Food Review: Laterna, the Light of College Road

Who knew a former Perkins could contain such greatness? Many night owls and early risers were sad to see the 24-hour Perkins close -- certainly not because of stellar cuisine but more because of convenience and never-ending service. Well, the new tenant doesn’t hold with the same crazy hours, but they come close and the food is really good.

Feta and hummus lovers, rejoice! I am a feta cheese addict and despite shameless wheedling and bribing of waistaff city-wide, I could never get enough "extra" feta when I ordered it, sigh. At Laterna, when I requested extra feta on my Pasta Laterna the waitress calmly nodded and wrote it down. A minute later she was back asking if I wanted that feta cooked into my sauce, left cool and crumbled on top or broiled! Now that’s service!

The menu is decidedly Greek with lots of wonderful choices. There are the traditional and expected items: moussaka, dolmades, gyros all of which are very tasty. The Greek lemon soup is rich and satisfying and all the pasta dishes are worthwhile as well.

I haven’t had anything at Laterna that was not well prepared, but while it seems I'm skimming over intricate food descriptions that’s because I’m saving my verbosity to say this -- never, in eleven visits, with small parties, children, weekends or weeknights, breakfast, lunch or dinner, have I had inferior service or anything that was not spanking fresh or served at inappropriate temperatures. NEVER. For a menu as diverse as what they offer, the fact that my soup was always steaming and fragrant, pasta al dente -- never sad and bloated, baked potatoes hot, tender and fluffy and nary a limp or brown salad green to be found in their crisp, refreshing, not iceberg-laden salad this says volumes.

Is this place fancy? No. But it’s family-run and you can feel it even if the menu didn’t already tell you. Breakfast is good but lunch and dinner are the best and prices are reasonable for the freshness and quantity you receive. The New York Strip is actually very good, which frankly I was surprised as I’ve had my fair share of crappy steaks in this town. It’s meaty and has a true beef taste with a finish of butter and parsley.
They have a full bar and a good Greek beer called Keos. I would beg them to get rid of that New England Coffee, though. I don’t understand how they’ve weasled their way into so many eateries across town -- it is not good coffee.

Laterna Mediterranean Tavern and Grille
911 S. College Road (view map)
Breakfast 7a.m. to 2p.m.
Lunch 11a.m. to 4p.m.
Dinner 4p.m. to 9p.m. (serving later on Friday and Saturday)
(910) 793-0991
http://www.laternarestaurant.net/