Review - Sotiris Greek Restaurant, Burlington

Once again, it was time for the monthly night out for dinner with Bob. This time, it was my choice, and we had discussed that we should try a Greek restaurant. Our dinners had been good, when we walked into an ethnic place, and said to them to take care of us, so we figured that a Greek restaurant would be able to do it right. Bob had heard that Sotiris in Burlington was the place to go, west of the Danforth in Toronto.

When we got there, our waiter was a teenager, and we were a bit hesitant that he would be able to take care of what we were looking for. We mentioned that we wanted an authentic Greek meal, no limits on what to have, since neither of us have any dislikes. We started off with a Greek beer, and mulled over the menu. The one thing that we asked for that we wanted to try, was the "Opa!" cheese, which is a flamed cheese. Again, as in other visits to other restaurants, we weren't in a rush, and we were ready to try whatever Greece had to offer!

The cheese was good, slightly melted from the flaming, which went well with the bread. After that, we indulged in a Greek salad, which was tasty, to say the least. Greek salads are our favourites, and this was no exception.

The main course was a disaster! What the waiter had done, was order us BBQ ribs and chicken. We figured OK, maybe this is part of it. It wasn't the best ribs in town, but we figured this was just a snack of things to come. Fried potatoes and rice rounded out the BBQ platter.

After a couple more beers, we were disappointed when the waiter came back and asked us if we wanted dessert...we just looked at each other, and said not really. We asked him where the souvlaki was, where was the dolomadakia, and some tasty lamb? What was his answer? He didn't think we would like real Greek food.

This didn't sit well with us, so the owner came over and we explained our predicament. She said she has had problems with this waiter in the past, and apologized profusely for the screw up. She treated us to some baklava, which was homemade and delicious, along with a Greek coffee.

This was not one of our best nights out, and the waiter's tip reflected our disappointment. We were full when we left, but we could have had the same thing at a roadhouse.

Here is a tip for all wait staff out there - if your customers come in and say anything goes for a meal, check with the owner or manager, and make sure that you can offer the restaurants best plates to discerning customers. If you think you know best, then you will definitely have a short lived career in that restaurant. Customers and word of mouth make or break restaurants. Make sure you are prepared to offer the best you can to all your diners!!

As for Sotiris, we will give it a try again in a few months. The authentic Greek food we DID have, was excellent, and I am sure we will enjoy a traditional Greek feast next time. Mata guarantees it.