Abundant Greek food

On another trip out of the immediate neighborhood, a business associate introduced me to another old and good restaurant, Saki's Spin-a-Yarn in Fremont. It is a Greek restaurant with friendly service and a great selection of items. It has a large sign by the road.

However there was no signage on the brick building that actually houses the restaurant.

I ordered Avgolemono Soup, which is a favorite lemon-egg soup with rice which is a Greek standard. This one was delicious, with just the right amount of lemon to be tangy, but not sour. I ordered the Eggplant Parmesean for my main dish, it consisted of cutlets of breaded eggplant covered in melted cheese and tomato sauce. It was accompanied by some freshly sauteed vegetables. Unfortunately the photo I took 'disappeared' from the camera!

Mohinder, the local business associate who recommended this place, ordered a chicken sandwich with cottage cheese on the side. It was impressive how many choices of sides they gave aside from the standard french fries or salad. The sandwich looked moist and flavorful and Mohinder said it was very good.

And the other person there, Michael, ordered the Greek Appetizer Plate which was a very large portion at a very reasonable price, and was reportedly good as well.

Somehow this published by accident as I was adding text, so sorry for the duplicate sending. This was a friendly place with a solid Greek menu and good food! I have to note that it bills itself as a steak and seafood house, and it does have those things on the menu, however, it is evident that it has a strong Greek influence throughout the menu.

Who's got moussaka?

I recently made friends with an artist, Andi, who has been transplanted from Marin to British Colombia, Canada for a period of time, and who mentioned that she would miss moussaka when she returns to live here as we don't have any Greek restaurants. And that is true. However so very coincidentally, the same day she wrote me about it (yesterday) Dad and I went to lunch at the Rain Tree Cafe in Mill Valley.

And what did they have on their special Mediterranean menu rolled out earlier this year? Moussaka! Have I ever mentioned this dish is a weakness of mine? I thought I'd be clever and order it for Dad. ahh not. By the time it came, I knew it was destined for me. I now have a refill of B12. The bottom layer was made of thinly sliced potato, nestled atop the potato was sauteed eggplant and ground beef, with a creamy luscious bechamel sauce topping it off. And it was accompanied by a fresh mixed green salad, lightly dressed. I thoroughly enjoyed every part of this indulgence.

Meanwhile Dad ended up with the Veggie burger I had ordered for myself. Which he thoroughly enjoyed as well. It comes plainly served with condiments at the table to add to your taste. The wait service was well timed too. So there is at least one place in Marin where Andi can enjoy moussaka! And it may be the only one, as I called the usual suspects such as the Fair Fix Cafe in Fairfax, and checked The Garden in Novato's menu online and have yet to find another. If you know of someplace else serving moussaka in Marin, please write it in the comments so Andi has a choice when she returns home!

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0

Noncritical: 0

Last inspected: 4/20/2009

Previously reviewed:
March 15, 2009
September 7, 2007
March 7, 2007

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Saganaki

This flaming Greek cheese dish is called Saganaki. It was one of the 'hit' dishes of Dad's 88th birthday party at Papa's Taverna in Petaluma. This dish is made with kasseri cheese flamed then doused with lemon juice. Upon flaming, you yell "OPA", and then proceed to squeeze the lemon juice over it. This photo captures the first drop of lemon juice heading toward the flames. It is a fun dish!

Dad's 88th Birthday Party

Doesn't this say it all?

Or maybe this?

We all had fun, young and old.

And Papa's Taverna in Petaluma was the perfect space for family celebration. The finale was Dad's chocolate on chocolate party favor cake!

When the Supper Club celebrated Greece, one of the readers requested the recipe for the moussaka. This is a little late, but I did get the recipe from Janis, and permission to post. For the whole Greek meal, you can check out the June post.

Moussaka

Ingredients:

4 large Eggplants, peeled and sliced
Kalamata Olive Oil – as needed – approximately 1 cup
2 large Yellow Onions chopped fine
1 pound of lean ground Lamb from Whole Foods
1 pound of lean ground Beef (90% or better)
4 cups of homemade Tomato Sauce (made with onion, garlic, basil and mint)
2 Tablespoons of Parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 cup of your favorite Old Vine Zinfandel wine
½ cup Sour Dough Breadcrumbs (toasted)
1 cup of Parmesan cheese
½ cup of Feta Cheese
2 Tablespoons of Allspice
3 Tablespoons of Cinnamon
1 Tablespoon of Nutmeg
1 Tablespoon Grey Sea Salt from Normandy
1 Tablespoon of a mixture of freshly ground Black, Red & Green Peppercorns

Béchamel Sauce:

12 Tablespoons of Butter
12 Tablespoons of Flour
1 large Shallot minced
1 Teaspoon of Nutmeg
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 cups of Whole Milk
3 cups of Light Cream
2 Eggs
2 cups of Parmesan Cheese
¾ cup of Feta Cheese
¾ cup of Gruyere Cheese

Directions:

1. Brush eggplants lightly with olive oil on both sides.
2. Place on cookie sheet and bake until tender – approximately 20 minutes turning once half way through cooking process.
3. Sauté chopped onions in small amount of olive oil till tender and just starting to brown. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
4. Add ground lamb and beef. Cook thoroughly.
5. Add tomato sauce, wine, 1/4 cup of the toasted breadcrumbs, parsley, and seasonings. Allow to simmer until liquid is reduced by half.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings to your taste.
7. While the meat mixture is reducing prepare the Béchamel Sauce.
8. Melt butter in large sauce pan.
9. Add shallots, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Cook until shallots are translucent.
10. Add floor and cook flour until thoroughly cooked. (It will be a light golden brown.)
11. Add milk and cream. (I preheat them in a Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave to hasten the process.)
12. Mix the eggs and temper them with approximately half cup of sauce. Then add tempered eggs to sauce mixture.
13. When the sauce has cooked, thickened to the ribbon stage, add the cheese.
14. I added each cheese, one at a time. Stir constantly until all the cheese has melted.

To assemble dish:

1. Lightly oil a very large casserole dish.
2. Spread the remaining quarter cup of breadcrumbs along bottom of baking dish.
3. Place one layer of the eggplant, slightly overlapping to cover bottom of dish.
4. Layer half of the meat mixture.
5. Sprinkle the meat mixture with ½ cup of Parmesan & ¼ cup of Feta cheeses.
6. Place the remaining eggplant in a layer on top of the meat mixture.
7. Layer the remaining half of the meat mixture.
8. Sprinkle the meat mixture with remaining ½ cup of Parmesan & ¼ cup of Feta cheeses.
9. Cover the meat & cheese layer with the Béchamel sauce. The Béchamel layer will be approximately one inch thick.
10. Bake at 350 for approximately 45 minutes until top is golden brown.
11. Allow to sit for approximately 5 minutes before serving.

Have I missed posting some great times since the last post! My niece Erika came with her sister Yurika and the twins for the Labor Day Weekend. I organized an inpromptu party at Papa's Taverna in Petaluma along the river. 16 friends and family showed up and we enjoyed Greek dishes from moussaka to flaming Greek cheese! The kids and adults danced with abandon, and the kids were fascinated by the belly-dancer. Little 2 year old Olivia showed everyone how to dance, while our most senior member, Frank at 91, did some heavy looking on. (His secret is garlic and olive oil - doesn't look a day over 70!) We also found quite a kid-friendly place at the Yankee Pier in Larkspur. They have a small sandbox and picnic tables under a wisteria covered patio.