evvia

palo alto, ca

website

one of the top restaurants in palo alto, it's been recommended by nearly everyone we've met since moving to the south bay. it's not the kind of restaurant where you can get a table on a whim, which is how we usually decide on dinner. but for derek's birthday, i made 8 pm reservations about a week in advance. the atmosphere at evvia was surprisingly cozy and welcoming for such an expensive restaurant.

pictured is the best octopus that i've ever had - grilled with lemon, oregano, and olive oil. perfectly charred yet tender. delicious. for my entree, i ordered the moschari souvlaki - beef filet, sweet peppers, mushrooms & onions with Cretan rice & Greek yogurt. the beef was well-spiced and served over excellent rice. everyone raves about the ice cream sundae - it was good, but a little bit too rich for my tastes. overall, a fantastic meal. there's so many other items on the menu that i want to try, but i'll definitely be back for the octopus.

voula's offshore cafe

seattle, wa

website

i lived in seattle for 4 years and i never knew that this place existed until i saw it featured on diners, drive-ins, and dives on the food network. voula's has definitely embraced its new-found fame. the front of the restaurant now has a giant "food network" sign on it and the menu advertises a "guy fieri" special - with ham, pineapple, and bbq sauce. yikes.

derek, cindy, and i brought baby m to voula's for some breakfast. we stayed away from the special and stuck to the classics. derek had the hobo, which was a giant plate covered with country sausage, onions, mushrooms, hash browns, and eggs scrambled together and topped with cheddar cheese. a big gooey mess, but derek enjoyed it. cindy had the greek version and i had a smoked salmon scramble. the hash browns were my favorite part, though - nice and crispy. i'm not sure the place is worth all the hype, but it was a big yummy breakfast for a good price.