Casual Bistro Serves Homey Greek Fare

Ah, Greek food--it sounds like such fun, and it’s so often bland. That’s why we should welcome the Greek Bistro, an Encino newcomer that consistently serves the kind of homey, down-to-earth food you crave from a Greek restaurant.

Perhaps owner Peter Divris is overreaching when he states on his menu that he wants to operate “the best Greek restaurant in America.” On the other hand, Divris, who used to be associated with the Great Greek in Sherman Oaks, certainly has the best Greek restaurant in the Valley. That ain’t nothing, as, I believe, Euclid said.

Food aside, this is a delightfully relaxing place to eat and hang out. The L-shaped dining room is bright and sunny during the day, intimate and bordering on downright romantic by night.

There’s a comfortable amount of space between the tables, which are covered with floral print oil cloth topped by sheets of white butcher paper. The windows are framed by wooden moldings in blue and white, the colors of the Greek flag, and countless Greek tourist posters.

Want more atmosphere? The walls sport scenes of Greek village life and a soft-focus photo of the Acropolis at dusk. Needless to say, the place throbs with Greek music; it’s on tape at lunch, but there’s a live bouzouki player at dinner, usually accompanied by a soulful Greek crooner.

Greek cuisine is hearty, but you can piece together a light meal here if you want. The creamy, comforting egg-lemon soup might be part of it. The Greek Bistro also serves the best Greek salad (khoriatiki, pronounced ho-ri-AH-tee-kee) in Los Angeles. It’s an attractive glass bowl of cucumbers, tomato wedges, sweet onions, bell peppers, Kalamata olives and a particularly pungent feta cheese in a delicious olive oil vinaigrette.

There are also some light appetizers, such as sauteed smelts (marides), that you eat head and all, sprinkled with olive oil, fresh lemon and herbs.

At lunch, you can get a fine gyro or roast lamb sandwich on pita bread. Something called bistro fries is available at lunch too--fried rounds of potato dusted with mizithra cheese--and there’s a Greek pasta dish in a tomato sauce flavored with sweet spices like cinnamon.

But for many people, the point of coming to a restaurant like this is to stoke up on the Greek Bistro feast--16 items, served family style in four courses. If you do that, you’ll automatically get acquainted with practically everything on the menu. But unless you have a really big dog back at home, plan on eating the leftovers for quite some time.

First come dips and tabbouleh. Tzatziki is a cooling yogurt dip flavored with shredded cucumbers, garlic and olive oil, and the Greek Bistro’s version is especially subtle. Taramosalata is the familiar, faintly fishy paste of cod roe and olive oil, and there’s a mild hummus.

Melitzanosalata is cold pureed eggplant, blended with olive oil, garlic and parsley. Ask the waiter to bring hot grilled pita bread--part of the feast--with the first course, because it’s the perfect foil for these dips.

Then come hot appetizers. There’s meat from the gyro spit, grilled crisp and sliced thin, and delicate grape leaves (dolmades) stuffed with rice, a filo pie with a spinach and cheese filling (spanakotiropita) and finally two fried Greek meatballs (keftedes), very light and kissed with fresh mint.

Then come casseroles, roasted and broiled meats. By this time, the various courses will have become a blur and you’ll probably just be picking at your food. Anyway, here’s what you get at this stage of the feast: Pastitsio, a Greek take on macaroni and cheese and even more calorific than the American version, thanks to a filling of ground beef and a topping of white sauce.

Moussaka--layers of eggplant, zucchini, potatoes and ground meat, baked until meltingly tender, again topped with bechamel. There’s tender roast lamb shredded into clumps, and herby grilled chicken. Finally, there’s a full-on Greek salad and an assortment of fresh seasonal fruits.

If there is room left, you can take on some of the desserts, pleasantly restrained versions of the notoriously sugary Greek tradition.

There’s a thick and creamy cinnamon-dosed rice pudding (rizogalo), a workmanlike baklava made with pistachios and walnuts and a cousin of baklava (galaktobouriko) with a custardy, honey drenched milk and semolina filling. Opa.

DETAILS

* WHAT: Greek Bistro.

* WHERE: 17337 Ventura Blvd., Encino.

* WHEN: Open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Suggested dishes: keftedes, $4; Greek salad, $4.45/$6.75; pastitsio, $9.95; oven-roasted lamb, $15.25.

* HOW MUCH: Dinner for two, $22-$49.

* FYI: Full bar. Validated parking. All major cards.

* CALL: (818) 789-2888.