Going Greek In Juanita With A Persian Flair

------------------------------- Restaurant review / Kirkland

XX Orexi II, 11451 98th Ave. N.E., Kirkland. Lunch, dinner ($4.99-$9.99; children's menu, $3.99) 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. No smoking. Major credit cards. Beer and wine. Wheelchair access. Reservations. 425-823-2342. -------------------------------

The waiter's accent wasn't Greek. When he stepped up to the kitchen window and exchanged words with the chef, the language they spoke wasn't Greek, either. And when I asked if the exquisite floral arrangement that had just arrived was in honor of Norouz (the Iranian New Year, celebrated on this, the first day of spring), I made myself a new friend and ended up with an exotically seasoned bowl of ash-e reshteh (Persian noodle soup), courtesy of the waiter's not-so-Greek mother.

Good thing my language prof at U-Dub taught me how to say "Thank you, it's delicious" in Farsi. And it was a good thing they've got take-out boxes at Orexi, since by then I'd already downed two pita rounds smeared with taramasalata, half a horiatiki salad and a comforting cup of avgolemono soup. Our main courses had yet to arrive.

Orexi II is the latest in a quartet of Greek restaurants owned (or previously owned) by Shay Sabour, an Iranian who made his name in moussaka and dolmades, souvlaki and keftethes at Bacchus on Capitol Hill, Tantalus in Issaquah's Gilman Village, and Orexi in Bellevue - before opening this Juanita outpost last fall. Sabour was behind the stoves on my visit, and you may rest assured that he's got the Greek chef thing down pat.

A fashionable redo of a former fast-foodery situated just a Kalamata's throw from Lake Washington, Orexi offers a sunny atrium on one side and a darker, small-cafe atmosphere on the other. Walls are dressed with art inspired by ancient Greece and painted a warm butterscotch. Statuary and hookahs add to the decor.

Sabour's menu is lengthy - ranging from Greek appetizers, soups, salads and sandwiches (burgers, too), to complete lunch specials (with soup or salad, $5.99-$6.99) and entrees including Greek-accented versions of seafood, chicken, lamb and vegetarian fare. You'll be more than pleased at what ten bucks will buy, and if you learn to say "Merci, kheli khoshmaze!" with a decent Persian accent, you may end up with no room for Sabour's justly acclaimed galactoboureko.

TARAMASALATA: Mercifully light on the garlic, this creamy fish roe and potato spread and its excellent warm pita may make your figure less than Greek, but it'll be worth it.

DIONYSUS PLATE: A little bit of this, a little bit of that translates as a lot of food: gyros (a broiled mix of lamb and beef on pita), moussaka (luscious cinnamon-scented ground meat-and-eggplant casserole), spanakopita (spinach and feta in phyllo), and dolmades (steamed grape leaves enfolding rice and ground meat). Rice and vegetables on the side. Soup or salad first.

KALAMARAKIA: Squid fans shouldn't miss this egg-battered, pan-fried, lightly handled seafood specialty, spritzed with lemon and rich with almonds. Available as an appetizer if you'd rather ($6.99), though the entree price includes soup or salad (we subbed an admirable Greek salad for the house greens).

Orexi II Itemized bill, meal for two:

Taramasalata $3.99 Dionysus plate $9.99 Kalamarakia entree $7.50 Horiatiki salad add-on $2.99 2 iced teas $2.50

Tax $2.45 TOTAL: $29.42