Santorini Restaurant Reviews

Calgary's Best Restaurants 2011: Avenue Magazine's 8th Annual Awards

 
Mousaka from Santorini.

Judges’ Pick - Avenue Awards 2011

BEST GREEK RESTAURANT

Winner: Santorini

Santorini is little bit of the Aegean islands in Calgary, with Greek music playing in the background, Kombolio beads hanging on the walls, fresh flowers, white walls with light blue trim and — of course — some of the best damn lamb in town. Its Arni Kleftiko — or roasted lamb — is immensely popular. It is cooked slowly for three and a half hours, giving it time to soak up all of those savoury Greek spices. The result is a tender piece of lamb that flakes effortlessly off the bone. It’s so good, in fact, the bone will be the only thing left on your plate. 1502 Centre St. N.E., 403-276-8363, santorinirestaurant.com

Calgary Herald, April 2008

  Click on image to enlarge full review.

"If I want lamb, it has to be Greek." They've been doing lamb for a few millenia in Greece, and they have the process down to a fine art. We love the anir kleftiko (roast lamb) at Santorini Greek Taverna.

Santorni has the sun-washed, white-plaster-with-blue-trim- look of Greek restaurants the world over. Moored on the shores of Centre Street N. for the past 20 years, it would fit in on any of the Greek isles, including Cyprus, the homeland of the owners, Andreas and Maria Nicolaides.

Walk through Santorini's doors and you're assaulted by a warm welcome, the sound of Greek music and the scent of roasted lamb mingled with Greek coffee. It's all so inviting, but it's the lamb that keeps us coming back. Lamb that's been slow-roasted to that falling-off-the-bone texture, lamb that's permeated with oregano and rosemary and lemon, lamb that transports you to the shores of Santorini.

The Nicolaides are as generous in sharing their kitchen secrets as they are wit the servings in their restaurant. They recommend using shoulder for their roast lamb, saying the leg is too lean for this kind of cooking -- it would become dry and tough. And the shoulder is cheaper, too. They also say keeping the lamb sealed in the steaming pot while cooking is vital to keep the moisture in -- so no peeking to see how it's doing until near the end.

And don't be afraid to remove excess fat both before and after cooking. Greek lamb should not be heavy and fatty -- it should be as fresh and light as a spring day on the islands.

By the way, their calamari is pretty darn good, too.

Santorini Greek Taverna is at 1502 Centre St. N (Phone: 403-276-8363)

- John Gilchrist and Catherine Caldwell are Calgary-based food writers, Calgary Herald 2007