Kouzzina by Cat Cora

Last week I had the honor of attending the Grand Opa’ning of Kouzzina by Cat Cora at Disney’s Boardwalk. As I entered the restaurant I was immediately drawn into the party. The amazing trio played beautiful up-beat Greek music that made me want to dance. The dark wood and beautiful light fixtures really help you feel like you are home.

So that we could get a taste of lots of things available on the menu they served us 12 courses! I tried most of them and I really liked 6 of them.

• Spiro’s Greek Salad Vine-ripened Tomatoes, Arugula, Cucumbers, Red Onions, Kalamata Olives, and Feta. This was delicious!
• Kouzzina Spreads Harissa Yogurt, Kalamata Fig, and Chickpea Hummus with grilled pita. This was good.
• Spanakopita Traditional Phyllo Pie of Spinach, Feta, Leeks, and Dill. This was surprisingly good, I would definately order it again.
• Pastitsio Greek-style Lasagna with Bucatini Pasta, Cinnamon-stewed Meat Sauce, and Bechamel. This seems like an odd combination of flavors with a strong cinnamon scent. It did taste pretty good though.
• Oak-grilled Lamb Burger with Olives and Feta. I love lamb but this was very, very spicy hot. I could barely eat 2 bites.
• Fisherman’s Stew Scallops, Seasonal Fish, Shellfish, Fennel, Grilled Bread and Ouzo Butter. I didn’t try this because I am not a seafood person.
• Cinnamon Stewed Chicken with Tomatoes, Herbed Orzo, and Mizithra Cheese. This was my very favorite. It is from Cat’s mother’s recipe. This is the meal that Cat always requested for her birthday meal.
• Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Capers and Lemon. I didn’t try this but those who did raved about them as the best Brussel Sprouts they had ever eaten.
• Chilled Salt-Roasted Beets with Skordalia. Skordalia is a cold, heavily garlic laden mashed potato. This was good, but for me, an odd flavor combination.
• Oven-baked Gigantes Beans with Tomato Sauce and Olive Oil. I didn’t try these.
• Dessert Trio Sampler Chocolate Budino Cake-delicious!, Baklava-always yummy, and Greek-style Yogurt Sorbet with a raspberry mint sauce. This was my favorite of the three desserts.
• Tableside Frappe A refreshing chilled blend of Coffee, Milk, and Natural Sugar served over Ice. I didn’t try this because I don’t drink coffee.

We were also served the “Cat Flight” of Cat Cora’s own Coranation Wines which included Coranation, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, Coranation, Chardonnay, Russian River, and Coranation, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast. We were also served a shot of Ouzo to toast with. I do not drink alcohol so, I didn’t try any of these.

I highly recommend Kouzzina for a wonderful family meal. I hope to be able to bring my entire family to eat at Kouzzina in the very near future.