mediterranean fisticuffs, northwest vs. southeast.

Today we pit two popular, expanding restaurants against each other, two favorites in their respective neighborhoods. In the northwest part of town, Market Grille Cafe is something of the default champion of Greek-Mediterranean cuisine. There really is no competition. When this store popped up in the Centennial Center a few years back, its healthy menu and simple, tasty food won over the neighbors and a few local critics, and earlier this year MGC opened a second location on Lake Mead Boulevard in a venue formerly known as Pei Wei. This larger, more comfortable restaurant is thriving.

The cuisine here isn't the most authentic Greek in Vegas, but it hits all the familiar notes: those ambiguously beloved dips of hummus, satziki and babaganoush; the imported saganaki cheese; the rice-stuffed grape leaves known as dolmas or dolmades; fried falafal patties in various forms; spanakopita, or spinach and feta pie in filo pastry; and a wide assortment of fresh salads. One of my favorite dishes here is the simple and hearty mousaka -- ground beef, eggplant and potato casserole. Overall, Market Grille Cafe is serving a healthy and affordable alternative to whatever you're taking home for dinner, and while the flavors won't blow you away, the food is consistent and gets the job done.

There's something similar going on way over in Henderson, only better. The Olive Mediterranean Grill and Hookah Lounge (also getting set to expand, taking over the space next door to accommodate its growing crowd of young, hookah-loving lounge lizards) is the favorite Mediterranean spot of Henderson/Green Valley residents and has been for years. The menu here is smaller and more veggie-oriented, highlighted by big, colorful salads, satisfying lentil soup, and simple sandwiches of spicy chicken or beef in pita pockets. Where MGC is a fairly slick, franchise-ready restaurant serving up Greek favorites, the Olive is more of a casual cafe where you meet friends for something light to eat, a few Lebanese beers and maybe a smoke.

But everything is better at the Olive. Hummus, that same old puree of garbanzo beans, is impossibly rich and creamy without being overly thick, and it actually tastes great, something we can't say about the hummus at most Mediterranean restaurants in town. Babaganoush somehow comes without the natural bitterness of eggplant. The grape leaves are moist and delicious, so tender and tasty that I forgot how dry my Syrian-Lebanese grandma's were. The Olive's falafel, an appealing green color and delicately crispy, is perfect in their wraps with fresh veggies and topped with a spicy jalapeno chutney.

No matter how simple the menu, the Olive is tops. Longstanding Las Vegas favorites serving this kind of cuisine can't really complete with these flavors.