Stepho’s Souvlaki Greek Taverna

I’m not the biggest fan of Greek food. While I haven’t gotten anything against dishes like souvlaki or roast lamb, they aren’t necessarily dishes that I crave either (I’m just not huge on lemon/herb flavours – they are just too “light” for my liking). I do, however, crave baked pasta. Baked pasta topped with loads of delicious, rich, gooey melted cheese. Thus, when I visited Stepho’s (Davie location) this week, I did not order their most popular dish, which is the roast lamb, but their Lasagna (large size of course). I also got their Moussaka to go (because even I am not crazy enough to try eating both dishes in one sitting).

Large Lasagna ($14.95):

4/5
The lasagna came with a small side of rabbit food salad and a piece of pita bread. It was piping hot and topped with a good amount of delicious melted cheese that was crispy around the edges and gooey in the middle. The noodles were perfectly cooked and tender without being mushy. It was pretty “dry” in that there wasn’t much sauce (which I didn’t mind as I’m not the biggest fan of tomato sauce), but had a generous amount of ground beef. Personally, I did find it to be just a tad under-seasoned. I didn’t really care much for the salad, which consisted of peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and olives dressed in a simple sweet vinaigrette. The pita, on the other hand, was delicious: soft and fluffy with a really nice chewy texture. Portion-wise, the dish didn’t look very big, but was very filling (probably because of all the tasty cheese) and I was actually quite stuffed after finishing it.

I took the Moussaka home (or more accurately to my work place, where I stored it in the communal fridge) and reheated it for lunch the next day. Unfortunately, either during the trip or the time in the fridge, the moussaka did end up falling apart a bit.

Moussaka ($15.95):

*disclaimer: I didn’t eat this right away, but took it home and reheated it for lunch the next day, and I don’t know how much that might have affected the flavours*
4/5
This consisted of layers of ground beef, potatoes and eggplants that’s topped with a thick layer of thick bechamel, and was again served with a small salad as well as pita bread. Unfortunately, since I took the moussaka to-go, it did end up falling apart a bit. Fortunately, what it lacked in appearance, it made up for it in taste. The ground beef was well-seasoned and flavourful, and the vegetables were tender. I did find the bechamel to be a bit bland and gummy, but still enjoyable. While not as filing as the lasagna, the portion was still pretty good.

While I haven’t been able to try any of their signature, popular Greek dishes, I really enjoyed the lasagna and moussaka at Stepho’s. Unfortunately, as with most other places, they have significantly raised their prices over the years, although their current prices are still fairly reasonable. The service differs a bit depending on which server you get. While my server was more than decent, there was one guy named “Clinton” who seemed to be just exceptional: he introduced himself to everyone he was serving, went over all of the daily specials (which my server didn’t), was attentive, and above all, was very friendly and cheerful. I’d highly recommend getting him, if possible.

Overall:
Food: 4/5
Price: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Recommendations: Lasgana, Moussaka, Lamb (if you like lamb)