Posts tagged Taverna Yamas

Flaming cheese. A belly dancer toting a sword. Dancing on the tables. Napkins being thrown in the air. Shots of Ouzo.

That’s just a glimpse of the first Folio Weekly Bite Club dinner of 2012. Oh, and then there was the food: an amazing assortment of traditional Greek and Turkish fare!

After a performance from one of Taverna Yamas belly dancers, guests started with cold “pikilia” or appetizers, in a family-style setting: tzatziki (homemade yogurt, cucumber, garlic and dill), taramosalata (caviar spread), melitzanoalata (roasted eggplant spread), hummus (chickpeas, olive oil, and garlic), pita and dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with rice). The taramosalata and dolmades were instant hits. Next up was the Greek Village Salad. Taverna Yamas offers this version in addition to a more traditional Greek salad, which contains romaine lettuce. The Village is a lettuce-free colorful bouquet of ripe tomatoes, cucumber wedges, thin slivers of red onion, crunchy peppers, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, olive oil and oregano.

You can’t have cold appetizers without their warm counterparts. Platters of hot pikila including spanakopita, baked phyllo dough with layers of feta and spinach, keftedes (ground beef and fresh herbs), calamari and a red dipping sauce, and lamb ribs with ladolemono sauce, were distributed. Within minutes, plates were cleaned!

A surprise of flaming cheese with brandy, or saganaki, was served on sizzling pans to each table. The salty cheese spread perfectly atop chewy pita wedges.

As pants began to tighten, friendly waitstaff donned plates of chicken kebab, filet mignon kebab, pork tenderloin with spinach and leek rice and lemon potatoes. And a complimentary shot of Ouzo: Greece’s famous anise-flavored liquor, was passed around. Opa!

More belly dancing and dancing atop a table took center stage between courses. Guests enjoyed the combination of music, dance and cheerful ambiance.

Last but by no means least was a trio of desserts. The baklava, layers of phyllo dough, honey, walnut, cinnamon and cloves, was joined by ek mek, or shredded phyllo dough with walnuts, a custard creme and whipped topping, and galaktoboureko (say that three times fast, I dare you!): honey phyllo with custard. 

Joining the hustle and bustle of Tinseltown in December of 2010, Taverna Yamas currently seats 350 patrons but recently broke ground on an expanded area that will soon be home to a hookah lounge with tapas-style menu and more outdoor seating.

Taverna Yamas offers happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. (half priced well liquors, house wines, beer, and a large selection of appetizers), daily lunch specials, $4 Martini Wednesdays and live entertainment on the weekend.

Located on the Southside (9753 Deer Lake Court at Tinseltown), Taverna Yamas serves up a wide variety of delicious traditional Greek offerings from hummus, dolmades, to spanakopita, souvlaki, lamb shank and mousaka, for lunch and dinner. Part of the fun at Taverna Yamas is the dancing on tables, and the music and live belly dancers at dinnertime. Come late night there’s a DJ spinning European and top 40 hits. Taverna Yamas will host our next Bite Club dinner tasting event on February 7 at 6 p.m.

1. Check your calendar! Confirm you’re available Tuesday, February 7.

2. This month’s question (comment on this post by 1/29): “What’s the most expensive item or dish you’ve ever ordered? Do you recall where it was from? Did it live up to its price tag? Who footed the bill: you, a date, your work, or a vendor? (If you’ve never ordered something more expensive, why not? What do you want to try that you’ve never had that is pricey?)” Be detailed. Be fun. With your comment, leave your first and last name, and e-mail address. Your e-mail won’t show up publicly and is required so you can be notified if you get selected.

3. If you’re not already a Bite Club member e-mail your full name, e-mail address and phone number to biteclub@folioweekly.com.

Sign-ups are NOT first come, first serve. Folio Weekly selects attendees at random, based on the number of seats the restaurant grants. Selected attendees will be notified before 2/1 via e-mail. After confirming, you’ll attend the event and afterwards I’ll post an event recap on the blog. You are required to leave your feedback in the comment section.