JENNIFER K MAHAL -- Dining review

Athena in Greek mythology is the goddess of wisdom, skills and

warfare. I don’t know about the warfare part, but Athena’s in Costa Mesa

is definitely a wise place to go if you want flavorful Greek food.

Owner Avo Kilicarslan moved his restaurant from Laguna Hills to its

current location on Anton Boulevard two months ago. He said he fell in

love with the location, and it’s easy to see why.

From the front, Athena’s looks like the typical Southern California

box, just a street away from South Coast Repertory and the Orange County

Performing Arts Center. But when you walk inside, you are treated to a

spacious cavern that opens up to a park-like setting. Athena’s shares the

courtyard, with its lake-like fountain and greenery, with the Marriott

and Wyndam Gardens hotels.

It’s a pleasant place to sit and relax while taking a siesta from the

working world. But the real reason to visit Athena’s is the food. The

menu is varied, with Mediterranean treats from falafel to shrimp lemono

and lots of yummy desserts.

We started with the saganaki ($6.99), cheese flamed at the table with

brandy. The colorful fire is put out with lemon juice, and the cheese is

then served with the restaurant’s homemade pita bread. The strips were

crisp and tangy on the outside, but gooey on the inside. If you like

strong-tasting cheeses, a little on the salty side, then this is the

appetizer for you.

If you like dips, Athena’s hummus ($4.99) is a great starter for a

meal. The mashed garbanzo bean and tahini paste was light and nicely

seasoned, very fresh. It made a good pairing with the saganaki. And the

warm pita bread that it is served with is just scrumptious. It would be

easy to make a meal of theappetizers, they are so good.

For a main lunch course, I had the gyro plate ($7.99) while my friend

had a Greek salad ($7.99). We found ourselves delighted at the freshness

of both meals.

Usually gyros are a guilty pleasure for me because they can be rather

heavy, but not here. The gyros, a blend of ground beef and lamb thinly

sliced, were light and tenderly flavorful with a delicate texture. The

yogurt dip that accompanied it was creamy and cool. I am not a rice fan,

but a conical scoop of rice with carrot accompanied the meal, as did a

side of salad. Both were good.

The Greek salad was prettily presented with a circle of cucumbers

ringing the plate. A light vinagrette dressing made the lettuce, tomato,

red onion and Greek olives gleam, while a crumbling of feta cheese added

a bit of tang.

To make up for the healthy lunch -- at least on my friend’s part -- we

decided to splurge on dessert and Turkish coffee ($3.99).

If you’ve never had Turkish coffee before, let me tell you it isn’t

like regular coffee. It’s more like a sweet espresso, complete with thick

dregs and served in a cute demitasse cup. We asked for a lightly

sweetened version, which was sugary enough to make me wonder how many

teeth I would have lost if we had chosen the really sweet version.

The dessert menu at Athena’s comes with pictures and without prices.

The yummies available run from traditional baklava to cakes to sorbets

served in fruit shells.

I had the baklava ($3.99), while my friend had a pineapple sorbet

served in a pineapple shell ($3.99). The baklava was a little heavier

than I expected and didn’t have any nuts, as far as I could tell, but

hey, it’s filo dough and honey. Who can complain!

The sorbet, however, was a work of art. Beautifully presented in a

small pineapple half, it was delicate and light. Just precious. Next

time, I want to try the lemon one (it comes inside a lemon).

Athena’s offers a diverse wine menu, including ouzo, and entertainment

in the form of belly dancing and live music on weekends. Food can also be

ordered for pickup or delivery.

The afternoon I went, it wasn’t very busy at the restaurant. But that

is sure to change. People are sure to wise up to the food at Athena’s and

make the goddess proud.

* JENNIFER K MAHAL is features editor of the Daily Pilot. STEPHEN

SANTACROCE is on vacation. His reviews appear every other Thursday.

FYI

What: Athena’s

Where: 580 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa

Hours: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4 to about 11 p.m. Monday to Friday, 4

to around 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

How much: Moderate

Call: (714) 556-6555