When The Urge Is For Greek, Turn Toward Tukwila

------------------------------- Restaurant review / Tukwila # #

Epiros Greek Restaurant, 15035 Pacific Highway S., Tukwila. Middle Eastern specialties, $1.50 to $12.99. Lunch 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily, $5-$7; Dinner 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. Beer and wine. Major credit cards accepted. Wheelchair accessible. 206-248-3104. -------------------------------

If not for the big sign that beckons travelers along Pacific Highway South, it would be easy to miss Epiros. It's tucked sideways to the street at the base of a triangular business section where Military Road angles into the highway. Many apparently do miss it; only two other tables were occupied at the dinner hour - surprising for a place with so much to offer.

Epiros can be confusing. The name is Greek, and upbeat contemporary Greek music plays on the sound system. But the wall murals are straight out of Egyptian tombs, and we were offered an East Indian vegetarian plate that sounded irresistible. But how could we evaluate a Greek restaurant on the strength of its Indian food? Or its bacon cheeseburger or meatloaf, for that matter?

The lengthy menu ranges from $1.50 for a cup of roasted garlic potato soup, to $12.99 for a broiled lamb chop dinner. A waiter whose voice and manner would do credit to an international diplomat asked solicitously whether I'd ever tasted retsina when I ordered it. He wanted to be sure the resinous taste wouldn't be a shock.

Retsina has the bouquet of furniture stripper. It's an acquired taste; a perfect counterpoint to a starting plate of skordalia, fragrant with garlic, served with thick, freshly baked rounds of some of the best pita bread I've ever eaten. I would defy the most dedicated anorexic to stop at just one.

A sampler plate seemed in order, to taste as much possible from the kitchen. We bypassed an included salad in favor of thick, dark lentil soup. Greek potatoes and a mound of gold-hued rice accompanied slices of roast leg of lamb that were seriously oversalted on the dish's first appearance from the kitchen; perfect the second time around. The bountiful platter included tender stuffed grape leaves and a generous slice of spanakopita - Greek for spinach strudel. Blending it with feta cheese and seasonings, then wrapping it in crisp, translucent phyllo dough, is perhaps the nicest thing anyone ever did for spinach.

We missed (by design) the karaoke in Epiros' cocktail lounge. Not to mention the belly dancer who performs at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Itemized bill, dinner for two .

Skordalia $3.99 . Dolmades 5.99 . Epiros Plate 12.99 . Retsina - 3.75 .

Tax 2.11 . Total 28.83 .

Skordalia: Potatoes mashed with garlic, olive oil and herbs, served with Greek olives.

Dolmades: Tender grape leaves stuffed with rice, ground lamb and spices. A vegetarian version is available. I'd skip the bland, lumpy avgolemono (putatively lemon) sauce next time.

Epiros Plate: Piled with lamb, rice, potatoes and a sampling of spanakopita and dolmades. Price includes soup or salad and pita bread.

Retsina: Tastes like turpentine, but once you've acquired the taste, nothing else is as good with Greek food.