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TASTE OF GWINNETT
A little bit of Athens
Greek eatery excels with feta saganaki, dolmades
By LORI JOHNSTON
For AJC Gwinnett News
Published on: 09/01/06
Photos by Nick Arroyo
( Drew Morrison serves dessert to Randi Fisher
(from left), his wife, Kim Fisher, his mother
Betty Fisher, and her husband, Ron Winkowski. )
Athens Kouzzina opened in May at Discover Mills in the shadow
of construction for the spectacle that is Medieval Times.
FROM YOUR KITCHEN TO OURS
The word “kouzzina” means “kitchen”
in English, and we’re going to try to copy the feta saganaki
appetizer in our kitchen. We've had the flaming fried cheese,
or saganaki, at other restaurants, but Athens Kouzzina's take
on the tradition is a rich treat that would impress folks at
any dinner party.
First, it arrives to the table wrapped in a triangle –
shaped aluminum foil mini-sculpture. Inside, two thick slices
of feta are baked in olive oil and spices, topped with slices
of tomato. It's enough to share and is best eaten on bread like
the two small yeast loaves that are served on a wooden cutting
board.
Another irresistible starter is the Greek salad, which meets
expectations of crumbled feta, crisp iceberg lettuce, tomatoes,
onions, olives and just the right amount of dressing.
SAMPLE THIS
The Santorini Sampler, which is $23.95, hits all the Greek specialties
in a big enough portion for two. The meats — gyro and
souvlaki — are well-seasoned and accompanied by the creamy
cucumber and lemony tzatziki sauce. Other favorites on the sampler
platter are the dolmades — large grape leaves stuffed
with rice and herbs — and the pastitsio, a lasagna dish
cooked with penne pasta, ground beef and a nutmeg-flavored béchamel
sauce and topped with tomato sauce.
Photos by Nick Arroyo
( Looking for something to whet your appetite?
Try the Dolmades Yialanzi – large grape leaves stuffed
with rice and herbs )
The Mykonos special pizza has the tangy flavor of sun-dried
tomatoes and artichoke hearts along with spinach, chopped Kalamata
olives, garlic and feta cheese piled on the thick crust. The
Santorini shrimp with angel hair offers quarter-sized shrimp
tossed with the strong flavors of roasted red peppers, capers,
olives, garlic, basil and artichoke hearts.
Photos by Nick Arroyo
(Or start your meal off with a traditional Greek
salad full of crumbled feta, crisp iceberg lettuce, tomatoes,
onions and olives)
Photos by Nick Arroyo
(Athens Kouzzina’s penne me kota includes
artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper, kalamata olives, garlic,
capers, tomatoes, basil, chicken and pesto.)
Photos by Nick Arroyo
(But our favorite meal starter is the feta saganaki
or flaming fried cheese: two thick slices of feta baked in olive
oil and spices, topped with slices of tomato)
The dessert menu includes baklava, chocolate cake, carrot cake
and ice cream. We stuck with the traditional and chose the baklava.
It's OK, but the phyllo isn't as flaky as expected; the chopped
nut and honey-filled dessert overall seems a little too heavy.
THE SETTING
Entering the mall, we immediately smelled the popcorn from the
AMC Theater. But once we were seated, we almost forgot about
that, because the restaurant's vibrant yellow walls and Mediterranean
blue ceiling and tile floors were transporting.
So were the eye-catching menu items, including the Philly cheese-steak
we'll try next time after seeing a fellow diner digging into
the provolone-smothered sandwich. The weekday night we were
there, diners included a group of teenagers, older couples and
families.
In addition to booths and tables, there's seating at the stainless
steel bar in front of the open kitchen and in a patiolike area
inside the mall. The restaurant also has a private dining area
that seats 20.
ATHENS KOUZZINA
• Where: 5900 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville, 678-847-0150
• Hours: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday,
11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
• Entree prices: $8.95-$25.95; sandwiches, $6.95-$7.50
• Beverages: Beer/wine
• Recommended dishes: Feta saganaki, souvlaki, gyro, Mykonos
special pizza, Greek salad
• Reservations: Accepted
• Credit Cards: American Express/Visa/MasterCard/Discover
• Verdict: Discover Mills' Athens Kouzzina gives even
anti-shoppers a reason to come to the mall.
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Athens Kouzzina
07/14/2006
Discover Mills, 5900 Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville
678-847-0150
www.athenskouzzina.com
By Rachael Mason
Staff Writer
rachael.mason@
gwinnettdailypost.com
Open since: May 22
Capacity: The restaurant seats 128.
Location: The restaurant is inside Discover Mills, just across
from the AMC movie theater. The mall is located on Sugarloaf Parkway
at Interstate 85.
Hours: The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through
Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Atmosphere: Scenes of Greek islands hang on the walls of the restaurant.
A mix of booths and tables and chairs provides seating in the
dining room. Customers can also sit on the "patio,"
an enclosed area in the mall just outside the main dining room.
This seating area offers a view of the carousel at Discover Mills.
Both diners and people passing by can see chefs at work in the
restaurant's open kitchen.
"We have so much confidence in our employees and our kitchen
that we decided to do an open kitchen," said Ricardo Casillas,
general manager of Athens Kouzzina. "We're not afraid of
people seeing what we're doing here."
The food: The restaurant serves Greek cuisine, from appetizers
and salads to pizzas and pasta.
"I think that everybody who walks into a Greek restaurant
needs to try the Greek salad," Casillas said.
The salad is made with iceberg lettuce, onions, tomatoes, feta
cheese, kalamata onions, pepperoncinis and Greek dressing.
Traditional Greek dishes, such as moussaka and paidakia, are among
the restaurant's bestselling entrees. Moussaka is a dish that
features layers of eggplant, ground beef, potatoes and creamy
bechamel sauce. It is topped with tomato sauce. Paidakia is grilled
lamb chops, which are served with mashed potatoes and green beans.
Popular appetizers include spanakopita, which is pastry filled
with spinach and cheese, and the dolmades yialantzi, which are
grape leaves stuffed with herbal rice. The stuffed grape leaves
are served a small dish of tzatziki sauce, which is made with
sour cream, dill, garlic, lemon juice and pepper.
Beverages: Athens Kouzzina serves Coke products. Wine and beer
are also available.
Desserts: The menu include baklava, chocolate cake and carrot
cake. Dessert specials vary each week, but may include tiramisu
or cannoli.
Things you might not know: Another Athens Kouzzina is located
at 2205 Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth.
On the menu
Spanakopita: Pastry dough wedges filled with spinach and cheeses
($3.50)
Melitzanosalata and pita bread: A dip made of roasted eggplant,
fresh garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Served with pita
bread ($3.50).
Medium Greek salad: Iceberg lettuce, onions, tomatoes, feta cheese,
kalamata onions, pepperoncinis and Greek dressing ($6.25).
Mediterranean Special pizza: Extra cheese, feta cheese, gyro
meat, tomatoes and kalamata olives (8-inch: $8.45, 12-inch: $13.95,
16-inch: $18.95)
Moussaka: Layered eggplant, ground beef, potatoes and creamy
bechamel sauce. Topped with tomato sauce ($9.95).
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5900 Sugar Loaf Pkwy
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
Tel# 678-847-0150 |
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