Por Frank Sabatini Jr.

The litmus test for judging Greek restaurants is simple. If you can’t taste oregano, olive oil and lemon in the food, then they’re no good. And if the feta cheese used in salads and pita wraps is scarce or overly salty, then may the gods of Olympus send in their doves to carry it away.

At 30 years old, Olympic Café hits all the high notes in everyday Greek cuisine, starting with lemon-kissed avgolemono soup thickened properly with egg, rice and chicken. Big shout-outs also go to the chary, marinated beef and chicken skewers as well as herby, roasted half chickens complimented by lemon gravy. Those plates, along with many others, include salads topped with a plank of medium-brined feta sporting rich dairy notes.

At the finishing line are “Donna’s desserts,” which is half the reason to come here. Donna is the American-born wife of founder and Greek native, John Kotselas, whose dishes hail largely from his family heritage. Though after the couple met and married, Donna began weaving into the menu some American fare, including house-made chocolate cake with fudge frosting and well-endowed chocolate-chip cookies.

“My philosophy was that there wasn’t nearly enough chocolate in Greek desserts,” she recalls, noting that she also introduced breakfast to the café 22 years ago.

Amid her other menu contributions, such as burgers, grilled tilapia, tuna melts, roast beef sandwiches, and fish and chips using big, chunky pieces of hand-battered cod, are the dishes that pop with sturdy Greek flavors.

The hummus, for example, is made in-house. It’s thick and perfectly seasoned. Too often in other Greek restaurants, the accompanying pita tastes blandly utilitarian. Here, the bread is dusted lightly in cornmeal and carries an oven-baked flavor. We assumed at first it was homemade until learning it comes from a Chicago purveyor that also supplies the gyros and feta cheese.

Tempted initially by the Greek-style pork chops, we gravitated instead to the kabob platter, choosing one skewer loaded with beef and the other with chicken thigh meat. We had difficulty deciding on a favorite because both tasted as though they flew straight off a backyard charcoal grill. The meat on each was well-marinated; caramelized on the outside and juicy inside, and with peppers and onions strewn between the pieces.

Even the accompanying tzatziki sauce was outstanding. The kitchen makes it with fresh, tangy yogurt and omits the sour cream. Combined with lots of freshly grated cucumber, it’s thinner and decidedly more refreshing than most.

The half-chicken dinners come with or without the lemon gravy. To our utter satisfaction, we chose the latter. If there is a close alternative to an American Thanksgiving meal, this is it.

The plate included Greek salad, pita bread and a generous scoop of real mashed potatoes. We loved the crispy herb-dusted skin on the bird and the teasing, citrus element of the gravy.

I’m normally not a fan of gyros because they’re either overloaded with McCormick-type seasonings or completely under-spiced. The beef-lamb strips sliced from the meat cone at Olympic, however, offered whispers of oregano, marjoram and cumin with just the right amount of salt balancing the profile. We ordered it ala carte, folding the moist ribbons of meat into puffy pita with daubs of tzatziki. I’ve been craving the stuff ever since.

Other Greek options include stuffed grape leaves, spanakopita and lasagna-like mousaka layered with eggplant and potatoes and topped with meat sauce. There’s also pastitsio, a casserole of macaroni and seasoned ground beef topped with béchamel sauce.

Finishing with a bevy of Donna’s desserts, most of which we toted home, her chocolate cake ranks right up there with D Bar’s dreamy sour cream version. Be sure to eat it at room temperature to fully experience the cake’s moist texture and robust fudge flavor.

The carrot cake was also blue-ribbon with its nutty crumb and not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting. And if you’re a fan of Hello Dolly bars, Donna’s scratch-made take on them features graham cracker crusts beneath loads of chocolate chips and walnuts.

All said and eaten, the food at Olympic Café is stamped with the kind of heart and soul that explains the establishment’s longevity and its ability to continually attract repeat customers.

The café opens at 7 a.m., daily, for those preferring eggs with their souvlaki and gyros.

—Frank Sabatini Jr. se puede alcanzar en [email protected].