Avra For 10

Had my office holiday lunch this afternoon at Avra, and overall it was a very good restaurant selection, if I do say so myself. (And, darn it, if I didn't pick the spot. So, if it had been lousy, I would have heard about it from my co-workers.)

The highlight: plates and plates of mezze which we ordered at the top of the meal. Crispy zucchini and eggplant chips with tzatziki dip got raves as did the tender charcoal grilled octopus with onions and red wine vinegar. And, after trying the standard "spinach pie" at numerous diners, I was completely delighted with Avra's version, oven baked crackling crisp filo stuffed with fresh spinach, feta and leeks.

Must admit that although most of the entrees were tasty - ranging from skewers of spiced, ground lamb to a burger topped with haloumi cheese to delecate lobster-filled ravioli - they really were paled by the appetizers. And, two of my colleagues were dissapointed with the salmon wrapped in grape leaves, saying it was surprisingly bland.

Even so, I think the majority of us were stuffed after all that savory fare. But, dessert was still ahead of us, and many had it included in our prix fixe meals. We had no choice. Right? Besides, the idea of fresh fig ice cream and top-flight baklava was too hard to pass up. Glad we didn't. It was fanatastic. And, now, needless to say, I'm quite full and quite ready for a nap.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...