Avra

It wasn't a bunny-birthday-bash this time, but we should say that a particular belle in our crowd is officially engaged! More deats on that another time, but for now let's dive into some Tzatziki sauce!

So we kept things eclectic in May and took our saucy bunch on a nice summer night (a Thursday I should add) to Midtown Atlanta, to delight in the savory items off the Avra menu. Tucked beneath some trees along Juniper, the adorable restaurant may sneak up on you as it's planted after it's parking lot. Which p.s. everyone in Midtown was at the local Screen on the Green at Piedmont Park, and there wasn't a car in sight, so paying to valet our cars directly in front of our patio table, only to be handed our keys later to get our cars ourselves, was a little annoying... but that's neither here nor there.

So, as the afternoon sun slowly began to set, we all finally trickled in for our 7:45 appointment... at about 8:20 of course! Stuck in traffic en route, I called to alert the restaurant a couple times about the delay, and wasn't quite sure why they'd chuckle a bit with each call... only to find when we arrived, that we were literally THE ONLY ones dining in the restaurant that night (there may have been two other couples, but I'm pretty sure one of them was related to the owner...)

Was this a sign? Nahhhh... we brushed it off as most folks in Midtown were in the park to see Casablanca, so we relished the fact that we'd have the patio to ourselves!
Practically famished, we dove into the traditional Greek favorites to start: Spanakopita (phyllo filled with spinach and Greek feta cheese), Pikilia Spreads served with warm pita bread, including Tzatziki, Taramoslata, Melitzanosalata, Revithosalata, Htipiti and Skordalia... try saying that 5 times fast! We scraped it all practically clean, but the group favorite was the "one that tastes like pimiento cheese"- leave it to a table of Southern girls (minus this Persian Blurry) to call a puree of roasted Holland peppers and Greek feta (Revithosalata), "pimiento cheese"! If ordering individual apps, I'd steer clear of the Skordalia and the Taramosalata... fancy name, not so fancy flavor. Needless to say, the empty plates should be an indication that we thoroughly enjoyed most of the appetizers!

Our starters didn't stop there, though. It wouldn't be a night with the Grecians if we didn't experience the traditional Kefalograviera dish- this pan fried aged Greek cheese is a crowd favorite mainly bc it's Ouzo flamed table side: It was really yum, and you could tell most faces were saying- "Sure wish I could have more than this 1/2 square inch!!" PS2- our waiter, Sharif, was really cool... His recommendations were on point, and his personality complemented our energy perfectly. I'm diggin' the one raised brow in the flaming cheese pic... flaming cheese- I guess they figure the people shouldn't be the only thing flaming in Midtown!

So, 10 appetizers later, we finally dug into our main grub. It all looked so delectable!!- I've always wanted to say that and mean it! Goldielocks got the Horiatiki salad with sauteed octopus on top- "she is like octo-pus, so she eat octo-pus." It definitely made her smile.

Our bride-to-be and haberdashery hotties both went gaga over the Stuffed Eggplant, which was baked and stuffed with fresh tomatoes, pine nuts, garlic and onions- Can you say perfection and love all smushed up together in a bundle of sauteed joy??? I'm wiping my drool from the keyboard as I type. It's ok... you can wipe your drool, too... no one's looking.



If you're gonna' do Greek, someone's gotta order the Gyro, right? Leave it to Avra, to take this classic Mediterranean sandwich to the next level. Served on a plate that is overflowing with slices of marinated lamb and tzatziki sauce, alongside Greek potatoes and salad, this traditional dish was a table fave, for sure!


Two bunnies wisely decided after an hour's worth of appetizers, it'd be best to split their dinner, so they shared the Pork Tenderloin. Char grilled and topped with baked goat cheese cake, the pork was served with sauteed spinach, dried fig chutney and Greek yogurt. Can you say "heaven in my mouth??" Even this vegetarian was wishing she could have a bite!


Of course I ordered some sorta' pescatarian-friendly item, and on this night I felt inclined to have the grilled whole Red Snapper. The fish was basted with Greek extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon and Greek oregano and was served with the most incredibly delicious stewed green beans. The presentation was awesome, and Sharif offered to filet it for me, but I figured, "Go big, or go home," right?!!? So I just stabbed a fork in the head, and dug into the scaly sucker... I want to be fair, and say the fish was good... but really, at the price I paid (which was nearly double what I expected), I would have preferred three plates full of the green beans. The Red Snapper from the Spoon post was a brazillllian times better!


As you can imagine, we left no room for dessert, though my tummy sure woulda' loved to taste the authentic Baklava- I mean, phyllo soaked in syrup filled with a rich mixture of honey and nuts- are you kidding me?? Next time!

Despite my fishy faux-pau, the overall evening was such a treat for the ladies. For one night we were able to set time in the calendar to just get together and laugh, argue AND cry all in one sitting- LITERALLY! But that's what best friends are for, right? 'Sides, if you're going to cause an emotional scene in any sorta restaurant, it might as well be with the Greeks who know best, eh?
A long day and complicated dramm-ah from the workplace may have brought unwarranted friction to the table at first, but the despondent tears of a friend who was running late seemed to change the entire attitude of the evening.



The company was so great that our "swass-y" tushes didn't move 'til nearly 11 p.m. But, besides the fact that Joni's precious fiance may have been up waiting to hopefully spend just a few moments with her, who cares?? If dinner with the greatest gals can make a sour day turn sweet, well then I can't imagine a better reason to raise a glass and yell "OPPA!!"




The weather was nice, the patio was empty, the waiter was cool, our seats a lil' sweaty, the tears were dried, the food was tasty, the price a bit high, but not a total waste-y...

Will we go back?, I'm thinking not so much,
bc when it comes to Greek, we'd preffer table dancing and such...
Ya' know- throwing napkins, yellin' and runnin' a'muck...
But I'm glad we got together, bc that could never suck.

See you back here in two shakes of a lamb's tale... (get it? Lamb? Like Greek food-lamb? Gyros?? Bueller???)

Booses... I mean OPPA!!

794 Juniper Street, Atlanta, GA 30308