Mad Greek
Though this is by no means a “new” restaurant, it was our first visit and sadly, we left there with very mixed feelings. I definitely took Mr. Z out of his “comfort zone” on this one, but he was a really good sport and embarked on this adventure with a positive attitude. The inside dining area was very warm and inviting, and given the length of time this place has been around, I have to believe that it’s been remodeled at some point. Oddly enough though, practically empty – inside! However, considering the beautiful weather this evening, there were quite a few people seated on the patio. We started out with a couple of appetizers – the keftedes and an order of samosas. Did I forget to mention that in spite of the restaurant’s name and the primarily Greek menu, they also offer a pretty decent selection of Indian dishes as well – both appetizers and entrees, thus the keftedes (Greek – beef meatballs with a mildly spicy marinara sauce, raw red onion pieces and feta cheese) and the samosas (Indian – sort of like round eggrolls filled with potato and peas and served with 3 dipping sauces). Both were excellent – probably the best samosas that I’ve ever had, however Mr. Z was not a huge fan (but hey, at least he TRIED them)! We both really liked the keftedes though. Our entrees, on the other hand, were pretty disappointing. Since he was exercising some caution, he ordered a very simple-sounding chicken dish served over rice (from the Greek part of the menu). Not only was it “simple”, it was downright bland with no discernible flavor of any kind, and the chicken was very tough and dry (and I’m usually more forgiving of these things, but even I had to admit it was not good). My Tikka Masala (Indian), which I have had many other places, was also somewhat bland and lacking in something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, and to add to my disappointment, both white and dark meat was used. Overall, the appetizers were excellent; however the entrees were just the opposite. Perhaps we simply picked the ‘wrong’ entrees, so this experience wouldn’t necessarily prevent us from going back, but it sure didn’t do much to combat Mr. Z’s reluctance to try more ‘culturally-adventurous’ dishes! Dining aside, a visit to this very cool neighborhood is always fun!
They are located at
2466 Fairmount Blvd.
Cleveland Heights, OH 44106
www.madgreekcleveland.com