Conscious Choice Seattle: Greek Goodness

Photo by Richard A. Huston

Healthy To Go

Situation: Needed a few snacks to bring to a gathering but had no time to get home to whip up something.

Solution : Stop at Vios Café & Marketplace for carryout.

The opposite page is my review about eating at Vios, but long before I ever did that, I carried out from there. The place is a natural for on-the-run, take-home or back-to-the-office meals.

The service is quick, efficient and helpful—so much so, in fact, that they are ready to take your order faster than you can ascertain from the large overhead board what your pleasure will be.

On my carryout day I ordered the assortment of dips ($8) and a Greek salad ($8) to accompany them. They were delectable and well received, but my one mistake was not ordering enough. The portions are not huge.

This is a minor quibble. Quality is the ambition here, not quantity, which is to be applauded in this super-sized world.

Vios also serves a selection of sandwiches. The grilled souvlaki (chicken or lamb) wrapped in pita with tzatziki sauce is a hard-to-beat under-$6 choice. The Napolitano ($6.50) features meatballs in tomato sauce on a rustic baguette; the pulled pork sandwich is a roast braised with fennel and served up with garlicky greens ($7.25). The Maltese Hobza, seared albacore tuna with roasted tomato, capers and mint served on a rustic baguette ($7.75), sounds like a great on-the-go option.

—N.W.

June 2005 | Local Food

Greek Goodness

Beware, the food at this East Capitol Hill Café might be a moving experience

By Nora West

On a recent lunch visit to Vios Café & Marketplace, I spotted an open-house sign down the street. It enticed me, even though I’m not looking to change domiciles at the moment. To live in walking distance from this wonderful neighborhood spot on east Capitol Hill would be mighty tempting.

Probably too much so. I’d spend all my time hanging out eating meze (appetizer) plates and never doing anything else.

Let’s start with the freshness. They have this attribute down cold. Everything tastes newly prepared with seasonal ingredients.

On this day there was an array of salads including potato salad with two celeries, orzo with greens and roasted grapes, octopus salad with garbanzos and carrots, spring fava beans (gigantes) with asparagus and lemon tahini dressing, fresh fruit salad and just simple organic greens.

On two different occasions now I have ordered the trio sampler ($8), a combination of hummus, tzatziki and baba gannoujh. The sampler is served with fresh pita bread and it is delicious.

The Greek salad ($8) is a nice complement with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and ample chunks of rich feta. A member of our lunch party ordered a lamb burger, served with an innovative and refreshing tomato marmalade and roasted onions on pita bread ($6). Quite the satisfying sandwich.

Also ordered was the trio meze plate, a grilled souvlaki skewer (either chicken or lamb) including two choices from the aforementioned list of dips and salads ($8.50). Decisions, decisions. Dining can be so taxing. Only two?

The consolation is that you can’t go wrong no matter what your fancy. The chicken is marinated in oregano, lemon and garlic and lamb in a spicy Mediterranean rub. My friend tried the chicken and confirmed its tenderness and flavor.

There is a soup special every day, vegetarian options, and several delectable dinner items. I want to try the zucchini cakes with tzatziki and pita ($7.50) or the pastitsio (for the uninitiated, that’s layered pasta with spiced meat, topped with béchamel sauce and baked, $12.50) or the sautéed prawns with fennel-tomato sauce laced with ouzo ($11.50).

My taste buds haven’t been disappointed yet. I haven’t gotten to dessert, but the last time I was at Vios, the daily special was rice pudding. A good-looking baklava is regularly offered.

But enough about the food. You get the idea. The café is comfortable and pleasant. You place your order at the counter, find a table and help yourself to a beverage from a case including a solid selection of wines, beer, water and soda. The house wines include some selections from Greece, all reasonably priced.

As suggested by the name, Vios Café & Marketplace, it is also a market. You can purchase olive oils, dry goods, wine and more for your home enjoyment.

There is a good-sized play area for kids to entertain themselves when they are finished and you are not.

Our party of four didn’t pay the bill until the end of the meal because we kept adding items as we went. More decisive diners can pay up front and off they go.

Vios offers the efficiency and expediency of a self-serve place, but gratifies like the cheerful, happy café that it is.

The Greek owner, Thomas Soukakos, seems to be a visible, hands-on guy who obviously makes the place tick so harmoniously. I bet that house—or any house in Vios’ neighborhood—won’t be on the market long.

Nora West is Evergreen Monthly’s dining critic. She lives and eats with pleasure in the Puget Sound area.

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