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The Athenian Grill is all about the view. Sit on the patio and you can watch boats motor in and out of the marina, people stroll past on the walkway with dogs, or dance by on roller skates. The patio is covered and has heaters. This is a fabulous place to relax with a glass of retsina, the piney Greek wine, and a plate of food.

My first visit was late on a Sunday evening. This appeared not to be the best time to eat at the Athenian Grill. None of the staff greeted us at the door or even acknowledged our presence. The inside restaurant was empty and there were only a couple of tables outside. The interior is painted in blue and white with a rough tile floor, reminiscent of a Greek isle, but the smells from the kitchen were more typical of any American restaurant. Finally one woman greeted us and took us to the patio.

At this meal we ordered the avgolemono, a traditional Greek soup made with chicken and rice and finished with lemon and egg sauce, and the lentil soup to start. The soups appeared right away and were hot. The avgolemono tasted fresh, but the lentil soup was thick and over-seasoned, almost as if it had been sitting on a burner all day.

Our waitress was very sweet, but offered no reason why there was a long wait between the soup course and our entrees. We had the Pastitso, pasta layered with ground beef, topped with b?chamel sauce and baked, and the Mezethakia, a combination appetizer plate. Overall everything had great flavor and good texture. Still the food seemed tired. The keftethes, Greek meatballs, tasted as if they were cooked in old oil. The yogurt-based tsatziki was missing. The tyropita, creamy cheese in flaky dough, was burned on the bottom and cold. The pastitso was cooler than optimal and looked limp on the plate.

Despite these details I was determined to like the Athenian Grill. [tag]Greek cuisine[/tag] is a wonderful option, especially for the warm weather we have here, so we returned to the Athenian Grill for lunch. This time the patio tables were full. The kitchen was in full swing, which may explain it?s exhaustion later in any given evening.

This time we were greeted promptly. Our waitress was busy but kept the flow of drinks and food moving at a steady pace. The falafel sandwich was large and freshly assembled. The falafel itself was a little dry, but there was some tzatziki sauce on top. Next time I would order more on the side.

My partner tried the more traditional American option of a double pastrami burger. It was giant and very flavorful. The French fries were extra crispy and hot. A basket of them appeared on almost every table, and I can understand why they are so popular.

So try the Athenian Grill for lunch and enjoy the view and fresh food.

[tags]restaurant review, restaurant critic, recommended restaurant[/tags]