Plateia Mediterranean Kitchen

Libby Dulski
10/23/16
Restaurant Review: Part Two (Revision)

Intended Publication: The Glenview Lantern

  

Lemon soup hugging the tongue, eating fries dowsed in feta, and stuffing as much chocolate as possible into a crepe; is this Greek cooking? It is located at 9860 North Milwaukee Avenue in Glenview, Illinois at Plateia Mediterranean Kitchen.

Traditionally, Greek gastronomy is a Mediterranean cuisine. Greek cooking uses olive oil, fish, wine, and meat such as poultry, lamb, and pork. There are certain ingredients that are essential in Greek cooking such as olives, cheese, eggplant, lemon juice, vegetables, and yogurt. Traditional desserts use ingredients such as nuts, honey, and fruit.

Plateia states that it wants its guests to experience the hospitality of the Greek culture with the taste of the Mediterranean. It claims to serve the best non-GMO ingredients the Greek tradition can offer. The head Chef Mario uses the recipe for longevity from his native island of Ikaria, Greece which is one of the world’s five Blue Zones that also include Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California all in which people live longer and healthier lives. People living in Blue Zones share lifestyle characteristics that contribute to their longevity such as putting family ahead of other concerns, smoking less, engaging in constant physical activity, partaking in social activities, and consuming legumes.

Along with drawing on recipes from Ikaria, Plateia has traditional Greek-style crepes that use a family recipe from creperies located in Athens and Kalamata. If this description of Plateia’s method of serving and preparing food is not enticing enough, perhaps the description of the actual restaurant and food will suffice.

Plateia is a large white building. It looks just as immaculate on the outside as it does on the inside. The space is huge and could easily hold over 200 people. Before entering the restaurant, it is not uncommon to see men wearing suits with decorative ties leaving the restaurant. Not to worry though, Plateia might be fancy enough for a work lunch, but it is also casual enough to wear jeans and have a family dinner. Entering Plateia is rather daunting as large wooden double doors lead into an airy room that contains several sub-rooms and a bar. They are separated by pillars that give a sense of privacy yet still allows for a connected feeling.

Interior of Plateia

The fact that pop music plays selections like “Cold Water” by Justin Bieber and “Starboy” by The Weeknd is hardly off-putting. Even as Justin sings “And if you feel you’re sinking, I will jump right over/ Into cold, cold water for you” the waiters will simply explain signature dishes and take down drink orders.

The pop is flat, but at least it is cold. The napkins are thick white pieces of cloth with blue stripes. The silverware is heavy yet feels oddly nice in one’s hand.  

Every meal starts with a basket of fresh, warm bread that can be dipped into yellow-green olive oil. The fresh bread and buttery oil are perfect to prepare anyone’s taste buds for the meal. Plateia may be playing a hodgepodge of teen music, but the food is enticing enough to make one forget as they are engrossed in the black and white menu.

The appetizers range from eight to fifteen dollars. From a Greek yogurt spread with cucumbers and garlic, to char-grilled octopus with lemon and extra virgin olive oil, they are impressive. However, the saganaki (a pan-seared kefalotiri cheese) which is traditionally served on fire, is flameless at Plateia. The wait staff claims that saganaki is not served on fire in Glenview; however, this is actually not true as Mykonos (another Greek restaurant in Glenview) serves its saganaki on fire. Nevertheless, the pan-seared cheese is delicious. The slight crust of the cooked cheese is complemented by the gooey and bubbly inside.

Saganaki

     A waiter recommends the avgolemono lemon soup as another appetizer. This subtle soup has lemon, chicken broth, and rice. The rice disintegrates in one’s mouth as the lemon bounces softly off the tongue. It is extremely mild and gives the feeling of eating a beloved mother’s soup.

Lemon Soup

The entrees can raise the bill significantly as prices range from twelve to twenty-seven dollars. But this price is well earned as there are selections for every type of food lover from salads, pastas, fish, gourmet burgers, and an assortment of meats like grilled Greek sausage, char-grilled pork belly, and grilled chicken breast marinated in a mustard yogurt sauce to just name a few.

Wrapped Pita

The wrapped pita dish seems to be a specialty for Plateia as several tables are eating variations of the wrap; it is served on a fluffy piece of warm pita bread. Napkins are a must for this dish as chipotle mayo sauce, Cajun mustard mayo sauce, or Greek yogurt ranch sauce tends to spill out of the stuffed wrap. The chipotle mayo sauce has a mild spice to it, the tomatoes are ripe and juicy, and the lettuce has a nice crunch. Many of the entrees come with hand-cut French fries. Although French fries (for goodness’ sake they have the word “French” in the description) are not a traditional Greek cuisine, the addition of feta is appreciated as a way to validate the use of fries in the Greek restaurant.  

