Note: This story has been updated to reflect a change in the closing timeline for Bakai Wine Bar.
There’s the best seat in the house. Then there’s the best seat on the block.
As Lori and Eric Lochtefeld of Golden State Theatre continue to fill the upcoming calendar with compelling acts – like Jake Shimabukuro (Dec. 3), Lewis Black (Dec. 9) and John Prine with Ramblin’ Jack Elliott (Dec. 14) – neighboring Epsilon Fine Greek Restaurant (655-8108) gets eager calls for reservations.
The individual on the other end of the line is 1) among Epsilon’s many regulars, 2) has tickets to an upcoming show, and 3) knows the numbers for the two-top tables in the front window. From those chairs diners enjoy unobstructed views of the tour buses parked on Tyler Street and the celebrities coming and going.
Owner-operator Christopher Hix and the familial team at Epsilon are familiar with the excitement. The other day Micky Dolenz of The Monkees came by for dinner, then returned at intermission with his stage earpiece dangling to have a quick glass of Greek house wine. On the evening of our visit, from the prime window table, we got glimpses of Ziggy Marley ducking in and out of his 50-foot cruiseliner.
It wasn’t long before five-time Grammy winner Marley had the crowd roaring next door at Golden State – but that wasn’t the most impressive roar of the evening. That was generated by the Epsilon dining room.
Part of it can be attributed to the oooh-generating saganaki kasseri cheese, which comes gluten-free (plenty of places powder the rich and salty cheese with flour; they don’t) and is fried with a leaping flame tableside ($14). One table gets it and the effect is contagious.
“Spreads like wildfire,” Hix says.
More of the roar comes from the acoustics, the packed house and the enthusiasm for the food.
On this night Hix is running the kitchen, filling in for his veteran Chef Candido Ruiz. Despite the busy night and the second-string staff, the timing and execution is spot-on. That seemed surprising, but made sense after a closer sniff. After all, the recipes for the likes of the keftadakia ($9.75) and spanakopita ($10.50) belong to Hix’s Yaya Mungridis (yaya’s Greek for “grandma”). Hix deepened his comfort with the recipes starting way back in 2000 working Epsilon’s kitchen, long before he bought the place from his uncle Peter at the start of this year.
Since Hix invited us to see how the new era is going with him at the helm, we invited him pick what we ate. (The short answer: The new era’s going great, because, as Hix says, “nothing’s changed,” besides a more modern website and closer ties with Golden State.)
Hix stuck with Yaya’s specialties. First came tender dolmades ($21.50), moist grape leaves hand-rolled in-house, stuffed with herbs, spiced rice and ground sirloin, then dressed with the difference-maker, a Greek version of hollandaise sauce with a nice lemon kick called adgolemono.
The flavors rose with the wine drinking and volume levels. A robust salad ($15.75) comes loaded with oregano, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, kalamata olives, tons of fresh feta and a swab of lentil paste, dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar and served with warm pita bread.
Then it was time for two more specialties and two crowning – and slow-cooked – achievements.
The lamb shank ($20.75) is braised for six hours in Yaya’s tomato-and-yellow-onion based sauce, then rests in the sauce overnight before a final hour-long bake. Served with generous sides – a hearty white bean salad, slow-simmered green beans, and raisin-dotted rice topped with green peas – it’s a truckload of yum.
The final coup is the moussaka ($21.75). The layers of eggplant and ground sirloin, seasoned with a combination of salt, pepper, cinnamon, cumin and imported allspice Hix’s uncle carries over from Greece, enchant with depth and nuance. But it’s the bechamel, stirred for an hour by a tag team of chefs so it doesn’t burn (and their arms don’t fall off) that lodges in my memory bank. Pillowy soft would be an understatement. Pre-Ziggy, it furnished its own style of irie.
Later I asked Hix why the pleasantly shouty atmosphere says “Greek” as much as the food.
“Greeks love ouzo and loud music and family,” he says. “With so many regulars and staff who have been here forever, it’s a lot like a family.”
The big smile covering his face affirms the authenticity of the enthusiasm.
“For us, it’s not a job,” he says.
As downtown Monterey continues its renaissance thanks to a range of new restaurants, it’s nice to see its old-school classics staying on top of their game.
Sadly enough, that’s not the narrative right next door. Bakai Wine + Tapas (233-2286), one of the year’s more intriguing new concepts, which couldn’t reach critical mass with its upscale wine bar and pan-Latin bites.
Bakai is scheduled to close at the end of the year. On Nov. 1, owner-operator Pablo Antinao took a humble tone in saying investors, understandably enough, weren’t willing to wait until word-of-mouth circulated and traffic picked up.
“It’s not a large town,” he says. “We tried it and it didn’t work out. We had nice support from a lot of people.”
Get the full post-mortem from Weekly food critic Taryn Yudaken (rhymes with “bacon”) in next week's issue.
~QUICKBITES ~
- The Craftsman Exchange hits noon-2pm Saturday, Nov. 5, at Bernardus Lodge. The third annual ($95, 658-3400) summit of hyper-craft purveyors enjoys the resort’s sunny and rural setting, live bluegrass, local beer and a strong lineup of flavor-makers like Carmelo Peak Beef, Carmel Olive Oil Company, Hudson Valley Foie Gras,Galante Wines and around a dozen more purveyors.
- Big Sur Food & Wine happens Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 3-5 (p. 33).
- Folktale Winery and Todd Fisher’s first Chef Duel went down to a dramatic cornhole bean-bag tiebreaker (Fabrice Roux ultimately trumped Tony Baker). The second happens 6-9pm Monday, Nov. 7, and pits Tim Wood versus Jeremiah Tydeman. Guests watch them throw down their best use of the secret – and bonus – ingredients, then vote on the winner ($12 includes wine tasting).
- California Market (622-5450) on the bluffs above Yankee Point in the Carmel Highlands has new menus for breakfast, brunch, lunch and drinks – think artichoke-avocado Benedicts, zucchini-triple-cheese frittatas, crab-lobster spring rolls, halibut sandwiches and more.
- Revival Ice + Cream’s grand opening party includes free toppings, other deals and live music 4-6pm Thursday, Nov. 10.
- Montrio Bistro (648-4880) cocktail alchemist Anthony Vitacca’s creations are only $6.50 4:30-6:30pm daily. Plus snacks like oatmeal-crusted brie and duck confit-Szechuan popcorn are $4.
- On the blog: the next five biggest food stories of 2016 (bringing the total to 10). One that didn’t make the list but could: Home cooks who graduated from wowing friends to farmers markets to brick-and-mortar spots on Lighthouse in New Monterey, namely The Perfect Crumb (241-6269) and Tricycle Pizza. (p. 44).
- Come 4pm Saturday, Nov. 19, at Henry Miller Library, Kirk Lombard talks about sea foraging on the coast (by donation, 667-2574).
- King City’s chef-driven Cork & Plough (386-9491) has rolled out a fall dinner menu with clever new dishes like ratatouille flatbread ($10), venison meatloaf sandwiches ($14) and shaved cauliflower salads ($11).
- Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Adopt the speed of nature: Her secret is patience.”