"We don't have those"...

...the waiter at Olive You (Greenwood) said to me, at 11am on a Saturday morning, in response to my request, Hi, I just wanted to stop in for an omelet.

It's on the menu posted out front, I replied to his reply.

"Oh, we stopped doing that a while ago," he said, lackadaisically.

No omelets? This is a Greek restaurant?

"Yes."

That’s open for brunch?

"That’s right."

Then it’s the strangest Greek restaurant I’ll never eat in.*



* I don't count the time we went in to Olive You for take out. It was during their first month in existence. We chatted with the owner, and before you could say avgolemono he had talked us into homemade dolmathes, marinated peppers, calimari and olives for a cool $45. Apparently the only thing we didn't get was the undercoating.

Go ahead and talk about Fight Club

I'll just come right out and say it: Voula's Offshore Cafe (North Lake Union; breakfast, lunch).

I used to give people the stank eye for talking about Voula's. Talking about it meant Others could find out about Voula's, and we couldn't allow that. If one outsider found out, they'd tell someone, who would tell someone else, and pretty soon I wouldn't be able to get a table on Saturday morning.

As far as secret wars go, it was a losing battle. Voula's is right out in plain view, next door to the Northlake Tavern, itself a popular pizza joint. But the major giveaway is that Voula, the person, has her name printed on the blue awning, where anyone can see it.

Then last year Television discovered Voula's, featuring it on the Food Network's (grrrr) “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.” The war is over.

So what makes Voula's Seattle's best non-kept secret? It's the omelets, man. The silkiest eggs, the right selection of fillings, and the smoothest cheese in the Denver. Go back every weekend and try the Greek with feta and gyros sausage, or the Chili & Cheese.

A seat at the counter offers a good view of the grill. Pour the eggs, pile on the toppings, then a few minutes later -- flip-flip-flip-flip, and there you have it. A variation called the Hobo piles all the ingredients together with the hashbrowns.

And they are generously sized, but not obscenely so. You can put away an omelet and hashbrowns, and still complete your 50 mile bike ride.

Voula's is also the only place in town I know of that has egg bread toast.

Here's the segment from Food Network. Mourn the loss of the secret, but be happy Voula and her crew are getting well-deserved notoriety.