Hanna Raskin says Taverna MaZi's dining room has "contagious vim," but otherwise damns the reimagined Greek fare with some pretty faint praise. Most items on the shareable menu "are clustered around the 'acceptable' notch," and while Raskin "didn't encounter a single dish so objectionable that its flaws dominated conversation," nor did she encounter anything "of transfixing excellence."
The restaurant eschews the standard gyros and saganaki, though the kitchen has a "blithe attitude" when it comes to mixing ingredients like avocado and cilantro, forging "its own weirdly North American mashups." Servers were "hardly ever nearby when a plate needed clearing or an order needed taking" and the bar offers a "fraternity row of cocktails." Her standouts: braised lamb shank; feta fries and other "enjoyably mindless starters." [Seattle Weekly]
Tan Vinh checks out The Kingfish Cafe's new happy hour and finds drinks and Southern-style bar food that "falls on the sweet side." The "block of mac and cheese is "salty and spicy, perfect bar food. But it will cost you two laps around Green Lake." Barbecue pork sliders on the other hand, are "a soggy mess, and forgettable." The spiked lemonade and other $6 cocktails are too sweet for his taste, so Vinh's all about the $2 Red Stripes. [Seattle Times]
[Photo: Taverna MaZi/Facebook]
