Mandolin Aegean Greek Bistro. I Should Have Gone to Mykonos. (Mykonos The Restaurant, Not Mykonos the Island.)

When I want a Greek meal, I usually go to Mykonos on Coral Way, but I was thinking about maybe something different.  Maria's is further down the street on Coral Way, but I was there once, and I can't remember that I thought it was better than Mykonos.  Maroosh in Coral Gables was a contender.  There's a place on Miami Beach, but I don't like going to (South) Miami Beach.  BarMeli is not open on Sundays.  So the winner was Mandolin.  It's very convenient (43rd and NE 2nd Avenue), the Yelps were very positive, and the price was reasonable.  This seemed like a good place to come to know, for future Greek jonesings.

Mandolin is crowded.  And it's noisy.  But everyone seemed to be having a good time, and whoever was responsible for those Yelp recommendations was either there again, or they'd be back soon.  The offer was a table at the top of the outdoor patio-- a table that seemed like a throne, compared to the rest of the tables on the patio-- or a table inside.  The choice was for dining al fresco.

A restaurant that crowded couldn't have had highly attentive service, and it wasn't.  I'd say adequate.  The menu is spare.  Spanakopita was not on it for dinner, and the server explained they serve them only for lunch.  Some of the usual appetizers were there, and so were some salads.  My companion and I were eating vegetarian, and not one entree qualified.  So we chose two appetizers and two salads.  The wines, by the way, were standard and too expensive.  We passed on a bottle.

The Turkish sampler was essentially uninspired.  It included hummus, shredded beets, and a melange of tomatoes and walnuts.  It was all too salty.  My companion says the stuffed zucchini was the best dish we got.  I suspect she thinks that, because it was she who picked it out.  It was so-so at best, and the tomato sauce at the base of it was simply not good.  The bulghar salad was adequately good, but it was $14, and it was neither good enough nor ample enough to have been worth it.  The Greek salad was $14, too, and it, too, was smaller than expected.  As my companion correctly pointed out, it had a monolithic slab of feta on top, and it didn't look like anyone took any particular interest or care in throwing it together.

I had sung the praises of Mykonos (restaurant), and my companion asked me if Mykonos was better.  Much.  Vastly.  Less money for more and better food.  If I had wanted to spend as much money as I did at Mandolin, I would have been far better off at BarMeli, had they been open.  The service is better anywhere else, too.