New Arrivals – November 2019
Posted by estiator at 7 November, at 07 : 18 AM Print
A coast-to coast glance at some of the industry’s newest additions
Florida
BABA
2701 Central Ave. St. Petersburg, FL
eatatbaba.com
Owners Debbie and George Sayegh (she’s Greek, he’s Lebanese) honor their fathers with Baba (meaning “father” in both languages), a dual concept that combines a bakery on one side with a full-service restaurant on the other. On the restaurant side, the menu includes a Greek fish stew from the bounty of the local waters; a grilled half chicken on a bed of large Israeli couscous flavored with preserved lemon, and pignoli nuts; and lamb confit with white beans and horta. The restaurant offers Greek wine varietals such as agiorgitiko, assyrtiko, and moschofilero by the glass.
New York
LIMNI
47 Route 311, Carmel, NY
limniny.com
Situated on Lake Carmel in Putnam County is this new Greek-inspired restaurant that boasts a long list of skewered meats, kebabs, souvlakis, and kuftas. The expansive menu includes a handful of salads (watermelon, arugula, feta, and pecans), burgers (lamb), and entrees. From the seafood offerings, there is lobster (stuffed with shrimp), Greek seafood pasta, grilled salmon dolmades, bronzino, swordfish, and tuna. On the meat side, there’s a ribeye, grilled lambchops (for two), grilled Cornish hens, and, of course, all of those kebabs.
Arkansas
O.M. GREEK
912 U.S. Highway 62B, Mountain Home, AK
This “small-town Greek restaurant living in a material world” offers Greek comfort food including gyros, souvlaki, moussaka, pastitsio, spanakopita, lemon potatoes, and baklava, all priced below $10. This fast-casual concept is open from 10am to 4pm (and extends on weekends) and has some homey touches. The special list ventures from the standard Greek lineup to include things like beer cheese soup and wagon wheel pasta with burnt Brussel sprouts in brown butter garlic sauce. What does O.M. mean in its name? We’re still trying to figure that out!
New York
TELLY’S TAVERNA
108 Abendroth Ave., Port Chester, NY
tellystaverna.com
Westchester County’s town of Port Chester is the site of this Astoria standard’s first foray out of Greektown, bringing authentic Greek dishes with a huge focus on fresh fish north from Manhattan. Dorado, red snapper, porgy, striped bass, flounder, branzini, black sea bass and red mullet (barbounia) are on the everyday menu here, along with swordfish and salmon, shark and sardines. Meat lovers have lamb chops, two steaks, and beeftekia (Greek burgers) to choose from, along with a pair of chicken dishes and a grilled meat combo. With seating for 200, the restaurant’s décor is accented with whitewashed walls and seashells.
Northeast
YIAYIA’S GREEK KITCHEN
1057 E Main St., Torrington, CT
yiayias.net
Tucked into Connecticut’s northwest corner, in the sleepy city of Torrington, is the state’s newest Greek restaurant. Owned by husband-wife team Yianni and Kailtyn Gogo, the restaurant has a tight menu of Greek staples, all from Yiayia’s recipes. The pair originally migrated from New York for an opportunity in nearby Litchfield, and, as they grew a following, set out on their own, bringing the food, ambience, hospitality, and culture of Yianni’s native Greece to their new neighbors.
Virginia
ZENOLA
132 Branch St SE, Vienna, VA
zenolavienna.com
Lebanon-born chef/owner Samer Zeitoun has launched this Mediterranean concept on the thesis that “food is our passion and the olive is our inspiration.” Opened in September, the warm dining room serves up food rooted in Italy, Greece, Spain, Morocco and, of course, Lebanon. For starters, there are staples such as stuffed grape leaves, hummus, and spinach pie, but there are also some very creative touches, including a lamb’s nest in phyllo with pomegranate molasses and pine nuts; roasted eggplant with dates, Marcona almonds, pomegranate seeds, feta and chiles; and a crab lasagna with shitake mushrooms and saffron vichyssoise.
