VAS Kouzina Roswell — Restaurant in Roswell

TL;DR Phenomenal flight of flavor, texture, and authenticity all displayed in a brightly lit setting, reminiscent of Santorini.

I have zero travel experience in Greece or anywhere in the Mediterranean sadly, so if while you are reading this, I sound like an authority on the subject, just... take it with a grain of salt. I happen to think I know good food pretty well though. I have a lot of experience in eating. :-)

VAS Kouzina is one of my new favorites. Along with some very typical things you've probably had elsewhere (gyros, burgers, etc) there is a selection of authentic, Greek cuisine. I mean, at least, that's what the server told me, and that dude is the chef's brother.

We went with a shared entree style dining and ended up with this stuff, largely on recommendation:

Sauteed Calamari - pretty good though not quite as flavorful as I would have hoped, but I didn't turn down a second helping. Psaro Keftedes (fish cakes) - freaking amazing, almost pungent it was so flavorful. Saganaki (flaming cheese) - basically kefalograviera served hot and gooey in a cast iron skillet, set on fire with Ouvo as the accelerant.

The caramelized edges of the flaming cheese, spooned and lathered over pita bread was a real highlight. WTAF. If you like cheese, don't pass this up.

Entrees consisted of lavraki (whole Mediterranean sea bass) and lamb chops along with a side of grilled vegetables. Let's start with the fish. Very flaky, flavorful, not overpowering. The chef comes table side and de-bones it in front of you. You can keep the head if you want to get to the cheeks. Optional.

The lamb chops were rich with flavor and tender enough that cutting with a butter knife was no issue. The grilled vegetables consist of eggplant, zucchini, squash, onions, peppers and had some type of balsamic reduction. That was really good and paired well with the lamb chops and fish.

Rounded off the dessert course with a selection of loukoumades (basically donuts), baklava cheesecake, and mastiha panna cotta. The loukoumades disappeared. The baklava cheesecake was a nice hybrid twist on two classics. Extremely rich. I recommend cutting that with black coffee. Or whiskey. :) The panna cotta had an interesting taste of juniper to it that you either like or don't like. I liked it, personally. It gave it a complex, herbal flavor not typically associated to American sweets.

The prices here range from reasonable to steep. The entrees do not come with a date so if you order multiples, the price starts to stack up. The drink prices are a bit stiff if you ask me, but everything else seemed in the right range.

It's definitely worth checking out if you like Mediterranean cuisine. BTW if you were wondering, VAS is short for Vasilios. It's the equivalent of saying Bill...

Dinner on Vaskouzina's patio on a sunny Spring day was everything I needed and more! First I tried the Alpharetta Location and the food was so delicious I had to try the Roswell location next. Vaskouzina has true Greek cooking with a modern flair. As soon as you walk it feels like you are dining with family. The patio has an open concept. Vaskouzina is the perfect place this Spring and Summer for a lunch date, to take your out-of-town friends, and even just to enjoy time alone with a glass of wine and fresh air! What I enjoyed:

Chef's Special Red Snapper Whole fish is prepared over chargrill and basted with Greek olive oil, lemon, and oregano This fish is so flavorful, flaky and juicy. I choose the option to have it deboned tableside. What a presentation!

Greek Burger Feta Cheese or Tirokafteri ground beef patty, lettuce, tomato and onions, grilled brioche bun The Tirokafteri is a spicy cream spread that elevates the burger to a whole, other level!

Fried Calamari fried & seasoned, lemon aioli, lemon wedges I love that a few pieces are stacked atop the lemon wedge!

Saganaki Flaming cheese, pita points The cheese is on fire literally. It is set on flame before your eyes and drizzled with fresh lemon juice. Video worthy!

Loukoumades Honey Drizzled Puffs, Sprinkled with Cinnamon & Chopped Walnuts Tastes like beignets - but better! Reminded me of back home in Louisiana.

Spooned Sweets Sour Cherry Traditional Sweet Preserves with Syrup Try a little with Loukoumades you won't regret it. I also think it would be good to spread on biscuits or spooned into ice cream or Greek Yogurt.

Assorted Olives I enjoyed the garlic and pepper pieces mixed throughout. Yum!

Americana Greek romaine, tomato, cucumber, feta,onion, kalamata olives, oregano, pepperoncini, Greek vinaigrette Very fresh! The pepperoncini definitely kicks it up a notch!

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We were seated promptly at the time of our reservation. The server took drink orders. I guess the bar was busy, because my friend's wine arrived after the appetizers and iced tea. I asked the server to describe the Spanokopita meze. He said it comes with three triangles, but "I can give you four or five," so I chose four. The people who ordered soup enjoyed the very generous servings; the verdict on the dolmades was "pass" next time, not very good. Server brought several orders of mini gyros. One order was incorrect and had to be sent back. It took a very long time for the new order to arrive. The chicken gyro was dry. Two people each asked for more taziki. They received one small ramekin to share and had to ask for a second. The grilled vegetable plate was generous and tasty, but lacked color, as everything was brown. The filling of the Spanokopita was acceptable, but overpowered by the overcooked phyllo dough with burnt points that left a burnt aftertaste. I didn't send it back as I didn't want to be late for the theater. I mentioned that to the manager who, at the very end of our meal, brought some roasted red pepper to the table (that had been left off the veggie plate), and the cavalier reply was that now the red pepper would fix that burnt taste. On top of that the extra small triangle the server "gave" me was a 25% upcharge. When the server cleared the table, he left the knife that he dropped on the floor right below where one guest was seated and could easily have tripped on when arising, and even when he came back and forth with the checks, he never retrieved it. What makes or breaks a good meal? It's all in...