5. Gardens of Salonica New Greek Café & Deli

It was a strange, sort of unwelcoming beginning. We thought the restaurant closed. I like a sense of adventure in my architecture so after following the blue carpet to the next room, I was greeted by a pleasant space with other folks populating the tables. I ordered a vegetarian special with soup. The soup came. Nothing extraordinary. The fresh pitas were, sadly the high point of the meal. The special got boring after a few bites of tepid vegetables.The chocolate hazelnut pastry was probably good, but it burned the roof of my mouth. I thought it a bit pricey for a "Best Value". Supper for 2, two glasses of wine each and desserts: $61.00 and change. The server was nice.

The food and service were exceptional!

This may not be the best restaurant in the Twin Cities, but it serves the best-tasting food. It is unfortunate that so many diners order the admittedly delicious gyros; you can get gyros a lot of places, but there is nowhere else in the Twin Cities that you can get lamb with okra, lamb with green beans, or any of the special entrees Anna offers. For lunch, it is hard to beat the combination salad plates, with beets, peppers, tarama (fish roe mousse), and pickled octopus.