It was all I needed to hear. One hour later, we found ourselves seated at Greek Taverna. Once the food started coming out of the kitchen, we swore we’d be back. And we were, less than a week later. It’s that kind of place.

We started off with an assortment of traditional Greek spreads. The Tzatziki was outstanding: tangy and fresh. Skordalia was garlicky and addictive. Best of all was the roasted eggplant dip, Melitzanosalata. I must have consumed an entire basket of herbed pita as I indulged.

Next up, two salads that were so enormous, we had enough left over for lunch the following day. We also ordered a kind of vegetable stew, Briam, with eggplant, peppers, potatoes and zucchini. More herbed pita to sop up the sauce. Prices were fair, portions were generous, and the staff was incredibly kind to our 5-year-old (including sending over a special kids’ dessert on the house).

General Manager Michael Kao and owner Wei Chen were warm and gracious. Wei’s husband, Peter Hajiyerou, was Greek, she explained, originally from Cyprus. Together they own another Greek Taverna in Edgewater. Coming soon: a third Taverna site in Glen Rock. Michael, it turned out, was the original opening manager at Taro, a restaurant we loved years back when we first moved to Montclair.

And who’s in the kitchen? Two longtime staffers from Molyvos and Milos, Manhattan restaurants that have generated raves over the years for authenticity and freshness. Plus, added Wei, all desserts were made in-house.

We returned less than a week later with friends the night the tropical storm hit. We were undeterred. Turns out that Greek Taverna did 80-some covers that night. We were impressed.

As soon as we sat down, Michael headed over to the table with another man, and introduced Peter, Wei’s husband. "Where’s your daughter?" he wanted to know. "My wife told me so much about her!" Needless to say, we were smitten.

But back to the food. The kitchen sent over their terrific Tomato Salata, a feisty, perfectly seasoned tomato salad with cheese, capers, onion, and wheatberries. Once again, we ordered the assorted appetizers, hoping they’d be as good as they were previously. Not to worry.

Then we went a little crazy, ordering Greek Taverna Chips (fried zucchini and eggplant, salted and peppered just right); Spanakopita; Katsikisio (melted goat cheese topped with dried apricots); more Briam; and a perfectly grilled piece of swordfish, touched lightly with Greek olive oil and fresh herbs. Needless to say, the Baklava was superb and, as my husband put it, the Galaktobourko was "spot on."

I could barely move, so it seemed like the perfect moment to ask Peter to join us and fill us in on the Taverna "philosophy."

"My wife did the research and recipes," he offered. "The Greek taverna is like an American pub — it’s for casual dining.

"We’re all about family here. We have no tablecloths, we don’t care what you spill. We’re not ‘Nouvelle Greek,’" he added. "We went to the ‘yaya’s (grandmothers) for our recipes."

This was a man clearly proud of what was going on in his kitchen. "Look at this fish," he commanded at one point, carrying a huge tray over to the table. "Look at this!" We stared at four gorgeous fresh fish that were about to hit the grill as he told us where he’d sourced them.

At another point in the meal, he beckoned us to the pass. "I think our eggplant salad is the best anywhere — and here’s why." He directed our eyes to the grill, where something like 30 eggplants were slowly roasting. "We’ll do 10 cases of these tonight!" Peter proclaimed proudly.

We wondered how much interior work he and his wife had done on the former Noodle Central space. "Cosmetic work," Peter told us with a smile, "just lipstick." But he eagerly pointed out all the new decorative touches — signature mirrors slightly tilted away from the wall; lots of red brick; soft lighting; even a Waterford chandelier purchased at auction from Christie’s. The room had a lively, warm feel, slightly reminiscent of a sunny Greek village. It was hard to leave and head out into the rain and wind.

Several days later, thoughts of Greek Taverna and Peter’s words came back to me: Your customer is everything; we get involved with our customers." That’s a philosophy we wish most restaurateurs adopted equally, but in our experience, too many don’t.

We liked pretty much everything about this newcomer to our town — including the fact that for us, it’s close enough to walk to. These days, stores — and especially restaurants -- open and close in what seems like just a few months. But I have a good feeling about what Peter, Wei, and their team are trying to accomplish. And we’ll certainly be there to support it.

In this column:

Greek Taverna: 292 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair, 973-746-2280; www.greektavernausa.com.