Greek, Italian? Just Up The Road A Piece

Contos Pizza Pie, 20611 Bothell Highway S.E., Thrashers Corner, Bothell. 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Visa, MasterCard. Beer, wine. Food to go. 486-8898.

-- BOTHELL

Thrashers Corner. The name conjures images of feed stores and tractor parts. John Boy scribbling on a Big Nickle pad. Stray cows.

This way-north Bothell intersection certainly does not suggest the place to be for souvlaki, canneloni, pizza and piroski. But it should, because just up the road a mite from that Feed Center is Contos. Greek and Italian cuisine in the country.

Or what used to be the country. Thrashers Corner is at the hub of a burgeoning suburb.

Lunchtime at Contos is busy. An able staff gets you seated, graciously fed and out the door to that next appointment without having to worry about the clock. Not that you can't linger over lunch if you wish. No one is pushy, just prompt.

Lunches can be chosen from the Greek or Italian side of the menu. Contos is a Mediterranean restaurant, so certain spices - oregano, allspice, cumin - drift from dish to dish. There's a cohesiveness in the flavors no matter what the country. Rich, strong and very red. Ordering from both sides will help you find all the geographic pleasure points of your palate.

A recent lunch order included a 6-inch a la carte pizza with sausage and mushrooms ($3.50), a Piroski ($4), and a Greek salad ($5.25).

The Contos pizza was made on a thick, airy deep-dish dough. Very light, almost spongy. The sauce was rich and oregano heavy. It wasn't a stingy spread, but a little more wouldn't have hurt.

The toppings were generous. If it lacked a tad in the sauce department, it more than made up for it with the mozzarella. And the pizza is cooked under a fire so it gets a little skin that holds everything in. Very nice.

The salad was fresh and of good size. The lettuce, tomato, olives and green pepper were topped with lots of feta cheese and a light oil-and-vinegar dressing. A good dish on a hot summer day.

The piroski was a real treat. Roughly the size of a chimichanga burrito, the parchment-thin phyllowrap was filled with lots oftender beef, laced with a pungent nutmeg-and-cinnamon mix. The finished product was topped with a red meat sauce.

The dinner menu is extensive. More than 30 items from $6.75 for ravioli to $11.99 for a Greek Plate of souvlaki, meatballs, dolmathes, rice and pita bread. Almost all are served with soup or salad and garlic bread. Another dozen-plus special pizzas also are on the list.

A recently sampled veal parmesan was a tender, meaty morsel, although the breading was a bit heavy. The accompanying lasagna was very nice. Also tried was an appetizer, skordalia ($3) a dip of garlic and potato puree and eaten with pita bread. You have to love garlic and not mind cold potato. Definitely different.

As is Contos. Greek/Italian may not be what you expect to find in old Thrashers Corner, but try it. It ain't hay.

Restaurant reviews are a regular Wednesday feature of the Seattle Times Snohomish County section. Reviewers visit restaurants unannounced and pay in full for all their meals. When they interview members of the restaurant staff, they do so only after the meals and services have been appraised.