Newspaper review

Baguette Box and Vios Cafe & Marketplace share more than a few things in common. Both are new casual Capitol Hill eateries with counter-style ordering and DIY busing. Both offer a limited, changing menu of simple yet elegant fare. Both are intensely personal projects -- and works in progress -- for two respected Seattle chefs.

Vios Cafe & Marketplace marks the return to public cooking for former El Greco chef/owner Thomas Soukakos, who took time off after his wife's death to raise his now-toddler son, Alexander. It's a welcoming place with a built-in play area (including toy kitchen) and black-and-white framed photos of children.

Vios, located on the tonier, more sedate, Cascade-side of Capitol Hill, possesses a warm, comfortable vibe. The spacious new construction offers room to breathe. The cafe-cum-market atmosphere is unhurried and relaxed. Even finding parking is easy.

I envy customers who don't eat for a living and can come here day after day for Soukakos' blissful horiatiki-style Greek salad featuring crisp cucumber, ripe tomatoes, kalamata olives, crumbled feta and red onion ($5/$7) drizzled with fine olive oil. I can't get enough of Vios' irresistible yogurt-based tzatziki sauce -- whether it's part of a moist and tender pita-wrapped chicken souvlaki ($5.95) sandwich or part of a sampler trio of Mediterranean dips ($7.50).

The vegetarian roasted eggplant and mozzarella sandwich with sweet pepper relish on rustic Tall Grass Bakery baguette ($6.25) is another favorite. The seared tuna belly baguette seasoned with roasted tomato, capers and mint ($7.50) is pure delight and genius. I'm less wild about the lamb burger ($6). While I like its thoughtful accompaniments (tomato marmalade, roasted onions, pickled zucchini), the hand-formed patty is mismatched with the pita: too much pita, not enough lamb.

Vios is a busy place and Soukakos is a well-liked man who takes time to talk with longtime followers and friends. But he's smart, and not above sneaking in a smaller order -- for a stranger like me, say -- in front of a bigger order for a large group of devotees. And that, dear readers, is how you make new friends and regulars.

P-I restaurant critic Penelope Corcoran can be reached at 206-448-8391 or penelopecorcoran@seattlepi.com.