Costa's

There's plenty of crap food in Seattle, and as we try new restaurants we've been disappointed more times than we've been pleased with the cuisine. (In particular, the Mexican food is vastly inferior to that in the Bay Area, and "bland" seems to be the chefs' preferred spice in these parts.) On the bright side, Greek food seems much more prevalent here, and one restaurant Oscar and I discovered during our first days here has become a family favorite: Costa's Restaurant in the U District.

Today's breakfast of a Greek scramble, with olives, onions, spinach and feta, had just the right proportions of everything. And you can get fruit instead of hash browns! The Greek salad is also just right, and Oscar's favorites are the Avgolemono (chicken soup with rice and whipped egg-lemon sauce) and the prawns and spaghetti. Chris favors the gyros.

The decor is certainly lacking, reminiscent of an '80s fern bar, and on weekends Costa's fills with purple-clad students and parents headed to the UW football games. It's a roomy, family-type place with hearty portions, free coffee refills, and lots of newspapers and magazines to linger over. Perfect for family dining, but I would also happily eat here by myself.