Greek Cuisine’s New Wave
Posted by estiator at 11 March, at 09 : 24 AM Print
COVER STORY
Chefs embrace tradition while setting a course. for the novel and new. By Nicholas Vlamis
Over the past five years, the pages of Estiator have chronicled the opening of new Greek restaurants around the country, a signal that from coast-to-coast the cuisine has finally grown from its diner/pizzeria begin- nings (where it was on the sidelines of enormous omnibus menus) to an exciting and exquisite cuisine in and of itself. Along with traditional family-style tavernas, we see Greek restaurants opening in the fast-food, fast-casual, and fine-din- ing spaces, offering Greek fare at varied price points. As a result, chefs at the upscale restaurants are being challenged to evolve their menus so that they are distinguished from the lesser-expensive offerings; after all, there needs to be some justification for one restaurant serving zucchini fritters for $9 and another for $18.
As the chefs rise to meet those challenges, we see them doing so in different ways, often infusing traditional dishes with ingredients that you would normally only find on fine-dining menus from other cuisines, and often applying advanced culinary techniques to traditional dishes. In an age in which hit television shows like those on the Food Network are sprouting food-savvy restaurant goers, if not full-blown home gourmet cooks, the notion of a skordalia that is made from just potatoes and garlic seems rather pedestrian until a chef comes along and introduces almonds or red beet juice or perhaps swaps out the standard garlic for black garlic. As a result, what we see happening is the evolution of the cuisine. In some of those upscale kitchens, you are now likely to find potato keftedes infused with black truffle pate, and lobster pasta served with squid ink linguine—items that would otherwise never be found in the traditional preparation of those dishes. Whether you’re dining among the jet set in Mykonos or in the shadows of Manhattan’s tallest skyscrapers, chefs at the finest Greek restaurants are taking Greek cuisine (once relegated to the mid-range of global cuisines by food snobs) and elevating it to new levels.
Chefs in Greece are also falling under the influence of television’s romance with the culinary arts: Akis Petretzikis, a good-looking young man with arms full of tattoos and a talent for one-way hyper- active camera banter, and others have their own shows, web- casts, magazines and blogs. The flipside, of course, is that they are not working exclusively in their home- land’s cuisine, but introducing Greeks to global dishes such as croque madame (poached eggs in hollandaise sauce served over a brioche sandwich of smoke salmon) and burgers (Petretzikis has a handful of restaurants in Athens, one of which is an upscale burger joint). A wonderful by-product of this phenomenon is a cross-pollination of cuisines. In this case, the native Greek chefs are taking global cuisines and often infusing Greek ingredients, approaches, and sensibilities into those dishes.
And people are willing to pay heavily for what is perceived as the finest or most cutting-edge in Greek cuisine. Americans know this from visits to Greek culinary meccas such as Estiatorio Milos, but the rewards for producing great Greek food extend beyond our North American borders. At his restaurants in Greece, Ettore Botrini, a high-profile Greek celebrity chef born of Italian parents and raised on the isle of Corfu, commands what seem like oil prince prices for his Michelin-star take on Greek gastronomy. His 140 euro tasting menu boasts entries such as smoked eel with fava, swordfish carpaccio with Corfu bitter orange salad, and scallops with truffle, butter, and bergamot. At the end of a recent visit, one Greek chef visiting from the U.S. paid over 700 euros for a dinner for two.
Traveling through the islands, even in some of the most rural destinations, there are always a handful of restaurants that are pushing the envelope for Greek cuisine. It’s no longer just Mykonos and Santorini, where the globetrotting set demands interesting and creative food. In one of the quietest corners of the tranquil Cycladic island of Andros, for example, chef Dimitris Giginis serves up items such as croquettes of cod with beetroot mayonnaise and grilled sardines stuffed with marinated onions and pink salt.
