plates. I am no chef, but I can make better risotto at home any day of the week.

What gets me the most about this place is the prices. I don't mind paying well for a good meal, but I hate paying upwards of $40 dollars a meal for crap! If you are going to charge for top notch food you better be able to deliver.

As I said at the beginning of my rant, I am glad I had a Groupon! Sorry Black Olive, I will not be back.