New Arrivals – March 2020
Posted by estiator at 9 March, at 10 : 58 AM Print
A coast-to coast glance at some of the industry’s newest additions
Midwest
DTM GYROS
1621 Aroy Dr, Washington, MO
Albanian native Donika Muzhai lived in Greece and married into a Greek-American family after migrating to the U.S. in 1992. Those connections cultivated a love for Greek food and culture and a desire to open her own fast-casual Greek eatery geared to families and people on the go. The menu focuses on salads, gyro, souvlakia, falafel, and bowls. Muzhai uses fresh ingredients, producing dips and dressings in-house, along with Greek desserts
Pennsylvania
ARDANA
751 Easton Road Warrington, PA
ardanafoodanddrink.com
Brothers Mike and Antonis Christou (owners of the local KC Prime eatery) recently opened Ardana, a Mediterranean concept named for a small farming village in Cyprus where their grandmother was raised. The menu features small plates, fresh pastas, wood-fired pizza, salads, and chops, and the full bar serves an extensive variety of wines and local beers. Architect Nikos Kotopoulos has placed a large lemon tree at the center of the space, giving it a real Cyprus vibe (lemon trees grow on just about every inch of the island’s soil). Nic Servis is executive chef.
New York
MINA’S
22-25 Jackson Ave., Long Island City, New York
minas.nyc
Inside the MoMA space in Queens is a new café with a menu that leans toward the Mediterranean. Chef/partner Mina Stone has been combining her love for food and art for years, first as a caterer serving the gallery community and then as a private chef for art studios. Her book, Cooking for Artists, is the result of those experiences. At Mina’s, the owner pays homage to her Greek grandmothers with offerings such as yellow lentil soup, peinirli (a traditional boat-shaped flatbread), braised meats, and loukaniko, plus salads, a few breakfast items, and café sandwiches.
New York
HERB AND OLIVE MARKETA
172 Plandome Road, Manhasset, NY
herbandolive.com
Partners Julia Petropoulos and George Vatakis’ authentic Mediterranean market-café focuses on small-plates/meze. Michael Giannakis serves as executive chef, offering up grilled lamb chops, shrimp, octopus, spanakopita (a standard as well as a vegan version), and orange-scented loukaniko. Scratch desserts include loukoumades, assorted pastries, and baklava. The café offers brunch, lunch, and dinner, while the market’s shelves are filled with Greek specialty foods utilized in Giannakis’s kitchen (koulouria, olives, cheeses, oils, nuts).
New York
ALEXANDROS KITCHEN & BAR
65 East Main St. Smithtown, NY
alexandroskitchenandbar.com
The second installment of Mount Sinai’s Alexandros Greek Restaurant and Bar (with a slightly modified name) recently opened in Smithtown, billing itself as a MediterraneanAmerican fusion restaurant. This means that alongside traditional items (avgholemono soup, spanakopita, and octopus), the culinary team has created dishes inspired from tradition (such as a vegetable moussaka with cauliflower, zucchini, eggplant, and bechamel), as well as chefinspired entrées that include a pan-seared snapper with a sunchoke puree, sautéed onions, and mushroom broth.
New York
ANASSA TAVERNA
28-10 Astoria Blvd, Astoria, NY
anassataverna.com
Nick Tsoulos and Nick Pashalis (the Avra group, Patsy’s Pizzeria, and Anassa Taverna in Manhattan’s Midtown East) have finally put their stamp on the Astoria restaurant scene with a second Anassa outpost. An open kitchen and an impressive fish display mark the space, which has a hip vibe. Executive Chef George Pagonis is from the DC area, where he headed some of the area’s most highly regarded Greek eateries. Among his most popular entrées here: lobster spaghetti for two (two whole lobsters in a tomato ouzo sauce topped with mizithra cheese).
