Dining out: Anna's Restaurant

MURRAY — On the day we visited Anna's Restaurant for an early weekend dinner, the sky was gray, and the day was cold and wet and blustery. I probably don't even have to tell you that we were all in the mood to eat something hot and comforting.

On that score, Anna's really hits the spot. This midvalley dining spot is the kind of place you probably remember going to with your grandma and grandpa. It's down-home traditional food with a Greek twist that livens up the whole menu.

We started with the mozzarella cheese sticks and the Orektiko, or Greek appetizer platter. This plate of goodies contained an arrangement of feta cheese, bitter-salty Greek olives, tomatoes, cucumbers and warm, just-crisped pita wedges.

Before I tell you about our girls' meals, I should tell you that kids meals are (there's no other way to put it) "ginormous." If your kids have dainty appetites and/or aren't willing to eat leftovers, they can easily share. Our kids tend to be good eaters and they'll do leftovers, so we let them get what they wanted, which was strawberry pancakes, spaghetti and a cheeseburger.

The pancakes were monumental, two dinner plate-size cakes with golden, ruffly edges topped with strawberries and edged with whipped cream. The strawberries had macerated in sugar for while, a nice thing in this case as the sugary juice soaked down into the pancakes. My 6-year-old looked both delighted with them and stunned at what she was expected to eat — but she got right to it and plowed through a surprisingly large portion before she was through.

My 4-year-old got a man-size plate of spaghetti topped with that nice Greek-style meat sauce, heavy on the ground meat, with just enough sauce to add tang and hold everything together. I had the last of her spaghetti for lunch the next day, and it still tasted just as good.

My husband, on the other hand, cast envious glances at our 9-year-old's plump cheeseburger, a big, meaty patty on a soft bun, welded to the meat with slices of cheese, and served with fries.

He didn't need to be too jealous, however, because he thoroughly enjoyed his meal, a crisp-breaded, pounded-thin chicken-fried steak served with mashed potatoes and mixed green beans, carrots and broccoli. The steak and the potatoes (real, by the way, not powdered-mix) were topped with a silky brown gravy instead of the usual country style, but the steak was still nice and peppery.

I strayed over just a little onto the Greek side of the menu with the Greek pork loin, three slices of juicy loin marinated and then grilled until they had a nice, tasty sear. They were served with the same veggies and potatoes as my husband's meal.

Our server said the only dessert available that day was ice cream (the menu lists "desserts of the day" as being regularly available), so we skipped it to preserve the warm, satisfied feeling we'd gotten from our meals.

Breakfast $1.50-$8.95, breakfast sides 95 cents-$1.95, appetizers $4.25-$6.95, sandwiches and burgers $3.95-$7.95, salads and "lite" lunches $1.95-$8.95, entrees $6.95-$14.95, kids' meals $2.95-$3.95, desserts $1.95-$3.95

Rating: ***

Where: 4700 S. 900 East, Murray

Hours: Monday-Saturday 7 a.m.-10 p.m. (breakfast served through 4 p.m.; lunch begins 11 a.m.);

Sunday 7 a.m.-9 p.m.

Payment: No checks accepted; major credit cards accepted

Phone: 262-6219

Wheelchair access: Easy

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Stacey Kratz is a freelance writer who reviews restaurants for the Deseret Morning News. E-mail: skratz@desnews.com