By Benjamin Leatherman
They don't fool you at Z's Greek, they feed you.
The cool thing about having someone of Greek descent as a relative is that you get to chow on a lot of sumptuous Grecian cuisine. And I’ve done just that.
My nephew’s half-Greek, which means that family get-togethers will occasionally take place at local nosh-pits like the Cypress Pita Grill or the always-entertaining Bacchanal. Another favorite of our clan has been Z’s Greek (4026 East Indian School Road, 602-955-7600). It used to be called Mr. Greek’s, but a guess a name change was in order. Has the quality of it’s Athens-style eats changed as well?
Not in the slightest.
As you can see from the above photo, they really load up the plates with food. Besides the Grecian spinach pie, you get big portions of lemon potatoes, seasoned rice, Greek salad, and pita bread. I particularly dug the spuds (no pun intended), which were oven roasted to just the right texture (not too mushy, not too crisp). The rice and salad had been freshly made, and although the pitas were store-bought, the cooks heated up the flatbread before serving, which improved the taste.
It's "spa-nah-ko-pi-ta," "spa-no-ko-pi-ta."
The spanikopita was a delight, as the tangy taste of the feta and spices danced across my tongue. The phylo was a perfectly cooked (believe me; I’ve had some mushy dough before). The only real beef I’ve got with the place is over their iced tea. I don’t know if it’s the particular brand they’re using or they haven’t cleaned their machine, but the tea always tastes kinda nasty and dirty. A slice of baklava helped get the sourness outta my mouth, however.
Now if only I could marry into an Italian or Mexican family I'd be set.
