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AUG 14 / 2002 |
BACK TO ARCHIVES |
| Grub Med, Arguably the Best in Greek Dining It was after a meeting of the writers and contributors to the Epicurean and Friends that we all decided to go out for dinner. Needless to say, it can be a lot of fun when you get that many food and wine lovers all at the same table. Anyway, we ended up at my favorite Greek restaurant, Grub Med, located at 119 Street and 37 Avenue. In my opinion, the food at Grub Med is incomparable to that of other Greek establishments, or to most other restaurants for that matter. It ranked sufficiently high in my books to be the site my wife and I chose to have our wedding reception last year. Of course, all this is personal opinion. As pointed out by my esteemed colleagues and friends, a reviewer must be totally objective each and every time he or she does a review. So Grub Med was to be subject to extra scrutiny, simply because the others had such high expectations. Between us, we ordered a sample of almost everything to taste, try and share. There were copious amounts of garlic-intense Homous and Melitzano for dipping lots of pita bread. Melitzano is more of an eggplant dip. It is very smooth in texture, delicious and also a dip very high in garlic. The vine leaves and ground beef, the Calamari, the Greek style meatballs and prawn appetizers were all superb and making quick believers of my skeptical guests. The Greek Salad here is simply the best in the City. After enjoying it thoroughly, nobody disagreed. Grub Med’s specialty is their succulent slow-roasted lamb. Gently spiced only enough to complement – not mask – this scrumptious lamb will literally melt in your mouth. This is fall-off-the-bone tender. Fortunately, they provide servings of massive proportion. Unfortunately, one can get bloated trying not to leave any behind. Fortunately again, they graciously provide doggie bags, as they are very used to having people want to take home the remaining delicacies. The other feature dish
is the Garlic Prawns. Larger, juicier, more flavorful prawns you are unlikely
to find. Vegetarians can come here and feast to their hearts’ content on both the raw and prepared vegetable dishes. By now I had most of the table of hard-nosed food critics won over. Fellow restaurant reviewer, Michèle and social columnist, Maurice were more reserved. Maurice pointed out that he didn’t know a lot of the other major Greek restaurants, so he’d hate to formally compare (as he stuffed himself with another prawn). Michèle has her own favorite longstanding Greek restaurant which, admittedly is also extremely good. She wasn’t about to budge from her own favorite; but we’ll still be seeing her back at Grub Med. In terms of desserts, the Baclava here will match the best anywhere. Yet I still tend to order the Bougatsa. This is a sweet custard in Filo Pastry sprinkled with cinnamon. This, with coffee and a cognac is pure heaven. The selection of wine is quite good, Greek wine in particular. Service is exceptional. Indeed, Grub Med has quite a following of loyal customers; so making reservations in advance is highly advisable during the week, and absolutely mandatory on weekends. Best Points Areas for Improvement Rating Category |