Stateside, upscale Greek restaurants driving the evolution of the cuisine are branching out of the large metropolitan centers, where one would expect this level of Greek cuisine. But it’s no longer just the big names such as Estiatorio Milos or Avra that are leading the charge. Greca Mediterranean Kitchen + Bar, a concept by Estiator contributor Constantine Kolitsas, is a stellar example. Over the past decade, Kolitsas has established himself among the thought leaders of Greek cuisine here in the United States. In his award-winning location in the quiet Litchfield County corner of Connecticut, Kolitsas may be known first and foremost for his whole fish, grilled octopus, and familiar comfort food staples, such as moussaka, but it’s his fusion entries that set him apart from the many other Greek restaurants. For example, his New Milford location is making waves with an appetizer of fresh figs wrapped in pancetta and stuffed with gorgonzola, as well as wonton wrappers filled with a spicy ground lamb and served with a refreshing lime- spiked Greek yogurt that has just a touch of sriracha to add a blast of quick heat. In his newer location at Westchester County’s epicenter in White Plains, New York, he and Chef Alexandros Ntaoulas are pushing the envelope with menu specials that include loukaniko (traditional village sausage) with dried Smyrna figs in a Mavrodaphne reduction over eggplant crema, and a crab cake wrapped in kataifi and topped with feta mousse and a drizzle of truffled honey. The concept has been embraced by critics and the public alike, with the readers of Connecticut magazine voting the Litchfield County location Best Restaurant in the state in its first two years; and as best Greek/Mediterranean restaurant in all of its three years of existence.
Noema, a relatively new entry on Long Island’s Greek restaurant scene, is the child of Nikos Poulmentis, a chef who came to national attention as a winner of the Food Network’s Chopped food competition series (he followed up that 2018 victory with appearances on Beat Bobby Flay and Crush Kitchen). Born in New York City but raised in Greece on the island of Kythira, Poulmentis returned with the aim of presenting reimagined Greek cuisine to his native city. Featured in Forbes magazine and The New York Times, he published his first cookbook, The Novelty of Greek Cuisine, in 2021.
His restaurant, located in the town of Huntington, offers a raw bar with branzino ceviche, tuna tartare, and hamachi tartare (Japanese amberjack fish) alongside staples like spanakopita, served alongside a tomato jam. On the creative side, his tarama starter features herring roe and salmon caviar infused with truffle powder, while “lightly seared” calamari is given a dipping sauce of yogurt and harissa.
Of course, none of this is completely new. At its inception over 20 years ago, Avra was serving raw ahi tuna wrapped in rice with an outer layer of grape leaves (a Greek take on a sushi roll). And Kyma’s pastitsio spring rolls have long been a favorite among its diners.
Chef Christos Christou of Yefsi on the Upper Eastside is perhaps Manhattan’s highest regarded Greek chef. In his restaurant, he takes some creative approaches that include braised veal over eggplant crema, lamb meatballs with yogurt and mint chimichurri, and ceviche made with lavraki. However, he believes that staying focused on presenting traditional Greek cuisine at its highest levels is the most important part of his culinary identity.
“People like to eat good food with a Greek aesthetic,” he says. As for fusion approaches, he sees some things he likes, and others that he doesn’t like. “I’ve tasted some things that were not as good as I expected,” he says, conveying his fidelity to original flavors, with variations on presentation. “Technique and presentation are the key to successful upscale Greek restaurants.”
Mining the deep veins of Greece’s regional cuisines is also important to Christou. “My menus will often offer dishes from the traditional kitchens of Constantinople and Asia Minor, among others,” he adds, indicating the sophistication of those cuisines.
In addition to operating his restaurant, Christou has concurrently opened several others throughout Manhattan for an impressive roster of restaurateurs, and has a unique window into the evolution of Greek restaurants in New York City. In addition to crudos and ceviches (treatments of raw fish), he notes, “we’re even seeing sushi bars in Greek restaurants.”
Jimmy Bannos Jr, a fourth-generation Chicago-based restaurateur, is a James Beard Award recipient and the owner of The Purple Pig, one of Chicago’s standout culinary destinations, as well as Piggy Smalls, a fast-casual gyro concept. Although not a straight-out Greek restaurant, the menu at Bannos’s Purple Pig is filled with Greek-inspired offerings and positions him as one of the great innovators of Greek cuisine in the United States. The menu, which changes frequently, has featured dishes that include house- made Greek sausage served with peaches and smoked peppers; chicken thigh kebabs with fried smashed potatoes and tzatziki; and an airy whipped feta arranged between sheets of crackers made from dates and topped with saffron-pickled leeks and snow peas.
