July 20th 2003     Maine Sunday Telegram
Dimitri's a classic Greek eatery, right down to the hospitality
By C.Z. Cramer
A Greek restaurant is tucked, of all places, at one end of a small strip mall on Route 1 in Scarborough. Dimitri's, owned and operated by Angelo and Bess Roumeliotis, has a traditional wood-fired brick oven and a fine selection of traditional dishes.
The decor is pleasantly plain and simple, with pastel-washed stucco walls and a polished, stone-tiled floor. The clean, serene effect is sort of a modern Maine echo of urban Greek marble-floored interiors. Greenery provides visual contrast. Our party was seated near sliding glass doors that open onto a protected wooden deck alongside the building where there are tables for outdoor seating.
The wine list has a nice selection of Greek wines, which we focused on rather than the domestic or Italian. Boutari red, white, rose, and retsina and Demestica white and red table wines and sweet Mavrodaphne are among those available by the glass (from $4.75), a couple of which we sampled while studying the menu. Our waiter brought them with ice water and a basket of homemade bread — squares cut from a fresh, tender, fine-textured white loaf that we dipped in the olive oil from the cruet set on the table.
The menu is a comprehensive collection of Greek favorites, some of them embellished a bit. But the fundamental appetizers, salad, grilled lamb, beef, and seafood and roast chicken, as well as a couple of pasta and braised meat dishes are there. The labor-intensive baked classics — spanakopita; pastitsio, a casserole of ground meat and macaroni casserole bound with béchamel sauce; and the eggplant-layered moussaka, are also offered. There is a five-course Greek tasting menu for $30 per person.
Dimitri's has an excellent appetizer sampler plate. Diners can choose any combination of tzatziki, taramosalata, stuffed grape leaves, and loukaniko sausage ($5, $7, $9 for two, three, or four selections). Our group chose all four, and they arrived attractively arranged on a platter lined with baby lettuce and scattered with kalamata olives.
Tzatziki, the thick and creamy yogurt and cucumber dip, was made rich and mild thanks to judicious restraint with the garlic and dill and the addition of a bit of sour cream. The mellow tzatziki contrasted nicely with a very assertive taramosalata. This love-it-or-hate-it spread is made of salted carp roe whipped with soaked bread, olive oil and lemon in ratios determined by the whim of the cook. Dimitri's version was bold with plenty of roe. With the dips came hot, heavenly wedges of freshly grilled homemade pita-bread triangles.
Stuffed grape leaves were small, tender, rice-stuffed, and lemony. Such meatless dolmathes are very good dipped in tzatziki. Loukaniko sausage, neatly cut into lengths and grilled, was a stand-out — exotically spicy, fine-textured, and grill-marked.
The servings of sausage and grape leaves were as generous as the dips and we all kept reaching our forks to the platter. We all fell upon a plate of expertly fried calamari with the same enthusiasm ($8). Rings and tangles of tentacles were dipped in fine cornmeal, which put a nice crunch on the tender flesh. They were piled on more of the young lettuce leaves and garnished with lemon wedges and a cup of hot, spicy red salsa that, while not exactly a Greek condiment, was quite good.
The fun of taverna dining is that it is so social. There is much sharing of food from central platters and dipping of bread; such informality inspires conversation.
Greek salad began with a bed of lettuce heaped with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet red and yellow peppers, red onions, olives, and feta ($5). The serving was plenty to share and the dressing was a vinaigrette that tasted of both balsamic and wine vinegars.
Other appetizers included mussels steamed with wine, tomatoes, and basil ($8), and a ramekin of goat cheese baked with a caramelized top and served with prosciutto and bread ($6).
With our entrees, we ordered a bottle of Boutari Nemea red table wine ($21). Nemea is a Pelopponesian wine-growing region, and this medium red nicely suited the food. Greek wine and food have a magical affinity, and Dimitri's has a wine list that allows you to explore a good distance beyond retsina if you wish.
Dimitri's serves the popular skewered and grilled lamb souvlaki ($15), but we opted instead for the rack of lamb special offered that night ($26). A nicely seasoned rack of eight ribs was grilled and carved into double chops before serving. The lamb was tender, mild, and flavorful; it was grilled a bit past the medium rare we ordered but did not suffer for it.
The restaurant has a wood-fired brick oven, in which Atlantic salmon ($17) was baked at high heat. The huge filet was grand in its simplicity. The lamb and the fish were both accompanied by sautéed, seasoned summer squashes with bell pepper strips and a basic rice pilaf.
Full as we were — portions are Olympian here — we ordered the classic pastry galaktobouriko ($5) and a glass of Mavrodaphne ($7) so that we all might have a taste. Very good, tender homemade fillo pastry encased a semolina-thickened milk custard, and the crust was soaked in a fragrant lemon honey syrup after baking. The sweet dessert wine was a fine accompaniment.
The cup of strong Greek coffee ($2.50) was the real thing, and so is Dimitri's. For anyone who has visited Greece, there is irresistible food nostalgia to be found here. The meze (appetizer) dishes with grilled, homemade pita bread particularly delighted us. Dimitri's food and wines capture the spirit of the taverna and the friendly Roumeliotises and their staff convey the soul of Greek hospitality.
HOW IT RATES
Dimitri's 185 Route 1, Scarborough
883-9800
Food: ****
Service: ****
Credit cards: MC, Visa, American Express
Vegetarian dishes: Yes
 Reservations: Are accepted
Bar: Full
Wheelchair access: Homemade bread and tender lamb, olives, grape leaves, feta cheese and wine — Dimitri's has all the timeless elements of the Greek table, right down to the baklava, ouzo and hospitality

Hours: Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; Dinner 4-9 p.m.Tues..-Thurs., until 9:30 Fri. and Sat.
Closed Sunday

Portland Press

By Elenor Steele

December 31st 1999

Food ****

Service****

Scarborough Open since July Dimitri's Restaurant is a delightful

place to a Greek Style lunch or dinner.

Located in a small Shopping plaza near the Scarborough exit of I-295 it is easy to find and there is ample parking.

Dimitri's dining room is large and airy. The pale peach-washed walls are filled with windows that look out onto a patio for summer dinning. The pastel tiloe-topped tables are attractive, and there are lots of natural wood touches.

Dimitri's has a wood fired grill and a brick oven and many of the offerings including some of the desserts are cooked there.

My Spanakopita came on a large pottery plate with a bed of rice and a colorful salad. The rice was sticky, gooey and good. The Salad was made of spinach,ripe tomatoes,red peppers,red onions,Feta ,and Greek Olives, topped with pomegranates. The Spanakopita was a real treat Spinach mixed with scallions,Feta, and eggs filled flaky layers of phylo pastry baked to a golden brown.

My companion's chicken Gyro consisted of wood grilled chicken breast served in a Greek pita with onions and tomatoes,all in a creamy mild spicy Gyro sauce.

Other tempting dishes on the menu are Pasticio, wich is made of macaroni in alternet layers of seasoned beef under a corn based Bashamil sauce , and Mousaka which consists of eegplant,potatoes, and seasoned beef topped with Bashamil sauce.

For dessert we shared a grilled banana. Split lenthwise, one half was drizzled with chocolate sauce and the other half with caramel dusted with powder coco and suger,it made a fine dessert.