Restaurant Spotlight
Posted by estiator at 18 January, at 09 : 53 AM Print
Amylos Taverna
33-19 Broadway, Astoria, NY amylos.com
If the upscale Greek eateries across the East River in Manhattan are stunning spaces with inspired designs and creative menus, the Greek restaurants of Astoria traditionally have been decidedly more pedestrian, with homey approaches that for decades were patronized predominantly by other Greeks. As non-Greeks have come to discover the wonders of the cuisine, they have come to Astoria in droves. Amylos Taverna, which opened in January 2019, is one of the latest additions to the Astoria dining scene, bringing a vibe, energy, and harmony of design that heretofore was found primarily in midtown Manhattan.
At the heart of Amylos is Yiannis Arvanitis, Jr., scion of the family that has owned and run the popular Omonia Café for decades. Yiannis, recently returned from the West Coast where he tried his hand in the music business, is keenly in tune with dining trends, helping to craft a menu, cocktail list, and dining space in harmony with today’s aesthetics, while staying true to tradition.
“Our vision is to provide a contemporary Greek take on the traditional,” says Arvanitis, indicating that his kitchen’s approach is to modernize the familiar and fuse it with up-and-coming culinary trends. The approach has gained Amylos a loyal following as well as the admiration of food writers.
The restaurant, says Arvanitis, is a destination, attracting Manhattanites and young professionals alongside locals who often work across the river.
Under Chef Edi Seitllari, the impressive menu includes reinventions of classic dishes like moussaka, which, under his inspired direction, replaces ground pork and lamb with hefty chunks of lobster meat. Alongside the eggplant, Seitlarri layers zucchini, which gives the dish a more nuanced flavor that, combined with a velvety bechamel, is absolutely ethereal. On the traditional side, an appetizer of soutzoukakia (Smyrna-style oblong meat patties spiked with cumin and cinnamon and cooked in a thick, piquant tomato ragu) tastes as if it came from your grandmother’s table.
Amylos is perched on Broadway, a few blocks from the busy intersection with 31st Street. It’s got 170 seats, many of which are situated under a glasstopped extension with windows opening onto the sidewalk in summer. (Arvanitis has correctly coined this “virtual outdoor seating.”) Designed by Yiannis Skordas, the space is accentuated with wood beams, tree branches, and lots of marble—natural elements that reflect the authenticity and natural ingredients presented on Amylos’s plates.
But Amylos is not just about food. Under the beverage direction of Klevis Begotaraj, Amylos has one of the area’s most ambitious cocktail menus. Utilizing Greek spirits, Klevis has concocted a menu of beverages that are as beautiful to behold as they are delicious to taste. And the wine program at Amylos is likewise inspired, leaning heavily on boutique Greek labels. (“Wine,” says Arvanitis, “is an indivisible part of the Greek dining experience.”) With Amylos, Arvanitis is looking to define Greek culinary culture by challenging the conception of what Greek dining is in 2019. And for this reason, he’s given his exceptional eatery its name, which means “unmilled.”
“In food chemistry terms,” he says, the ‘amylo’ is the building block for bread, which is the foundation for food and nutrition. Finishing a delightful meal in his restaurant, it’s hard not to concede his point.
