Maria's Greek Restaurant

This snug, 52-seat eatery dishes home-cooked Greek taverna fare free of contemporary tweaking. And that's it. Although Maria's recipes are not likely to inspire Homeric verse, they aren't meant to. Our favorite starters here are the smooth, lemon-garlic-ticked hummus, scooped up via soft, warm, wheaty pita circles; and spinach-feta spanakopita, whose baked phyllo cap is uniquely crust-like rather than papery. Maria's uses top-quality American lamb, which makes the char-broiled lamb chops and the lamb kebab the most recommendable of items. Fried calamari is cut thicker and is thus plusher than usual, but most menu items bring standard renditions of familiar favorites such as pastitsio, moussaka, souvlaki, and the like. Low beverage/appetizer/dessert prices help keep the bottom line in line. There's something to be said for the personal touch that only an intimate, family-run eatery can provide. That something is this: Maria's Greek Restaurant has outlasted just about every other dining establishment in town.