An old favorite lands in Norwood

Six and a half years ago, I wrote a glowing Cheap Eats review on Taso's Euro-Cafe, then located in Quincy. Three weeks later, the place was destroyed by a fire that broke out in an adjacent Chinese restaurant. For all these years I've wondered what happened to the family that ran Taso's - and I wondered when I would ever find another Greek restaurant to match it.

Happily, both questions have been answered. Taso Kapsaskis and his cafe resurfaced in June in an unlikely spot - the Norwood Airport. It took all this time to settle claims and for him to find another site. But the airport?

He shrugs. "I was doubtful, too," he says. But he liked the parking - and the fact that it was a freestanding building; there would be no fire hazard from an adjoining business.

Taso hung a mission statement on the wall: "Our culture inspires us to share our family-style cooking with others." We're glad it does. Kapsaskis has been in the restaurant business since arriving with his parents from Kalamata, Greece, at age 15. He started washing dishes at an uncle's restaurant, was promoted to cook, and in 1983, opened his own place. Everything here - from the salad dressing to the sauces, doughs, and desserts - is made from scratch.

Start with a plate-size Greek salad ($5.95) with lots of peppers, tomatoes, carrots, olives, and feta cheese; the homemade dressing is tart and tangy. Kapsaskis calls the horiatiki ($6.95) "the real Greek salad," which includes the usual veggies along with cucumbers, green and black olives, and diced onions, all drizzled with pure Kalamata olive oil and sprinkled with pepper and Greek oregano. It comes with warm rolls to dip into the pungent olive oil.

For a snack, try the stuffed grape leaves ($5.95) cooked in olive oil and lemon juice and filled with rice and herbs. Unlike other tough, ropy versions, these melt in your mouth. We also love the creamy tzatziki dip ($4.95), which is served with toasted pita triangles and made with robust Greek yogurt, diced cucumbers, garlic, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. I would have been happy eating a bowl of this and nothing else.

But then I would have missed the pastichio ($8.95), perhaps my favorite thing here. It's the Greek version of lasagna, with long, tubular pasta from Greece, ground beef, and tomato sauce, all topped by an inch of fluffy bechamel sauce. It's moist and flavorful and comes with a Greek salad and rolls.

Everything here is seasoned just right. Kapsaskis uses Greek salt from his wife's hometown, and the last time family members went over, they brought back 50 pounds of mountain oregano, said to be among the world's most fragrant. This oregano is spicy and carries a hint of pine, perfect for the kebabs and lamb dishes that Taso's does so well.

Souvlaki is the original Greek meal; here it's chicken ($8.95) or lamb ($9.95), the grilled chunks of meat alternating on skewers with slightly charred onions and peppers. Taso's Famous Baked Lamb ($10.95) lives up to its billing. He roasts slabs of lamb shanks and simmers them in a heady tomato sauce with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg and a dash of retsina to bring out the flavor. The lamb is offered only Thursday through Saturday.

I'm running out of space here, and there's so much more. American chop suey ($5.95): a wonderful comfort food. Greek iced coffee frappe ($2.95): smooth, frothy, strong. Gyros ($4.95-$7.95): lamb and beef cooked on a rotisserie, stuffed into a pita wrap with veggies and tzatziki dip. Spinach pie ($7.95): creamy spinach and feta cheese, onions, and herbs baked in layers of crisp filo. Pizza ($4.95-$13.95): homemade dough redolent of olive oil; try the Grecian Delight with gyro meat, oozing feta, and black olives. (Taso's also offers American dishes such as subs, seafood, and chicken dinners, and the usual bar-style appetizers, though I can't vouch for them because I stick to the Greek stuff).

Then there's Maroula, Taso's wife, who does the desserts. You won't find better baklava, kataifi, milfae, cookies, and biscotti (cinnamon, walnut, or plain), all baked daily. The Norwood Airport may not be on your radar screen, but Taso's Euro-Cafe should be.