Yia Yia Mary's

I love Greek food, however, I haven't really branched out to find more than one restaurant. However, one of my friends decided to take me to visit Yia Yia Mary's, a Pappas Greek restaurant. I let her somewhat take over on the ordering since she had been there before. We started off with a baked piece of feta, topped with a marinara sauce and served with pita slices. It was so delicious! The cheese had a touch of crunch to the outside, but was warm on the inside. The marinara sauce added some spice and earthiness to the cheese. It was interesting that the marinara had a subtle sweetness that balanced out the saltiness of the feta cheese. I was taught the "proper" way to eat it... take a small piece of the cheese and marinara and spread it over the pita, making it almost pizza like. Though the cheeses doesn't melt completely it spreads very easily and takes on the flavor of of the marinara.

There are times when you just need a summer cocktail to help balance a meal and celebrate the start of a new part of the year. Of course, my friend and I ended up with matching drinks even though they were not the same thing. One was a strawberry mojito. It was fresh and not too sweet. The strawberry was a nice compliment to the mint and lime. It was a deliciously refreshing beverage for sure. The other turned out to be something like a fresh strawberry margarita. The lemon and lime balanced the natural sweetness of the strawberry. However, both of us agreed that the strawberry mojito won in the drink department. 

By the time the entree arrived at the table, we were wrapped up in conversation and I didn't even remember to take a picture of my Greek salad. It was good, however, I think it was a bit overdressed. I usually try to remember to order the dressing on the side, but this time I forgot to. The salad was good, but I can't say it was anything super spectacular. What was spectacular was the bakalava cheesecake. This was a cheesecake that had a nutty graham cracker crust and was topped with crushed baklava. The cheesecake was smooth and creamy, but the crust outshined the filling. The baklava was a nice textural difference and was crunch and sweet. This is a must try for anyone who like cheesecake or baklava. It is a nice play on two traditional desserts. Though some may classify Yia Yia Mary's as too commercial, it is a great place to unwind and enjoy the food and company. Though now I am glad that I can say I have now been to more than one Greek restaurant.