New Arrivals – September 2019
Posted by estiator at 10 September, at 03 : 33 AM Print
A coast-to coast glance at some of the industrys newest additions
Los Angeles
KASSI CLUB
8422 W 3rd St. • kassiclub.com
Restaurateur/designer Nick Mathers expands his L.A. restaurant portfolio with a chic lounge with Mediterranean cuisine. With a restaurant name inspired by the island of Kastellorizo, Mathers’s design is meant to capture the Greek island vibe he’s experienced on his many travels. The menu builds on the traditional with “fresh and clean” ingredients that are rustic and sustainable. Chef Thomas Lim offers woodfire-grilled prawns, octopus, and steak, as well as salads that include buckwheat, peach, mint, watermelon and, of course, feta.
Midwest
NUPA
2041 Blazing Star Dr., Mankato, MN • eatnupa.com
Ted Paizis, of the Paizis Concessions family, recently opened his third fast-casual Nupa location, bringing popular Greek street food to Mankato, Minnesota. A veteran of festival food trucks that have been a staple across the Midwest, Paizis’s menu offers bold flavors, fresh ingredients and homemade recipes (98% of the menu is prepared on premises) for the traditional pita wraps, grilled meats, salads, and dips served in his eatery. For this location, he has created a new, appealing interior whose design will be replicated in the existing locations, which have been family-owned and operated in Rochester since 2009.
Tampa
THE HUNGRY GREEK
808 N Franklin St., Tampa; 2365 SR 54, Lutz, FL • thehungrygreek.com
Father-and-son team Dino and George Constantinou opened their first Hungry Greek in 2006, and have since expanded to seven locations. The fast-casual concept focuses on fresh ingredients from family recipes. Dino, born in Cyprus, immigrated to New York in 1969, where he worked in his uncle’s diner. After his son, George, got his business degree, the two embarked on their first Hungry Greek location. The Hungry Greek menu includes rice bowls, pita wraps, spinach pie, and salads.
Midwest
OLIVE OIL GRILLE
71 Erford Rd., Camp Hill, PA • oliveoilgrille.com
Siblings Niko and John Kranias, along with John’s wife, Maryam, teamed up to create Olive Oil Grille, a health-conscious, fast-casual open-kitchen eatery that cites the Hippocratic maxim to “let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” Local sourcing of fresh farm produce allows guests to build their own pitas, bowls, and salads. Their olive oil comes from family groves in Greece. For proteins, there’s grilled chicken, grilled pork, beef and lamb meatballs, braised beef in red wine, and braised lamb “in warm spices.” Additional offerings include ancient grains; greens such as kale, brussel sprouts, and kobirabi; and lemon slaw. And of course, there are the spreads!
Boston
ILONA
783 Tremont St. • ilonasouthend.com
Boston’s South End has a new Greek/Eastern Mediterranean resident in Ilona, owned by partners George Axiotis and Irakli Gogitidze (of Kava Neo-Taverna and Puro Ceviche Bar) and chef/partner Jesus Preciado. Muralist Giorgi Shanadzes’ work is a focal point of the décor. The menu draws on influences from Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, and the Republic of Georgia. Serving mostly small plates, highlights include pan-seared halloumi with pickled grapes and toasted sesame; deep-fried sardines with green sauce and beet sauce; and eggplant stuffed with lamb, onion, tomato sauce, and manouri cheese. Ilona’s lounge bar has a beverage program managed by veteran beverage director Fotios Stamos.
New York
PAPPOU’S GREEK KITCHEN
1983 Commerce St., Yorktown Heights, NY • pappousgreekkitchen.com
Restaurateur Rui Cunha and family have returned with Pappou’s Greek Kitchen, a family-friendly full-service casual restaurant that highlights the cuisine of Cunha’s wife, Christina. Former owners of Elia Taverna in Bronxville, the entire Cunha family has teamed for this venture, whose menu features Greek staples such as moussaka, pastitsio, bifteki, and grilled lamb chops, as well as pita wraps, grilled meat platters, salads, dips and hot mezze offerings. A cozy interior is accented with faux grapevines and blue window shutters. The moderately priced menu also includes an allGreek wine list (four reds, five whites).