“We focus on the next level of Mediterranean cuisine,” says Bannos, indicating that he and his cooking staff apply the region’s culinary fundamentals and techniques to the dishes they present. And while he loves to go to Greektown for a good authentic Greek meal, he has no interest in serving the tried and true. “My favorite thing to do,” he says, “is to cook classic Greek dishes and then try to elevate them a bit. Every dish that we prepare has to be ours. I don’t want to serve food that people have seen before; it’s got to have our unique signature.”
Tasos Doumas, whose Lefkes restaurants in Galatsi and Santorini spawned a U.S. outpost in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, is an award-winning chef in Greece. Over the past ten-plus years, he says, “Greek cuisine has changed a lot and has become more creative,” with the current trend following a “less is more” philosophy.
“Holding on to basic values and offering new styles, Greek cuisine has been enriched, using the homemade ‘Mum’s cooking’ approach and applying new techniques,” he says. For example, on his menus, moussaka frequently takes the form of a croquette or “keftedhe.” Among his signature dishes are pseftosaganaki (“fake” saganaki), featuring sesame-dipped feta that’s lightly fried and served with a house- made marmalade; and beef pappardelle (braised beef cooked in wax paper with pappardelle pasta, parmesan sauce, and vegetables).
Christos Papaevengelou is among the chefs who have been driving the evolution of Greek cuisine over the past two decades. In addition to having helmed the kitchen at Cava Navarino (among Greece’s most exclusive resorts, located in Messinia), he has led the culinary teams at Raya in Mykonos, Abby Brunch and Vosporos in Athens, and Lollobrigida in Piraeus. And he frequently takes assignments as a private chef for families of ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
“I’m very happy with the new trends and open minds that are embraced by my generation of chefs,” he says, indicating that collectively they are taking Greek cuisine to a new, high level. “We are reimagining traditional recipes while respect- ing the purity of the flavors of our mothers cooking. I read a lot of books to learn new techniques,” he adds, seeking ways to match those techniques with recipes from the traditional Greek kitchen. “I’m a fan of making an enhancement of a recipe without changing the main ingredients—like making orzo with beef in the oven with tomato sauce. You can do a reverse recipe, making shredded beef and orzo in a foam of tomato sauce and a powder of cheese and herbs. This allows the diner to have a full taste of traditional youvetsi in one bite.”
His signature dishes include arancini made from trahana (cracked wheat with fermented milk), shrimp, ouzo, and feta powder, as well as cabbage leaves stuffed with grouper in an egg- lemon espuma (a technique used in molecular gastronomy that essentially makes a foam with the highlighted ingredients).
These current trends that are signaling an evolution in Greek cuisine are reminiscent of a similar evolution that took place in Italian cuisine here in the United States 40 years earlier. Prior to the 1980s, it was only in the larger cities that had significant immigrant Italian populations where diners could enjoy a remarkable northern Italian dish like spedino ala Romano or osso bucco. In those days, Italian food was synonymous with red sauce and mozzarella. Today, the most remote town in hinterlands of rural America will have one (if not four) Italian restaurants that offer the same Northern Italian menu that was once elusive. At the same time, interesting and delicious Italian ingredients such as infused balsamic vinegars, truffles, cured meats, and Calabrian chiles are mainstays of dishes that are non-traditional and nation-agnostic. This, too, is happening with Greek products, as specialty food producers in Greece are following the lead by aggressively trying to export everything from cheeses to fruit preserves.
At the end of the day, none of this translates to a threat to traditional Greek cuisine. Rather, it signals a shift from a cuisine by Greeks for Greeks to a cuisine embraced by the world. This is further attested to by the quiet emergence of chefs of various ethnic origins embracing Greek cuisine and opening their own Greek restaurants.
Yes, America. Yes, world. Fine Greek cuisine has arrived.
