Like its fellow Giorgios Bakatsias restaurant Vin Rouge, Kipos transports the diner to another place—not a bistro in France, this time, but a sunwashed Greek isle. The airy, bustling restaurant, which occupies Penang’s former spot on West Franklin Street, resembles a taverna out of Mamma Mia!, with white walls, homey furniture, and oversized glass lamps that evoke fisherman’s buoys.
The food, at least the sampling we tasted, ranges from good to excellent. The stuffed squid appetizer was a textural delight: Both the squid and the Carolina rice it cradled had the perfect crisp-tender bite.They were redolent of parsley and the oceanic flavor of squid ink.
To those more accustomed to lamp chops and shanks, the grilled lamb may come in a surprising form: a steak. Like the squid, it was chewy-tender and well-seasoned.
The kakavia, a fisherman’s stew featuring fish, shrimp, scallops, and squid, boasted an appealing blend of tomato, fish, and dill flavors. After a few bites, however, it proved over-salted.
A restaurant complex, Kipos also incorporates a Greek bakery and Kalamaki, an annex serving street food. The bakery offers crumbly, anise-scented Greek cookies alongside breads, breakfast pastries, and the more familiar baklava. It’s also the place where you can get a generous slice of spankotiropita to go. Each bite of this phyllo pie, stuffed with spinach and feta, has a soft center and compelling slightly sour finish.
Kalamaki’s lamb skewers, which come in a pita with lettuce, tomatoes, and tzatziki, are a cut above typical gyros. They’re made with real lamb, not the processed beef-lamb blend found in most quick lunch-stop gyros, and that lamb is toothsome and piquantly seasoned. As it’s not as fatty as the guilty-pleasure processed stuff, though, it’s also not as filling. Prices are a bit high for the portion size.
The Courtyard location has seen its share of good restaurants come and go—Bonne Soiree, Penang, Pyewacket, Crepes by Veronique—a shame, given that it’s so atmospheric. Sitting outside Kalamaki, listening to the trickle of the fountain and the sitar player on the porch of Vimala’s, you can imagine yourself far from North Carolina. Kipos, one can hope, will break the curse and remains a longstanding player in the Chapel Hill restaurant scene.
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