la.foodblogging

Where does the “Westside” begin? Western? Highland? Hmmm …

Anyway, I went East of where I live and work to go to Papa Cristo on the North-East corner of Pico and Normandie.

Two of my friends have Greek in their family tree. One of them in a pilgrimage to explore his Greek religious roots asked me to join him in a visit to St. Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral. My other friend has Greek on her father’s side of the family. In fact, when I mentioned I was going to Papa Cristo, she said the owner is her grandmother’s cousin!

The famed Greek restaurant and market was quite busy. Me and my friend went on a Thursday night which is the night they have a belly dancer! I attempted to take photos but she was moving too fast for my lagging edge technology of a digital camera (you push the button and it doesn’t take the photo until a fraction of a second later) so I’ll have to be content to show you a photo of the crowd and two of the dishes on our dining table. I had the lamb chops (shown in photo) while my friend had the steak.

We also split the eggplant appetizer.

The atmosphere of the place is bright and happy. There is something about the liveliness of cultures on the Mediterranean!

The love for life reputation of Greek culture was very evident when the dancer came out as the crowd clapped to the music and the more adventurous dinners joined her in moving to the music.

Service is bare bones but friendly: you place your order at the grill and take a number to your table. You get your own water from dispensers and the staff brings you your order when it is ready.

The food is delicious with good sized portions and relatively inexpensive. Check out the menu.

I plan to be back!

Papa Cristo
2771 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(323) 737-2970 (phone)
(323) 737-3571 (fax)
Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday: 9am - 8pm
Sunday: 9am - 4pm
Closed Mondays

By Rene (see more of his posts). You can find more of Rene's writing at his own website Rene's Ramblings