The Palladium has been a popular Cole Harbour establishment since the early years of the decade. Owner/Operators Fernando Lucas and Taso Tsirigotis have been in the restaurant business for years and in 2001 were part of a partnership that became owners of the Palladium. Three years ago also assumed full ownership.

The Palladium’s regulars have come to know the top-notch quality, variety and value of the offerings on the menu. The Palladium’s specialty is Greek cuisine, but you’ll find everything from steaks to pasta and seafood on the menu.

You may have noticed the exterior face lift the restaurant has undergone over the past few months. New siding and roofing have spruced up the exterior and if you haven’t been in for a while, the interior has been given a refreshing, bright, Mediterranean look as well.

Fernando greeted us this evening and escorted us to our table. Fernando suggested we start off with Palladium Nachos. Don’t expect any run of the mill nachos here. These are nachos with a Greek attitude! Instead of the standard tortilla chips, the nachos are served over wedges of pita bread, topped with mozzarella, romano and feta cheese. With a generous sprinkling of green onions, diced tomato and black olives, and tzatziki sauce for dipping, you have a very unique and delicious twist on an old appetizer favourite.

For our entrees, we sampled the house specialty chicken souvlaki dinner and the grilled haddock. The souvlaki was a very large portion with two skewers of chicken. Served along with the chicken were the traditional sides of roasted potatoes and Greek salad. The chicken was grilled to perfection and when accompanied by a quick dip in tzatziki, makes for a wonderful taste sensation. You will love the roasted potatoes as well. Beautifully golden roasted, you’ll detect a brushing of lemon giving them a delightful flavour.

Mrs. SNAP was presented with a large portion of grilled haddock. This was a beautiful presentation (for haddock)! Presented between a bed of rice and a colourful serving of broccoli and carrots, the entree was quite eye catching. Regular readers will know that Mrs. SNAP is the seafood expert in the family, and once again, came through with a two-thumbs-up for the menu selection at The Palladium.

For dessert we wanted to try some of the items made fresh in the kitchen. Taso is the go-to-guy for these. He has perfected the art of baklava! The phyllo pastry and honey-almond combination is a perfect dessert for an incurable sweet tooth! We also sampled Taso’s home-made ekmek. This was a first-time experience for me and I have to tell you that this is one of the finest desserts of its kind in the area. This is a traditional Greek dessert that features an amazing combination of shredded phyllo pastry with a layer of custard and thick home-made whip cream, all topped off with honey syrup with roasted walnuts chips added. This is a very light dessert and a great way to end your meal when accompanied by a nice cup of hot coffee.

The combination of great food and excellent value is a given at The Palladium. You will not find an entree over $18, and the variety and overall quality of the menu selection will bring you back again and again for lunch or breakfast. You will find a wide breakfast selection on the menu and there’s lots of hot coffee to get you going in the morning. A perfect start to your day!