éclair

            The dessert section of the menu takes up at least half of the back page of the newspaper-sized menu, and it is overflowing with chocolate. The dessert menu section ranges from six dollars to ten dollars. From gooey crepes filled with white chocolate, Nutella, and Oreo, to éclairs filled with layers of Nutella, the dessert menu is as close as one can get to food porn. The biscotto crepe makes the mouth pucker from the sheer amount of sugar. Nutella drips from the fork while devouring the biscotto crepe. This éclair is open faced; it more closely resembles a layered cake than a traditional French tube-like éclair pastry. It also has layers of Nutella, along with vanilla custard and biscotto. It has a good contrast between crunchy and smooth as layers of crushed cookies come in contact with smooth Nutella. The wait staff recommends the crepes and claims that they are most well-known for their sweet crepes. They also have a selection of savory crepes that come filled with everything from ham, cheese, boiled egg, tomato, olives, peppers, and more.  

Biscotto Crepe

            People do not go to Plateia to experience touristy things like Greek music or saganaki served on fire; they go to eat good Greek food without the fluff that might be needed in other restaurants to bring in touristy crowds.  

Greek Food, Expectations, and Authenticity

Libby Dulski
10/29/16
Part III of Restaurant Review

Having never really eaten an entire Greek-inspired meal before this project, I was skeptical that I would not enjoy the Mediterranean meal. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Before the meal, I was afraid that Greek food would be too foreign and strange to my Americanized palate. Nevertheless, I found that the mild flavors I received from the lemon soup and the overly-sweet desserts fit right in with my predisposed taste buds. I discovered that the Greek food I tasted was a mix of other types of food. The éclair I ate was a dessert inspired by the French pastry. The French fries I ate with my entrée reminded me of the traditional all-American meals anyone can get at MacDonald’s or Burger King. Overall, I was hoping to experience food I had never tasted before; however, I felt that the meal was nothing out of the ordinary, although it was delicious.

I found that jotting down notes, taking pictures, and asking questions felt normal as I ate at Plateia Mediterranean Kitchen. Before the meal, I thought that I would feel awkward and out of place as I did all of these things, but I felt surprisingly comfortable judging and reviewing the restaurant. I also thought that I would be overwhelmed by the menu as so many dishes would be foreign to me. However, it was easy to read the choices and then the descriptions and decide whether or not I would enjoy the food based off of my preferences; the waitress was also helpful in assisting me chose a meal.

As I wrote my food review about Plateia Mediterranean Kitchen, I often thought back to Long’s piece “Culinary Tourism.” I had to rethink everything I had thought to be authentic. For example, the music that was playing throughout Plateia when I was eating my meal was current teen pop music, definitely not Greek music. But perhaps it is not necessary for Plateia to try and be overly authentic because it is not about the atmosphere that makes for authenticity, it is the food. Plateia’s website says that it wants to give people “the taste of Greece while enjoying a comfortable, social, and polished dining experience.” I definitely think that the restaurant achieved this. And I think the lack of Greek music shows that the restaurant is more preoccupied with the food than with authenticating the experience.

In the future, I will be more aware of authenticity. I will be careful to not use authenticity to define a restaurant because what really makes a restaurant authentic? There are so many different ways to categorize authenticity that is difficult to call something authentic. I plan on studying abroad next year in (hopefully) Quito, Ecuador. While there, I need to keep an open mind to cuisines I experience. I hope that someone on study abroad will bring up the topic of authentic while eating cuy (guinea pig) which is a traditional (and well known) Ecuadorian dish. I hope that someone brings up the fact that cuy is “authentic” Ecuadorian food so I can start a conversation about what they think authentic means. Maybe I can bring up the topic of authenticity over Thanksgiving while my father carves a turkey and some drunk uncle claims that this is a “truly authentic all-American meal.” I can picture the slurred argument ending with the unfortunate turkey being thrown at my head.

Overall, I would say that this assignment has been eye-opening in many ways. I have experienced a type of food I had never really eaten before, I questioned what it really means to be authentic, and I got to write my first food review.

Plateia Mediterranean Kitchen

Libby Dulski
10/23/16
Restaurant Review: Part Two

Plateia Mediterranean Kitchen

“We have to order saganaki when we get there” my doting grandmother Roberta says as she turns onto Milwaukee Avenue.

“Saganaki? What’s saganaki?” I ask as we drive past Goodis Restaurant and then Wild Pita Mediterranean Grill; these are also both good Greek restaurants (so my grandmother claims.)

We are on our way to lunch at Plateia Mediterranean Kitchen in Glenview, Illinois. Glenview is home to a number of Greek restaurants, Plateia being one of them. If you ever find yourself leaving the shelter or your cramped dorm room and want to escape Kalamazoo, then make your way to Chicago and then go to Glenview (a suburb just thirty minutes outside of Chicago). Once in Glenview, I recommend heading over to Plateia.  

Greek gastronomy is a Mediterranean cuisine. Greek cooking uses a wide variety of olive oil, fish, wine, and meat such as poultry, lamb, and pork. There are certain ingredients that are essential in Greek cooking such as olives, cheese, eggplant, lemon juice, vegetables, and yoghurt. Traditional desserts use ingredients such as nuts, honey and fruit.

