I’m not sure why but I’ve always loved the flavors of the Mediterranean. And though that sounds like a singular cuisine, the Mediterranean spans the coasts of Gibraltar to the Bosphorus in Turkey to Marseilles, Barcelona and Tunisia and Alexandria as well as all of coastal Italy to Greece, Syria and Lebanon. So Mediterranean cuisine is about as diverse as ethnic cuisine in the 50th. And though I relish all of the above, I crave the flavors found in Maghrebi (Morocco and Tunisia), Egyptian, Levantine (Middle-East), Ottoman (Turkey and Greece) and Greek cuisines. From the whole grains to the fresh herbs to the judicious use of lamb and goat along with the warm, savory spices such as cinnamon, coriander, cumin, saffron and cloves.
The Annual Greek Festival
It probably started during the early days of the Annual Greek Festival which has been ongoing for almost 40 years. When I took my first bite of gyros redolent with garlic and oregano with that zesty yogurt sauce, tzatziki, I immediately fell in love with the cuisine. Of course, after moving to the Bay Area for graduate school and sampling not just Greek cuisine but also Levantine, Persian, Yemeni, Turkish and Moroccan cuisine, I was hooked for life.
The Aziza Experience
We first sampled Moroccan or the new Moroccan cuisine with a California twist from Chef Mourad Lahlou at Aziza in San Francisco. And the best way to sample a new cuisine is with a prix-fixe menu which Aziza offered as you get to sample more dishes – and the items on a prix-fixe menu are usually the chef’s best menu selections to display his or her talent. And our meal included the fluffy couscous found in most Moroccan meals, a tagine of mixed vegetables – a tagine is a ceramic cooking vessel with a wide short bottom and a tall conical cover so that evaporated moisture continually drips back on to the food keeping it moist, chicken bastilla which is shredded chicken (the original dish uses pigeon) cooked with saffron, cinnamon, ginger and other spices then wrapped in phyllo dough and baked as well as craft cocktails (I’m still trying to perfect their pear martini) that are meant to sip with dinner like wine. And though we didn’t sample any mechoui or whole lamb roasted in an underground pit or chicken with preserved lemon and olives, we were perfectly sated when our meal concluded. But alas, delayed renovations at Aziza have kept it shuttered for the past year though Chef Lahlou is partnering with local Chef Chris Kajioka at Café Miro on Waialae Avenue so maybe the new menu might be influenced by Japanese, French and Moroccan cuisine… we’ll see.
La Mediterranee’
Since 1987, we always have a meal at La Mediterranee’ as long as we’re in San Francisco as their Levantine cuisine features a wide range of cuisines from the Middle East, they are very affordable with the most expensive item being the Mediterranean Meza for $21.95 per person featuring 10 house specialties and mostly because the food tastes so good! And since one of their four locations in the Bay Area is just a short walk from Japantown (where we normally lodge in San Francisco), dining is as convenient as it gets.
The Greek Experience
I was at a loss when the Greek Island Taverna closed many years ago as it was our go-to place for Greek food. Olive Tree Café was (and still is) good but a drive to Kahala from Kaneohe is almost like driving to Ewa Beach. The same applied to the Greek Marina in Hawaii Kai. Yanni’s at the original Restaurant Row was also okay but they weren’t open for very long. Until we found Yamas Mediterranean Cuisine right in the Enchanted Lake Shopping Center.
With standard classics like hummus, baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant spread), spanakopita (spinach wrapped in phyllo dough) and dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) along with gyro, shawarma (grilled ground lamb and beef), falafel and souvlaki (grilled chunks of lamb, chicken or fish). They even cook their Greek French fries perfectly! And because it’s BYOB, we can enjoy our own bottle of wine with lunch or dinner.
Yamas Mediterranean Cuisine
Enchanted Lake Center
1020 Keolu Drive
Kailua, HI 96734
(808) 263-4075
Wed through Mon 11:00am to 9:00pm
Tue closed
Opa on your Own!
Sometimes, I simply try to create my own Greek dishes with that ubiquitous Greek seasoning found in most local supermarkets, Cavendar’s All Purpose Greek Seasoning. Surprisingly, it was created by the Cavendar family in 1969 in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. Didn’t you know that the Ozark’s are the hub of Greek culture? Neither did I. But to create my own version of gyros, I simply add about a tablespoon of the Cavendar’s seasoning to each pound of ground lamb with about a 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs then shape it like a meatloaf and bake it in a roasting bag for 35 to 45 minutes. After cooling the loaf overnight, I then thinly slice it and finish the slices by browning in a frying pan. Once the slices are brown, they do resemble meat carved from an authentic gyro and believe me, if our kitchen could accommodate a gyro (and I could sneak it pass the Mrs.), I would have procured an authentic gyro years ago. The browned slices are placed on warm pita bread with thinly sliced sweet onions, sliced ripe tomatoes and tzatziki sauce which I create from Greek style plain yogurt, a clove of fresh, minced garlic, roughly chopped fresh dill and peeled and cubed cucumbers with salt and black pepper. Enjoy with a glass of Agiorgitiko and proclaim “yasou”!
Or try this combination of Greek dolmades or stuffed grape leaves and Italian risotto which is a traditional Greek spinach and rice dish. However, I added my own twist using grape leaves instead of spinach. Just make sure to soak and rinse the bottled grape leaves as they can be quite salty if not rinsed. If you prefer a simple one pot meal instead of just a side dish, you can also first brown about ½ pound of ground lamb before the onions for Greek style “jamabalaya”.
Ryan’s Spanakorizo
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium large sweet onion, chopped
1 bottle of brined grape leaves, drained and rinsed then roughly chopped
About 1/3 cup wine (or broth)
1 can tomato sauce
Water to make 2 cups with tomato sauce and wine
1 tsp dried dill weed
1 tsp dried parsley
½ dried oregano
¼ tso dried mint
1 cup uncooked brown rice
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Sauté chopped onions in the olive oil until softened and beginning to brown. Add the grape leaves to the onions and cook, stirring often, for a few minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, wine, water, dill weed, parsley, oregano, mint and brown rice and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer, cover skillet or saucepan, and simmer until the brown rice is tender (about 45 to 50 minutes). Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Serve with a sprinkling of the feta cheese over each serving.
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