Jay About Taverna Khione

Hey Jay... what the f*** have you been doing?!  F*** you!!! Whatever I want!! And by that I mean cleaning up after my punk kids. Well, last night they were w/ my folks so my special lady and I went for a date to the new Greek place in Shelburne. The last place that occupied the Cafe Shelburne space was a bust, a Greek joint?  Tough sell, but we had high hopes as we both like Greek food and feel like the area needs an infusion of ethnic fare. The first tentative steps were tough. I may have parked in a handicap spot... it was raining and hard to see what the sign was referring to. Also, at 7PM on a Thursday there was no one there. Uh oh. The new owners did do a nice job freshening the look up. It no longer felt like my Grandmother's favorite brunch spot but like a more updated and contemporary but very casually comfortable dining establishment. Service was new car smell as to be expected. Our guy did not tell us the specials even though we were the only people there. He also neglected to tell us they had beer. He also did not know other pretty relevant points to the menu but it is still new. How about the food? Excellent.

We started with stuffed grape leaves that were delicate and featured a tasty sausage filling that was not at all greasy. They sat on a nice fresh tasting yogurt sauce. So far so good. The Greek wines were very unfamiliar to us and our server was little help. The white my wife tried was not great but we settled on a big fruity red they considered like a house red. It was nice and approachable. Next up was the pistachio crusted feta with honey drizzle. What a treat. I would eat that shit all day long and double on Sunday! We also nibbled on grilled octopus that was solid and came on a fava bean hummus type spread that was delicious as well.

We finished up sharing a baked pasta dish w/ cinnamon tomato and ground beef and bechamel sauce. Whoa! Glad we were sharing as it was a decadent delight. Nice flavor, nice consistency, nice presentation.

Finished up with a Greek after dinner drink that was very much like Sambuca and was a nice way to finish. We took a desert home and I will not even get into it, was not the highlight of the evening.

By the time we left there were a few tables full and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. We thought it was great and with tighter service a real solid addition to the scene, 1 1/2 thumbs up with upside. I fear the unrefined palates in Shelburne who love the dumpster fire known as the Bearded Frog will not accept a small reach out of their dining comfort zone and that could be a real challenge but if you are looking for a good meal that is not the same old same old... give these guys a run, it is more than worth it!