Plateia states that it wants its guests to experience the hospitality of the Greek culture with the taste of the Mediterranean. It claims to serve the best Non-GMO ingredients the Greek tradition can offer. The head Chef Mario uses the recipe for longevity from his native island of Ikaria, Greece- one of the five Blue Zones in the world where people live longer and healthier lives. Plateia also has traditional Greek-style crepes that use a family recipe from creperies located in Athens and Kalamata. If this description of Platea’s method of serving and preparing food does not convince you to try the restaurant, maybe a description of the actual restaurant and food will.

Inside of Plateia

Plateia is a large white building. It looks just as immaculate on the outside as it does on the inside. The space is huge and could easily hold over 200 people. Before we enter the restaurant, two adult men come out of the double wooden-doors of the restaurants. They are dressed in black suites with different colored ties. They exchange handshakes and get into their respective BMW and Audi. I tug at my decorative scarf hoping it can pass as “fancy.” The double doors lead into an airy room that contains several sub-rooms and a bar. They are separated by pillars that gives a sense of privacy yet still allows for a connected feeling.

The first thing we notice as we slide into our booth is that “Cold Water” by Justin Bieber is playing softly for music throughout the restaurant.

“This is not Greek music” my grandmother says while pushing her reading glasses down towards the edge of her nose while inspecting the black and white menu.

I hear Justin singing “And if you feel you’re sinking, I will jump right over/ Into cold, cold water for you.”

“The music really does not add to the mood does it?” I ask as I spot saganaki on the menu.

Our waitress is helpful and terse. She explains some of the signature dishes and brings us our drinks quickly. The pop is flat, but at least it is cold. The napkins are thick white pieces of cloth with blue stripes. The silverware is heavy; my silverware feels comfortable in my hand as I unravel my napkin.

Saganaki

“This silverware is nicer than the stuff at my house!” my grandmother exclaims as she holds a fork up to the ceiling to expect it. Our waitress gives her a gentle smile as she asks if we are ready to order. Plateia might be playing a hodgepodge of teen music, yet I set down my menu as my stomach grumbles. Hell yes I am ready to order my first ever Greek meal.

Lemon Soup

We are brought a large basket of warm bread. I dip a fluffy piece into yellow-green olive oil. The fresh bread and buttery oil are perfect to prepare my taste buds for the meal. The saganaki arrives first as an appetizer. My grandmother is disappointed that it arrives unlit and not on fire. We question the waitress as to why the dish, which is traditionally served on fire, is flameless. She shrugs and says that in Glenview they are not allowed to light it on fire; however, this is actually not true as Mykonos (another Greek restaurant in Glenview) serves its saganaki on fire. Nevertheless, the pan-seared cheese is delicious. The slight crust of the cooked cheese is complemented by the gooey and bubbly inside. The cheese is followed by a lovely lemon soup. The taste is so subtle and light I almost shed a tear. My grandmother and I agree that the feeling we receive from eating the lemon soup is like eating a beloved mother’s soup.

Wrapped Pita

My much anticipated entrée arrives after I take the final bite of saganaki. The dish I have chosen is called “Wrapped Pita.” It is served on a fluffy piece of warm pita bread. I bite into the warm wrap as Greek yogurt ranch drips out of the wrap onto my cottony napkin. The tomatoes are ripe and juicy and the lettuce has a nice crunch. The wrap has a tangy-sour taste that is complemented nicely with the feta that is sprinkled across my hand-cut French fries. Although French fries (for goodness’ sake they have the word “French” in the description) are not a traditional Greek cuisine, I appreciate the addition of feta to “authenticate” the fries.

           Still hungry, I eagerly order dessert. My grandmother and I decide to order two desserts and split them. The dessert menu is overflowing with chocolate. From gooey crepes filled with white chocolate, Nutella, and Oreo to Eclairs filled with layers of Nutella, the

Eclair

dessert menu did not disappoint. The biscotto crepe makes my mouth pucker from the amount of sugar. Nutella drips from my fork as a shovel a large portion of the thin pancake into my mouth. The Éclair is not quite up to my standards, and it is nothing like a traditional French éclair. This éclair is open faced; it more closely resembles a layered cake than a French tube-like eclair pastry. It also has layers of Nutella, along with vanilla custard and biscotto. It has a good contrast between crunchy and smooth as layers of crushed cookies come in contact with smooth Nutella. However, I much prefer the crepe, and my grandmother prefers the éclair.

Nutella Crepe

            Full and content, my grandmother and I leave through the large, wooden double doors out towards the car. 

            “So, Grandma, would you recommend this restaurant to the college kids from Kalamazoo?” I ask as I open the passenger door to the car.

            “Absolutely! I give it a 9/10” she says which is amazing because she is a tough grader.

            But I have to agree with her, and I am an even harder grader.

Grandma