Kefi - 505 Columbus Ave, b/tw 84th & 85th

I am, admittedly, an Upper West Side hater, particularly when it comes to restaurants. I have yet to find a great one and Kefi was supposed to be it, but not quite. It's stark and cafeteria like in its ambience (upstairs anyway). The waiters in their blue T-shirts, might play differently beside the Aegean, but were lost in translation on Columbus Ave. More importantly, the food was mixed. Appetizers of fried calamari and dill tzatziki sauce and the foodie take on the Greek salad--chopped, mixed olives, caper berries--were almost perfect, but they were a cruel set-up for the mediocre-at-best entrees. My braised lamb shank and orzo was saucy yet flavorless and while my friend's lamb chops were grilled to perfection, the rice and scallion side was oversalted and still somehow thin on flavor. I am a fan of Donatella Arpaia's restaurant's overall, but Mia Dona, for example, on 58th b/tw 2nd & 3rd is a much better meal and experience. And, fyi, I'm an Upper East Side hater too.