Downtown Niko’s Has Great Food For Lunch And Dinner

For lunch, I’m a regular at Niko’s.

Instead of sticking with “the usual,” however, I’ve wandered all over the menu in the 10 years since the downtown branch of this family-run operation first opened. (The original Niko’s is located in the Valley.)

Yet, as often as I find myself at Niko’s during the noon hour, I seldom think of it for dinner. And that’s a shame because, as I recently rediscovered, the evening meal may well be the restaurant’s strongest suit.

The dinner menu offers a sophisticated blend of Mediterranean-style food infused with fresh Northwest ingredients. A charcoal-grilled Copper River salmon topped with a terrific slightly sweet mango-tomato chutney, for instance. Or Ellensburg-raised lamb chops marinated in a mixture of red wine, olive oil and garlic.

Niko’s II chef-owner Laith Elaimy credits his mother, Amal, with teaching him the basics, but he has never been content treading water. He pores over food magazines for inspiration and occasionally makes culinary pilgrimages to restaurant meccas such as Los Angeles to sample the latest trends. He names Wolfgang Puck, of Spago fame, as one of his role models.

On his latest dinner menu - introduced in April - a substantial lineup of new items joined such standards as stuffed grape leaves, Greek salad and spanakopita, a delicious spinach pie enveloped in flaky phyllo dough.

One of the new dishes to make an impression on my palate was the skordalia, a whipped potato dip loaded with garlic. It’s served cold with pita bread and veggies for dipping. It’s unusual but deceptively simple - something like mashed potatoes. The texture is made creamy smooth with the addition of olive oil. And a jolt of lemon juice brightens up the entire mix. I realize it might sound crazy to get so excited about cold spuds, but I’m nuts about this dish.

At dinner last week, our threesome sampled a calamari appetizer offered as a nightly special. Thick slices of calamari steak were sauteed quickly in olive oil, then finished with lemon juice, garlic and black pepper. The calamari was served on a bed of fresh spinach.

We agreed that it was a fine preparation, especially the zesty sauce, but that calamari steak might not appeal to everyone because of its unusual texture. It’s dense and chewy and, as one member of our party put it, kind of slippery.

Our enthusiasm was considerably greater for the salad course, a concoction called fatoush ($6). The salad contained romaine lettuce, red peppers, tomatoes, artichoke hearts and cucumbers, but what made it remarkable was the lemon-mint dressing. It was wonderfully tart and refreshing, a real change of pace from a vinaigrette. I also liked the use of pita crusts as croutons.

Main course offerings run the gamut from a few variations of kebabs, curries of all types, a good selection of vegetarian entrees, along with several imaginative lamb preparations including a smoked leg of lamb.

For our entrees, we chose the walnut chicken ($12), the grilled vegetables ($11) and the seafood special, which was the fresh Copper River salmon ($14).

For the walnut chicken, a boneless chicken breast was nicely browned and finished with a creamy white wine sauce flavored with goat cheese. Generally, I’m not a fan of that tangy cheese, but its bite was tempered by the rich cream. The dish was served over pasta and garnished with a generous sprinkling of walnuts.

One diner pointed out that the dish wasn’t particularly pretty. It looked like straightforward home cooking, but the melding of rich ingredients gave it an elegant flavor.

The grilled vegetables, on the other hand, were beautifully presented. A large platter included thick slices of eggplant, red peppers, onions, artichoke hearts, zucchini and tomatoes.

The veggies had been marinated in a raspberry and olive oil dressing before they were grilled, which added a tart, fruity quality. They were perfectly cooked - slightly soft, but not mushy.

This dish made for a great candidate to share around the table. (During our dinner, we served everything family style, a request our friendly, efficient waitress was happy to accommodate by bringing extra plates.)

The highlight of the meal was the salmon. It seems like it would be hard to go wrong with a great piece of fish, but many restaurants do by overcooking it or drowning it in butter sauce.

This generous Copper River salmon filet had been cooked over a charcoal broiler, giving it a savory, smoky flavor and a slightly blackened crust. Yet it was flaky and moist throughout. And the slightly sweet, tart mango-tomato chutney proved to be a fine complement. Rather than overwhelming the flavor of the fish, it accentuated it.

My only minor complaint with the meal was with the pita bread. At best, the pitas served at Niko’s are soft and warm, but they don’t have much character at all. I prefer the thick pancakelike pitas they serve at Azar’s. They are more of a substantial bread compared to the bland pita pockets, which I think of as a cracker.

Also, I find the atmosphere at Niko’s pleasant but rather sterile. When you’re aspiring to set a fine dining tone, it might help to make the setting more intimate by softening the lighting and using linen tablecloths and napkins.

Still, if it comes down to a choice between good food and a great atmosphere, I’d opt for the creative chow. And that’s what I’ve always enjoyed about Niko’s.

Over the years, I’ve relished many fine meals and suffered few disappointments. A recent dinner was marred by overcooked, flavorless lamb chops, which were subsequently subtracted from the bill. It turns out it was Elaimy’s night off.

A return visit for that memorable dinner, however, reaffirmed my longtime membership in the Niko’s fan club.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Niko’s II Address: 725 W. Riverside, 624-7444 Meals: Mediterranean Prices: lunch $5-$8; dinner $8-$15 Days, hours: lunch weekdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; dinner 4-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursday and until 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays Alcohol: beer and wine Smoking: non-smoking Reservations: yes Credit cards: AE, DC, MC, V Personal checks: yes

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