On my first date with my sweetie, he suggested that we go out to dinner somewhere.  I immediately thought of Yanni's Greek Taverna in Cleveland Park.  It's that kind of a place.

OK, Yanni's isn't really a dive.  It's a no-frills Greek restaurant with tasty food, great Greek wine (at least the white wine) and an owner who looks a bit like a Greek Gerard Depardieu.

And the food is fun. 

They have all the usual appetizers, hummus, tzatziki, taramosalata, grape leaves, or just get the sampler. 

The Greek salad is huge, and my favorite, the Taverna salad (chopped lettuce with lots of fresh dill, feta cheese and dressed with tzatziki) is also big enough to share.

My favorite entrees are the charbroiled squid or octopus, and you're not into eating sea creatures, they have all of the standards as well.

In warm weather, their outdoor cafe is a place where you are sure to see someone you know, either at the next table or walking down Connecticut Avenue. 

Now, the service is a little bit on the flaky side.  A couple of the waiters are known to be occasionally grumpy - no one is going to fawn all over you.  But they do get the food to the table in a reasonable amount of time, and they'll get the order right.  And when it does arrive, I've found it to taste quite wonderful. 

And that's the most important thing, after all.