Zenon Taverna Serves Greek, Cypriot Cuisine

Everything about Zenon Taverna evokes rustic Greece, from the interior with its white stucco walls painted with colorful Hellenic scenes to the wooden tables dressed in white and blue linens, the colors of the Greek flag. Best of all, the food is authentic, thanks to owner and chef Steve Papageorgiou, who hails from Cyprus in the easternmost reaches of the Mediterranean Sea. For the 17 years that Zenon Taverna has been in existence, lunch or dinner at Zenon has transported diners to a different place and time, where meals are meant to be shared with friends and family over several hours. However, if you don’t have that much time to spare, Zenon’s polite and efficient waiters will be happy to serve you as quickly as you’d like.

While you can expect to find most of the traditional Greek dishes that you’ve come to know and love, Zenon Taverna offers a wonderful mix of Cypriot specialties as well. Due to its location in the eastern Mediterranean, Cypriot cooking has been influenced over the centuries by middle-eastern cuisine. Fresh mint and lemons, which are plentiful on the island, lend a bright note to the fish, lamb, meat and vegetable dishes served.

Papageorgiou suggests you try one of their Meze dinners for two or more persons. Meze (pronounced meh-ZEH) are appetizer-sized portions of at least a dozen tempting dishes so you can sample many of Zenon’s menu items in one evening. Meze dinners consist of hot and cold dishes and can be ordered with the emphasis on meat, seafood, or vegetables, as you prefer. At a cost of just $16.95 per person, this is an economical and fun way to dine, and I guarantee, you’ll be stuffed at the end, if you can finish at all.

Everything is homemade at Zenon Taverna, from the crusty olive bread to the creamy tahini sesame dip, roasted eggplant dip and potato and garlic dip. We slathered toasted pita bread with Zenon’s special tzatziki sauce, made with chopped cucumber and fresh mint, instead of the traditional dill. Next came two slabs of grilled halloumi, a mild sheep’s milk cheese native to Cyprus, which was topped with grated lemon zest to bring out the tangy, saltiness of the cheese. The cold meze also includes a fabulous Cypriot salad, tossed chopped Romaine lettuce, red ripe tomatoes, cilantro and olives with a lemon vinegar dressing. The meze dinner is nicely paced, allowing you time to digest between courses and enjoy some fine Cypriot wines. We shared a bottle of cabernet from the hilly region of the island and really enjoyed its fruitiness and smooth finish.

After our empty plates were taken away, the hot meze began arriving at the table, hot off the grill. Sheftalia, meatballs made from minced pork or chicken mixed with onion and herbs are skewered and grilled over charcoal, rendering them crispy on the outside and succulent in the middle. I made little sandwiches of them with bread and tzatziki sauce. We devoured perhaps the best stuffed grape leaves we’ve ever had. Zenon’s grape leaves are stuffed with minced pork, rice and herbs and served warm. They could make an entire meal when ordered as an entrée. Smoked pork loin and grilled sausages were brought out next. We weren’t done yet. Two tiny, tender, grilled quail appeared, along with sliced, fried potatoes that refused to be ignored. We managed to find some room for them too. Seafood Meze, featuring grilled octopus, grilled shrimp, marinated octopus salad, fried calamari, salmon fillet and more, is also available.

Of course, individual appetizers can be ordered a la carte along with lunch or dinner entrees. Each evening, four or five specialties comprise the menu. Monday features roasted chicken with fresh oregano, celery, carrots and lemon ($7.95). Tuesday offers spring lamb with string beans ($11.95) and Friday offers a traditional dish called youvetsi, a stew of lamb chunks, tomato and orzo pastina ($11.95). Come for a big family dinner on Sunday. There’s always fresh fish grilled whole with lemon and olive oil, and a mixed grill featuring a sampling of all their tasty meats.

Papageorgiou makes coffee in an antique coffee maker he brought from Cyprus, a small coffee pot heated on a bed of hot sand over a low flame. The result is a smooth and super rich cup of coffee straight from another century. Coffee was accompanied by semolina cake flavored with rosewater and preserved chestnuts and a dessert wine made from pressed raisins. What a treat!

Zenon Taverna offers private catering, either upstairs in their private dining room or off premises. Menus start at $9.95 per person and Zenon can even provide china, glassware and waiters to ensure any banquet is a great success. Let them cater your next party, in the restaurant or at your location. Check out their Web site for more details.

Zenon Taverna is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The meze dinner is a tasting menu truly fit for the gods. Come enjoy it soon and soak in the rustic charm of this authentic taverna. Yasou!