Dining Divas at Goose Loonies
Dining Divas at Goose Loonies
The Dining Divas
Goose Loonies Uptown Cafe
A new favorite is back in town. Goose Loonies Uptown Cafe, which previously held a location at the corner of 19th and H streets, has re-opened on 18th just off of Q Street. This month, the Dining Divas take in a bit of the old country with a new twist to a familiar name as they explore a menu as diverse as Bakersfield.
A new place is back in town
Lydia - I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the Goose Loonies sign go up on 18th Street a few months back. The new Goose Loonies has the same owners that previously operated the restaurant at 19th and H streets.
Tracy - It was my first time at Goose Loonies’ new location. Once the Far East Café located next to Thorp’s Harley Davidson, Goose Loonies is once again a popular meeting spot for lunch, dinner, drinks and sports. This is not the same ambiance as before – it’s better. With six big screen televisions to watch the game and a huge bar on one side of the room as well as chenille-lined booths on a raised platform, the new Goose Loonies is open and spacious with colorful décor and lively atmosphere.
Penny - I have missed the Goose on the restaurant scene. This will be a prime location when the Mill Creek Project opens.
Ambiance
Lydia - While similar in spirit to the original, the new, smaller location seems to have grown up a bit. The peanut shells on the floor have been replaced by ceramic tile, and while there’s still a sports bar theme, it’s equally balanced with Greek décor. Sports memorabilia shares wall space with Greek columns, stenciling and mosaics. The abundant beer taps are back – I counted an impressive 21 – but they’re anchored in a more elegant wooden bar topped with dark granite. Add in exposed brick walls, an open-beamed ceiling and abundant warm lighting and it’s clear the owners embraced their roots, dusted them off and polished them up for today’s diner.
Penny - The dining area has booths that hug the side opposite the bar area and bar height seating is positioned in the middle of the dining room.
Outside and overflow seating is available in the back of the restaurant where a tent has been pitched.
A look at the menu
Tracy - The diverse menu features many favorite bar foods from appetizers like nachos and calamari to sandwiches like the French dip and steak sandwiches to burgers, chicken fried steak and pork loin chops. Best of all, the authentic Greek dishes are back along with the addition of bistro pizzas.
Lydia - We decided to focus on the Greek food during our lunch, and there was plenty to choose from. We quickly found the usual dishes – chicken and lamb gyros, falafel, pita, hummus, Greek salad and souvlaki. We were also intrigued by dishes we could barely say and definitely could not spell like saganaki, tiropita & spanaicopita, keftethes and dolmathes.
For starters
Tracy - We started with Saganaki – Greek kefalotyri cheese fried and flambéed tableside ($9.99). The fried cheese is rich and sweet with a wonderful golden crust on top and served in a cast iron skillet, accompanied by grilled pita bread slices and garnished with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, onion and parsley relish.
Lydia - Admittedly, we ordered this dish because it is served on fire. As the fried cheese was set aflame and with a hearty flaming “Opa!”, we all dug into this wonderful dish.
Katie - You may not want to order this every time for love of your arteries, but you should try it at least once. The Saganaki is one part theater, one part appetizer and great fun to share with the table.
Penny - Buffalo Wings were next. They are available in mild, hot, suicide or honey garlic.
We opted for the hot. They arrived piled high next to ranch dressing, carrots and celery.
The sauce was tangy and the level of spiciness was not overpowering. We dove in and decided that these wings would be great with a cold beer, friends and a game.
Our Greek meal
Tracy - We ordered the following for our entrees: Lydia picked the Ouzo Shrimp with Feta ($11.99) while Penny called dibs on the Gyro ($8.99). Katie went for Jimmy’s Greek Pizza ($14.59) and I decided on Chicken Souvlaki ($12.99). Lydia - Despite being listed in the appetizer section of the menu, the Ouzo Shrimp with Feta proved to be a very satisfying meal.
Eight large shrimp were sautéed in a savory sauce of ouzo, tomato, garlic, basil, green pepper and onion then topped with feta crumbles. While the ouzo flavor was definitely there, it wasn’t so strong that it overpowered the dish. In fact, it was the essence of ouzo and the sprinkling of feta that gave the dish its definite Greek flavors in what would otherwise resemble something Italian.
The only request I would have is that the kitchen help diners out and remove the tails. Unless shrimp are meant to be finger food, I appreciate when the kitchen takes the extra step and serves them tailless.
Penny - I chose the Lamb Gyro – a pita wrap stuffed with meat and topped off with tzatziki sauce (a blend of yogurt, cucumbers, olive oil, vinegar and spices), tomatoes and onion. It was perfect, just like I remembered.
The lamb was crispy on the edges and moist in the middle, the sauce was cool and tart and the pita bread was warm and soft.
It was a concert of flavors and textures. The fries were hot, salty and crispy, just like fries should be.
Katie - I ordered Jimmy’s Greek Pizza and I have to confess, this pizza was so good I went back for seconds just a few days later.
Jimmy’s Greek Pizza has everything you might expect on a Greek pizza with the exception of the thinly sliced roast lamb that Goose Loonies uses in their gyros. The combination of tangy feta, sweet and juicy pieces of plum tomato, crunchy green bell peppers, spicy red onion and perfectly salty kalamata olives is just plain delicious. I savored the taste of sweet tomato, the salt of kalamata olive and the richness of the lamb in each bite.
Tracy - My Chicken Souvlaki consisted of many large chunks of chicken breast served on a skewer with red and green peppers and onions on top of a bed of Mediterranean rice pilaf. The chicken was marinated in a lemon pepper sauce that was very tender, tangy and juicy. The Chicken Souvlaki is served with grilled pita and tzatziki sauce and is very good, filling and healthy.
Impressions
Katie - While I was impressed by the zest in the menu, I was equally impressed by the fl air of the restaurant itself. Goose Loonies is a great reason why people should be paying more attention to downtown. Guys can be found at the bar watching sports as well as gals gathering for conversation. The restaurant has something for everyone without compromising flavor in the menu or pizzazz in the atmosphere. Go for the Greek food but stay for the friendly service, the unique charm and the diverse menu.