Konsta’s
2526 Floyd Ave.
Lunch Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Dinner Monday-Friday 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 5 p.m.-11 p.m.
359-3122

Back in the old days, circa the early ’80s, the corner of Floyd and Robinson in the Fan was a bustling restaurant enclave of two successful eateries — Soble’s and Commercial Café. Soble’s, which had one of the first al fresco patios, eventually packed up and moved to the corner of Robinson and Main, and the Commercial Café, purveyor of some of the finest ribs ever eaten by this reviewer, just plain packed up.

In 1990, when Konsta’s opened in Soble’s old location, some of us had a hard time accepting a newcomer. Plus, they didn’t seem quite official with one of those plastic banner signs hanging in the window. Well, years later, there’s no question about Konsta’s authenticity — they’ve got a real sign and a wonderful menu.

We arrived at Konsta’s at 7:30 p.m. on a Friday night and found the place only half full. Perhaps, their usual clientele had vacated to fabulous summer homes — we were glad of it and had only a two-minute wait while a table was prepared. Varnished dark woods with a high gloss like that of boat trim and stained glass windows flood Konsta’s with atmosphere. Green marble-esque table tops and wall panels, an expansive painted mural and accent mirrors all add to the visual appeal.

Seated in a booth with a view of the kitchen (I do not understand why some restaurants fail to put doors on their kitchens. There is nothing enticing about looking at freezers of food and prep counters.), we took our time perusing the menu. Truly, there is something for almost everyone on this menu: Italian, Greek, salads, chicken, seafood, beef, veal, etc. Most items are priced in the teens.

Since our entrees were to be served with a choice of soup or salad, we decided to forego appetizers although the calamari was tempting.

Bottomless Pitt’s house salad arrived quickly. Comprised of mixed greens, red onions, a slice of cuke and tomato, the salad looked good, but he reported that it was swimming in house vinaigrette and appeared to have been refrigerated for a while before being served. I ordered soup, the Greek specialty avgolemono. It was delicious with chunks of chicken, onion, rice and a savory broth, not to mention that signature hint of lemon.

For dinner, B.P. decided on a special, yellow-fin tuna ($17.95) cooked a variety of ways — he chose to have it blackened. A thinner than usual portion (about 3/4-inch thick) was tender and very spicy. His side of spaghettini was “excellent” (this coming from the grandson of an Italian grandmother who perfected the art of marinara), as was the half tomato covered with spinach and Parmesan and broiled.

I opted for the seafood cilantro ($18.95), a regular offering, and did not regret it. Scallops, shrimp and chunks of salmon were bathed in a creamy cilantro sauce and ladled over tomato, spinach and egg fettuccini.

Despite a couple of shortcomings (the scallops were a touch undercooked and some of the pasta was stuck together), the dish was generally very tasty. The seafood portions were generous and the cilantro flavoring was perfectly balanced with the cream sauce. The portion filled me up before I cleaned my plate.

We certainly did not need dessert but, when our waiter brought a tray of samples for us to gaze upon, we couldn’t resist. I chose the rich and buttery peanut butter pie ($4.25). B.P. had been eyeing the table card that describes various ice cream sundaes, and he succumbed to hot fudge over two scoops of chocolate chip ice cream ($3.50). Both desserts were very satisfactory.

I’d go back to Konsta’s in a heartbeat. The service was attentive yet unobtrusive. Our glasses stayed full and questions were answered knowledgeably. Our waiter suggested a good bottle of Col-Di-Sasso red wine ($16.95) and did not steer us wrong. Not only did the service please us, but there were plenty of other items on the menu that beckoned. And with soup and salad included, the prices were reasonable. The two of us ate and drank for less than $70 — not a cheap date but good value for portions received. In my opinion, the corner at Robinson and Floyd is still worth a