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AR T S & CU LT U RE
against Canada’s ‘have’ province. But, yeah you’re
right. You should talk about the salad as it was
the only vegetable in the meal besides a potato. I’ll
talk about the appetizer: The dolmades were something I was really looking forward to. I’d never
had them except from Jimmy the Greek in the
wild west saloon we call York Lanes food court.
They arrived and were amazing. The grape leaves
were super tender but remained intact enough that
their contents didn’t fall out. The sauce was something I didn’t expect - kind of a light lemon cream
sauce. It was really complex and refreshing. I was
impressed. Not as impressed as I was when the rest
of the platter arrived though. I was honestly blown
away by how much food we got for $15.
Luke: My God they serve healthy (read terribly
unhealthy) portions here. When the elbow-deep
pile of homemade rotisserie chicken and pork
showed up, you are definitely wondering how it
constituted a wrap of any kind. As you eat your
way down the pile, though, you do find pita bread
that can be folded over. Some pieces may have been
slightly overdone, but the savoury-sweet flavour
more than compensated. Besides, I think gyro meat
is kind of like bacon; can it really be overdone?
Dan: Yeah my experience with gyros has generally
been as drunk food, and those iterations always
come wrapped up. So yeah I’m a boor for assuming what they serve drunk people in Alberta is
what Greek people serve in restaurants in Toronto.
However, that assumption held true for poutine
in Quebec, so I’m not completely off base here. I
don’t think my gyro meat was overdone, and the
crisp edges just compliment the overall flavour of
the dish. I loved the mix of chicken and pork and
building little mini wraps is a fun way to not realize you’ve overeaten until it’s too late. Speaking of
overeating, what’s with the potatoes served with
Greek food? How do they cook them so that they’re
this delicious? How do Greeks eat this and not get
enormous? Olive oil?
Luke: I agree the sides are outstanding. Triple carb
combo anyone? I would only add that the tzatziki
- thick and garlicky - is the perfect complement to
the meal.
Dan: I packed half my food to go. So. Full. And
then, dessert. My god I forgot the combo came
with dessert. The baklava was so dense it was
difficult to cut through. Just layer upon layer of
walnuts, honey, and pastry. Unbelievable. What
was that other dish? It was sort of like New York
cheesecake, but lighter.
the k a ly v i a c o m b o p l atte r , a l s o k n o w n a s a l i g ht sn a c k .
really genuine. It was almost a nice break from the
caustic attitude of the hipster service staff at places
like Grand Electric, the Drake, or the JCR Bar.
The Kalyvia staff are great.
Luke: Funny fact about the Danforth: almost all
servers are middled aged men. I don’t know why
this is so, but the gentleman who served us was
definitely gracious and competent. The courses
were well-paced and we wanted for nothing.
Dan: I loved that we had the window table and got
to take in the street traffic during lunch. So many
characters roaming the Danforth are worthy of a
few moments observation. Beautiful weather didn’t
hurt Kalyvia’s appeal at all either. A RoFo sighting
would have put this lunch into the Hall of Fame.
Luke: I also appreciated the free coffee to top it all
off. I left feeling very satisfied and more than a little
bit sleepy. I think our first and last food adventures
might just have been our best!
S CORE
DA N
FOOD
SERVICE
ATMOSPHERE
LU K E
4
4.5
4.5
5
4
4
OV E RALL : 4 . 5/ 5
#thatsasossybailout
Luke: Greek-style cheese cake. It too was homemade, delicate and (big surprise) very indulgent.
Amenities and service:
Dan: The server was so friendly and wanted to
make sure we enjoyed everything. He seemed
Monday, March 24, 2014