Yanni’s Greek and Mediterranean Cuisine / Restaurant Row. It used to be where restaurants went to die. Perhaps that’s changing. After all, if Hotel Street can boast a cultural renaissance, can’t the less gritty square of semi-high rises that house newspaper bureaus and accounting firms transform its ground floor into a culinary Mecca? Perhaps. Vino and Hiroshi Eurasian Tapas are good signs of life–and newcomer Yanni’s Greek and Mediterranean Cuisine is in a position to help things along.

Occupying the old Philip Paolo’s space across the courtyard from Ocean Club, Yanni’s is the opus of owner Yanni Trainedes, a shot at bringing the food of his native Florina to this Mediterranean fare-starved city. He mostly succeeds, with a few missteps here and there. In fairness, many of the unsuccessful dishes on a recent evening could easily be attributed to a bad chef day. More on that later. First, the good news.

If a Greek restaurant can’t do calamari, it can’t really be called Greek. Yanni’s does calamari. The plate of octopus bits–it sounds unappealing now, but wait for the transformation–arrives filled with curly, bite-sized pieces of extra-tender octopus tossed in a tempura-light breading. The supple mezethe’s counterpart is the saganaki–a triangle of pan-fried kefalograviera sheep cheese that, with one bite, silences the question in your mind: Why not halloumi? Because, compared to the kefalograviera, halloumi is rubbery, salty and inferior. Make no mistake, krefalograviera isn’t subtle. It’s rich, heavy and needs a squirt of lemon to brighten the flavor. But it’s fantastic. Add it to the homemade rolls–dense balls of pale, yeasty bread–and the trio of dips (tzatziki, made with Yanni’s yogurt; melitzanosalata, an eggplant dip similar to Middle Eastern baba ghanoush; and teramosalata, fish roe dip) and you could ask for the check and go home happy.

A mixed platter of marinated antipasto items could be overlooked, but shouldn’t be because slipped between the marinated olives and cubes of cheese is the best dolmadakia (stuffed grape leaves) on the island. Like lu’au leaf, grape leaves need to be cooked well or they leave a bitter taste behind. These leaves were done right. More important, the rice filling was done right. The grains were firm but not crunchy, tender but not mushy. It’s a shame the dolmadakia aren’t offered as a stand-alone item.

With the mezethes, Yanni’s gets off to a strong start, but flounders as it goes along and ends on a weak note with its dessert menu. But then again, Greek restaurants aren’t known for having a good grasp on the after-dinner bites. It’s either baklava orÖbaklava; at Yanni’s, at least there’s a decent riso gatto (rice pudding).

Yanni’s is wild for oregano. Too wild, perhaps. The pungent herb is too strong for some of the more delicate flavors, like the lamb and the veggies. But perhaps this evening was just a case of herbal heavy handedness in the kitchen.

The entrÈes–hearty, meaty platters that can be ordered per person or family style for larger parties–were overcooked. The souvlaki was tough, the lamb dry and the keftethes (beef and lamb meatballs) too charred, even by Greek street-food standards. Again, the overcooking could easily be attributed to an off day for the chef or a case of new-restaurant jitters and it would be remiss to dismiss Yanni’s just yet–at least not without trying the pizza.

In the spirit of Europe, where cuisine makes its way across borders to find new audiences and palates, Yanni’s borrows pizza from its Mediterranean neighbor. It’s not uncommon to find restaurants in Greece that serve Italian food and vice-versa, so Yanni’s short pizza menu isn’t out of place in its Greek home. The kiawe-fired pizzas are fantastic. The Quatro Formaggio is a decadent blend of mozzarella, parmagianno, fontina and bocconcini cheeses on a thin, crisp crust fired to perfection.

Here’s where the place excels: The staff is attentive and, unlike restaurants where a high customer turnaround is considered a boon, one gets the feeling that at Yanni’s, they’d like it if you stayed a while. It’s during this part of the Yanni’s experience, that the diner feels like the Greek culture has been successfully transmitted. At Yanni’s, you sup, you don’t eat. You sip, you don’t drink. According to the waitstaff, no diner is expected to shell out for a full meal. If a cup of Greek coffee (boiled, grounds in, and poured into a demitasse and allowed to sit until the silty grounds settle) is your cup of tea, then you’re invited for coffee. The place is Greek, after all.

Yanni’s Greek and Mediterranean Cuisine

500 Ala Moana Blvd (585-8142)
Hours: Mon-Wed, Sat 5pm-1am, Thu-Fri 11am-1am Appetizers: $5.50-$15.50 Entrees: $15.50-$25.50 Desserts: $6.50 Recommended dishes: Calamari, kefalograviera saganaki, kiawe-fired pizzas Payment: V, MC, AmEx