15 Jun Take a journey to Greece at Delphi Greek on Westwood Blvd.

It is easy to overlook many restaurants in LA. Drive down the street and tell me if you can name every restaurant you pass and if you have eaten there. One of these that I have driven by is Delphi Greek. Located on Westwood Blvd, just south of Westwood Village, it is possible I have driven by it for decades as it has been open for 32 years! Ten years ago, Persian businessman Roozbeh Farahanipour purchased the restaurant. As the street is filled with Persian businesses, he was pressured to change the theme of the restaurant. However, Farahanipour has been a lover of Greek wines for many years and he decided that he wanted to honor the tradition of the restaurant and maintain the diversity on the street. Walking into Delphi Greek will make you feel like you have entered a cafe in Santorini, Greece. The restaurant is not large and the decor is simple. But the white-washed stucco walls and bright blue tablecloths and painted wall accents are like many of the restaurants I ate at when I was in Greece. Farahanipour’s passion for Greece is visible in his Greek wine list as well as the wall filled with framed Time Magazine covers featuring a Greek personality or a Greek headline. Farahanipour has a copy of almost every single cover. Funnily enough, Delphi Greek is even more Greek under its Persian owner than it was under its Greek owner who used to have tacos on the menu. The broad menu offers many traditional Greek dishes we all know and love and the flavors are authentic. And giving it the stamp of approval, the restaurant is regularly frequented by the Counsel General of Greece Gregory Karahalios. There are cold appetizers, including the Cold Combo which includes Tzatziki Melitzanosalata, Hummus, Tabouli, Kalamata Olives and Pita as well as Dolmades filled with rice. For hot appetizers, the Avgolemono, chicken broth with rice, chicken, whipped egg and fresh lemon juice, is so tangy and tasty and the Warm Dolmades which are stuffed with ground beef and rice, are topped with the tangy avgolemono sauce.   Another warm appetizer favorite is the Fried Saganaki, Greek Kefalotiri cheese flamed tableside with Cognac. Two signature dishes are the Pastitsio (pasta, ground beef, bechamel sauce and feta cheese) and Moussaka (eggplant, potato, ground beef, bechemel sauce and feta cheese) For main dishes, there is chicken, pork, lamb, beef and fish selections. From pork chops to lamb to rainbow trout, the meats are marinated in olive oil and Greek herbs. The dishes are simple but full of flavor. Farahanipour’s wife is a pastry chef so if you have room at the end of the meal try baklava or the galaktobouriko. Delphi Greek 1383 Westwood Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90024 (310) 478-2900