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 I've
been to many Greek restaurants in the suburbs of
Vancouver, and I've noticed a common theme that seems to
run through most, if not all of them. It's a vein of
generosity, which is pure gold to the weary traveler or
the zoned-out office worker looking for a reliable place
to fill up on a balanced and healthy meal.
Paros Restaurant in
Coquitlam is no exception to this rule. With the decline
of the low-carb diet, people are realizing again that
carbs simply taste good, and that having both rice and
potatoes on one's plate is simply marvelous. To get caught
up in the fickle diet crazes that seem to hit our susceptible
and malleable minds is something that I've always tried to
avoid anyways: my strategy is just to have a reasonable
amount of physical exercise, combined with balanced and
moderate meals.
But diet philosophies
aside, you'll find Paros Restaurant's pleasant, wood
paneled room to be a nice place to sit and enjoy a meal
with friends. There is just one quibble that I have with
this restaurant, which I think I should mention. As a
musician, I am sensitive to the background music in
restaurants, and at Paros they were playing American
country music. That was fine by me, except that the CD
player skipped several times, looping back to repeat the
same segment of the song before the staff realized and
fixed the problem. This minor mishap happened both times
that I visited the restaurant, so I think that a
replacement CD player is in order.
When you arrive at your
table you will be given the regular menu as well as a
weekly specials menu, which features the chef's latest
creations that are offered for a limited time only.
Pictured above is the salmon souvlaki, which I
ordered off the specials menu. My friends (who live a few
blocks away) are always drawn back by the lure of the
specials menu, and also by their regular favorites such as
the saganaki (fried cheese, pictured below), and
the spanakopita entree (also pictured below).
Prices are a little on the high side, ranging from $16.75
for the Psari Fournou filet of salmon to $22.75 for
the rack of lamb. On special occasions they do have live
entertainment such as belly dancing. Perhaps to compensate
for the musical situation, our waitress kindly provided us
with a complimentary dessert.
I'd say that Paros
Restaurant is worth a visit, especially if you happen to
be in the East Burnaby / Coquitlam / Lougheed Mall area.
For me, it's the saganaki and the chef's specials
menu that will bring me back. Regarding special dietary needs, remember to inform your server and he/she will be happy to satisfy your request.
Reviewed by: Geoff Peters
Last reviewed: November 8th, 2005
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