Thea

RESTAURANT TYPE = MEDITERRANEAN
LOCATION: Santana Row in South Bay
RATING: 4.5 stars
COST: $$$

Time to shuffle to one of my favorite places in the South Bay called Thea. Located in the upscale Santana Row, this Mediterranean hot spot is a real treat to both take in a few drinks or enjoy an elegant dinner.

The Lowdown:
Compared to Evvia, another trendy and tasty Greek restaurant in Palo Alto, Thea is less expensive for what I consider superior food and slightly better ambiance. The service is a little less attentive though.

Recommended Dishes:
First, you don't need to order bread since they give you a piping hot loaf of house bread. If you do want more bread you can order the pita bread but it really is pointless when you already are getting bread. I highly recommend the Horiatiki (Greek Salad) as it is one of the best I've had. The Kiymali Pide has a very strong lamb taste, so if that's not your style I wouldn't recommend it.

For main dishes, I highly recommend the Braised Lamb Shank, Garides, Psari Skordato (branzino), or daily fish. All are very good. For the 6-7 times I've been to Thea, I think the main dishes outshine the appetizers for the most part.

Be sure to save room for dessert! The loukamades are great - it's basically dough dropped into oil and fried like donuts. The donuts are coated in honey and a dusting of cinnamon applied on top. I used to eat these at the Greek festival every year in Portland, OR and believe me they are very good. Thea is the only restaurant I've found to serve this dessert period.

One more thing to recommend for all you non-alcoholic drink people: order the Cuban Cooler. It's apple juice, mint, lemon, and I think a touch of soda water. Very addictive and refreshing. Thea also offers an extensive wine and drink menu.

Other things to note:
- Weekends are crazybusy. Get there ahead of time as parking at Santana Row can be a zoo. Also, on busy nights Thurs-Sat, reservations are highly encouraged. Alternatively, you can always sit at the bar and order. The bar is pretty big - actually there are 2 long tables seating about 10 at each + the actual bar in the bar area.

Website:
www.thearestaurant.com