It had been a while since my last foray into Greektown. I was up for some seafood, so Santorini seemed like the logical choice.

One whole page of the Santorini menu is dedicated to seafood. "Oceanic Fish," "Fresh Water Fish," "Fish from the Shell," and "Seafood Combinations." No fewer than two dozen choices that range from swordfish to shrimp to filet. And when it comes to grilling the catch, Santorini knows how to put that fillet to the fire. I could make a meal here out of nothing more than the grilled octopus and two shots of ouzo.

But you don't have to wait to get to the seafood page to net the catch. On page one, under the "Appetizer" heading, you will find an incredibly good "Kamari Beach kalamari" (Kamari Beach is on the island of Santorini, for which the restaurant is named). This is grilled whole squid that displays its fondness for olive oil. As the French use butter to ramp up the flavor, the Greeks use olive oil (with abandon in many instances). I, for one, love it. And this tender, grilled calamari (over natural wood, according to the menu) couldn't have been more enjoyable. Santorini does itself proud, too, with its grilled octopus (check the beauties on ice on the left just inside the front door), though this time around I didn't try it.

Also under the appetizer heading, I can highly recommend two very good vegetable dishes. Kolokithakia has to do with zucchini. And you can get it fried or char-grilled. Fried works out nicely. Lightly dusted with flour, the "planks" (the zucchini is cut lengthwise) were gently crisp on the outside and soft to bite the rest of the way. The zucchini came with enough skordalia (garlic sauce) to shoo away a flight of vampires. I loved it.

Fried eggplant. I cannot recall ever having this dish at Santorini. I just might make this my newest veggie favorite. The slabs of tender eggplant, lots of them, were grilled, splayed on the plate and slathered with an interesting tomato sauce that was showered with grated kefalotiri cheese. A delicious Greek interpretation of eggplant Parmigiana.

It goes without saying that Santorini's menu has all of the Greek specialty dishes -- pastitsio, moussaka, dolmades, lamb -- that you come to expect. And the pastitsio -- short pasta baked with bechamel sauce and graced with a light "lamb sauce" along with a shower of kefalograviera cheese --was most enjoyable; a tower of good eating.

Back to the seafood. On occasion I have had the whole red snapper and the whole black sea bass here. Either choice gets brushed with olive oil and grilled, and for lovers of whole fresh fish done simply, it doesn't get much better than this.

But this time around the Florida grouper had my name on it. I like grouper a lot. The flesh is firm and there is just a hint of sweetness. The high moisture content of this fish takes more to grilling than baking, so opt for the grilling. The fish got a dab or two of Santorini sauce (it shows up on a lot of the seafood dishes) -- a blend of olive oil, lemon and oregano that didn't get in the way of the fish. Fish entrees come with a choice of rice pilaf, steamed vegetables or Lyonnaise potatoes. Have the rice pilaf. The steamed vegetables were cooked to death. And save your love for Lyonnaise potatoes for your next trip to a French bistro.

If ever there was a Chicago classic that will (and should) live on forever, it's shrimp de Jonghe. I have had shrimp de Jonghe on the so-so side, and some that were extraordinary. Santorini's version falls more toward the latter. All six of those extra-large shrimp had been baked to perfection and were dispatched accordingly. But the kitchen needs to do two things to improve this dish: A little more garlic and a lot less bread crumbs.

Santorini is a good restaurant to keep in mind if you are going to a Bulls game at the United Center. If you want to get in and out in a hurry, order the Athenian salad (romaine mixing it up with feta, olive and anchovies) to start and the swordfish kabobs to follow. Chunks of oil-varnished swordfish were strung on a skewer and rested on a bed of rice pilaf. Just enough food to get you through the game.

Desserts in Greek restaurants are pretty much run-of-the-mill -- baklava, rice pudding, galaktobouriko (ice cream cake). Try the ice cream cake. It's enough for two to share; it's refreshing, and pretty darn good.

Pat Bruno is a local free-lance critic and author. E-mail brunoeats@aol.com. Listen to Pat Bruno talk about food and wine Tuesdays at 6:23 p.m. and 10:23 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 7:53 p.m. on WBBM News Radio 780-AM.