Tuxedo Village Restaurant
Neighbourhood: Tuxedo
Address: 2090 Corydon Ave
Phone: 204-897-6565
Entrées: $12-$31
Since opening in 1998, Tuxedo Village Restaurant has become a neighbourhood fixture renowned for its offering of traditional Greek fare. Last fall, original owners George and Vicky Papaioannou retired to their homeland, selling the business to Paulina Jojnowicz, a staffer who worked with the family for the last 14 years. Along with her husband Dave, Paulina is carrying on the beloved spot’s traditions and commitment to fresh and vibrant Mediterranean flavours.
Inside, alabaster columns and powder-blue terracotta tiles evoke the kinds of Aegean coastal surroundings portrayed in the paintings that adorn the walls. The quiet strumming of acoustic guitar adds to the ambience, mingling with boisterous dinner conversation and the bustling clatter exuding from the kitchen—all a perfect backdrop to the authentic array of mezes, soups, salads and meats.
Start with freshly-made dips, like salty and creamy taramasalata and zesty garlic tzatziki, ready to be eagerly scooped up with chewy pita triangles brushed with oil and aromatic oregano.
The tyropita is a true knockout with buttery flaky layers of filo perfectly enveloping gooey feta. Spanakopita bursts with spinach and cheese, a delightful contrast between creamy and crispy.
Soup and salads embody the cuisine’s devotion to freshness and colour. Earthy cabbage and carrots add vibrant crunch to the lettuce, tomato and cucumber combo of Greek salad. The Avgolemono soup is a refreshing precursor, with slivers of chicken and voluptuous amounts of rice intermingling in spoonfuls of zingy lemon broth.
Seafood, the bounty of the isles, reigns on the menu and on the table. Succulent crispy-coated prawns are punched up with tangy cocktail sauce, and bouncy rings of lightly breaded calamari accompanied by tzatziki conjure up the sensation of lounging sea-side.
Representative of Greece’s more inland regions, classic dishes of lamb and chicken are prominently featured. A light herby seasoning bolsters lamb chops’ natural juiciness. Generous skewers of chicken souvlaki coated in a rich array of fresh spices are moist and extremely tender.
After the dishes are cleared away, trays laden with freshly-made tortes, pies and cheesecakes procured from Dolce Bake Shop entice diners to submit to that final sweet craving. The toasted aroma of the house-made crème brûlée hints at the pleasures awaiting below its caramelized coating.
It is clear in the execution of every dish that Tuxedo Village continues to serve the community with passion, pride and a whole lot of familial love.
Tuxedo Village Restaurant is open Mon-Sat 11 am-9 pm.
