Blood of Zeus

Bob recently celebrated his 29th birthday and because it is last the birthday before 30 we decided that this occasion called for something big.

In our experience when you want to go big, you don't do Vegas, you go Greek. What's better than a big fat, Greek birthday? Luckily we have one of the best Greek restaurants in all of Los Angeles, maybe one of the best Greek restaurants outside of Greece, right in town.

Papadakis Taverna right in San Pedro is a place where you can occasionally be served by a sports analyst / radio show host, have dollar bills shoved in your bra by the owner, serenaded by a violinist, seduced by a jazz singer / belly dancer and see a tap dance inspired by Obama's inauguration (Did you know Obama is Greek? We didn't either, but John Papadakis claims it's true).

One might think that all of the entertainment must be overcompensating for something, like the food, but actually the food is "Awesome!".

The first nibble you encounter when you are seated at Papadakis is the bread, which is served with two dipping sauces. One is Tziki, a yogurt sauce with cucumber and other mixings, and the other is a caviar sauce with bread crumbs. Needless to say the bread didn't last long.

When time for appetizers came, Bob got the honor of deciding what we would have. He decided on the Cold Meze plate which is a variety of imported Greek cheeses, olives, peppers, calamari, octopus and dolmas. Not too many people at the table were quick to eat the octopus and calamari, but that's probably why Bob ordered it, he loves his cephalopods... raw. I did, however try a taste of the octopus and it wasn't bad at all.

Our wine selection for the night was a 2004 bottle of Kouros which is nicknamed 'Blood of Zeus'. I guess if it's named after the head honcho of all Greek Gods, then it must be good enough for us. When drinking at Papadakis, your glass is never empty. If you even have a few sips left, your waiter magically appears to fill everyone's glass. This does empty the bottle pretty quickly, but isn't that the point? The folks at Papadakis want to make sure you leave happy.

One of the best parts of ordering dinner is that the waiter will bring out a tray of all the different meats on the menu and explain what kind of meat it is, as well as, the flavor and quantity in each dish. I want a plate of meat.

I had the Moushari Vassiliko which is white veal fillets with Kasseri in pastry and garnished with basil sauce. Bob had the Arni Ala Papadakis which is saddle of lamb in pastry, nicknamed 'The Greek Burrito'. Both were delicious. It makes me think that anything wrapped in Phyllo Dough is multiplied in deliciousness due to virtue of the crispy dough.

After several bottles of Zeus' Blood and bellies full of Greek meat, we headed back to Bob's place for the afterparty where I was serenaded by Bob and our bearded Canadian friend. I guess they're starting a guitar / banjo duet called Asian Street Meat Don't ask, just wait for the .bob empire.







Papadakis Taverna
310 West 6th Street
San Pedro, California 90731
(310) 548-1186
www.PapadakisTaverna.com