Veg Out: Niko Niko's serves inconsistent Greek food

By Abigail Dock     11/11/10 6:00pm

There is something exciting about going to a restaurant as popular as Niko Niko's. On the weekend, the lines frequently stretch out the door, making you feel like you're waiting for a rock concert. Many of the other people in line are regular customers and can recommend their favorite dishes or the best place to sit. Once you reach the counter and the menu, vegetarian options clearly abound, with appetizers and entrees alike catering to vegetable lovers. Each vegetarian dish is marked with a little leaf, a practice I dearly wish other restaurants would imitate. Unfortunately, there is no separate designation for vegan dishes, so you have to ask the person at the counter.All vegetarian dishes are not created equal. Niko Niko's offers some stunning dishes, and some that are merely passable. While I rarely praise hummus, as it is ridiculously simple to make, starting your meal at Niko Niko's with pita and hummus gives you the right Mediterranean feel; also, pitas are a Niko Niko's specialty. I advise eating a lot of them, even with different dips or sauces like the Melinzano Salata, an eggplant dip with tomato and onion. Although I've had better versions of the Salata elsewhere, it was lovely on the pita.

The entrées at Niko Niko's tended to miss the mark. The Turulu Turulu (a vegetable stew of zucchini, squash, eggplant, onion, parsley, tomato, garlic and seasonings), which sounds so interesting on paper, is actually indistinguishable from French ratatouille. It was tasty but a bit disappointing. Besides featuring the addition of a pinch of dill, the vegetarian lasagna uncannily resembles its Italian cousin. Yet unlike most lasagna, the one at Niko Niko's has an odd aftertaste, as though cooked on or near something plastic: not what one expects (or desires) from a restaurant dish. The Fasolada, supposedly a traditional white bean soup, tasted no more distinct from a can of Progresso. The Tabouli would have been lovely, except for the fact that it was sopping wet. I have no idea what they added to it, but by the time I finished, my plate was a veritable lake of unidentifiable liquid, which endangered the integrity of my pitas.

Niko Niko's is not a total loss, though. Occasional dishes are gateways to foodie paradise. The Dolmathes, which are grape leaves stuffed with ground beef and rice, are some of the best I've ever had and are served as a main dish instead of an appetizer. You can also have a single Dolmathe for a mere 85 cents if you want to try it before you order a whole plate. The fries are also amazing, particularly the feta fries. You can find hidden gems while ordering if you just take the time to ask at the counter. The normal sides for an entree are fries, oven-baked potatoes or rice, but they will substitute spinach or chargrilled veggies if you express an interest. The chargrilled veggies are wonderful: perfectly tender and crisp at the same time. It's even worth missing the fries to try them.

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Desserts at Niko Niko's are heavenly, but occasionally a bit confusing. The Baklava (flaky pastry with ground walnuts, cinnamon and honey) and Halvah (semolina, honey, cinnamon and olive oil) are expected from any Mediterranean restaurant. The Loukoumades (honey balls) and Melomakarona (cookies with orange and cinnamon) are lovely changes from the norm. But the Dipples are not, as they were advertised, a Greek variation on sopapillas. Rather, they are sopapillas sold in a Greek restaurant. This seems rather odd, but not nearly as odd as the "Athenian" mud pie, which bears no relation to Greek cuisine in the slightest. It looks more like a reject from the Dessert Gallery than anything else. Still, all of the desserts are tasty and in some ways make up for the less-than-stellar entrees.

Niko Niko's is kind enough to give vegetarians plenty of selections to pick from. The only problem is that many of those options aren't worth choosing. Vegetarians will leave having experienced fast service, moderate prices and some fun, but the meal itself may not be memorable.

Abigail Dock is a Jones College sophomore. Veg Out is a column reviewing ?vegetarian restaurants and their offerings.

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