New Arrivals – April 2021
Posted by estiator at 16 April, at 08 : 37 AM Print
A coast-to coast glance at some of the industry’s newest additions
West Palm Beach, FL
SOUVLAKI FAST
souvlakifast.com
This Florida fast-casual chain opened its fourth outpost in February. The new location brings Souvlaki Fast’s fresh-Greek concept to busy Palm Beach Outlets, a 100-store mall in West Palm Beach. On the menu: souvlaki pitas in varieties like chicken, shrimp, pork, and veggie; a Greek burger topped with feta and tzatziki sauce; souvlaki and gyro platters; soups, including avgolemono and lentil; and baklava for dessert. According to the restaurant’s site, founder Roulis Zambiyadis came up with the idea after a vacation in Greece, where he and wife Margaret discovered the “fresh, healthy, fast, and simple” flavors of traditional local cuisine.
Staten Island, NY
HOW GREEK IT IS!
howgreekitis.com
Sophia Georgeopolis closed the original outpost of her popular Staten Island restaurant last fall. But fans were thrilled to learn that How Greek It Is! reopened not far away in February, with Georgeopolis and son Costa at the helm. “It took a lot for her to do this, both physically and emotionally, especially without her husband, Dimitri,” reported SILive.com. “She lost her former business partner on Oct. 1 after battling several rounds of cancer.” Menu items at this rebooted spot include turkey clubs, roast beef, pastrami, and hot open sandwiches, as well as staples like house-made pork souvlaki; avgolemono seasoned with lemon, egg, and oregano; and moussaka; with kataifi and baklava among the desserts.
Carefree, AZ
ATHENS ON EASY STREET
athensoneasy.com
This metro-Phoenix newcomer describes itself as “Greek-inspired, approachable, modern Mediterranean…influenced by a global perspective.” On the restaurant’s home page, owner Augie Athenson explains that “our restaurant is based around an idea as old as time, the earliest name for hospitality, a concept called philoxenia, or being a friend to strangers.” The all-day cafe serves breakfast—like silver “drachma” pancakes—and savory specialties like melitzanosalata, tirokafteri, tzatziki, spanakopitakia, dolmathes, and keftedes. New York branding company KG Restaurant & Hospitality handled Athens on Easy Street’s visual identity, menu development, and concept development.
Miami
MAÜ
maumia.com
“Tulum meets Mykonos” is the vibe at this Midtown Miami hotspot named for northern Mykonos—“the most spiritual and wildest part of the island.” Manager and director Nassos Pipenelis worked at Spilia, a well-known Mykonos eatery; the house mixologist, Alexandros Christoforidis, hails from Athens. On the indulgent menu: Ceviche De Coco, composed of snapper, papaya, mango, and lime; Tuna Tartare with black truffle; Tulum-inspired Kataifi Tacos, made with fresh tuna and black truffle; and a selection of imported whole fish and meats. The restaurant also promises “Miami’s ultimate brunch experience” with a raw bar, DJ, and bottomless drinks. “Maü will offer an experience that comes directly from the island of Mykonos,” manager Pipenelis told Miami New Times.
Fort Wayne, IN
URBAN GREEK
urbangreekfw.com
The pandemic is giving rise to brands that embrace their origins as ghost kitchens. Urban Greek is one of them. The restaurant launched in March with pickup and third-party delivery only. Its web site touts “the best in Greek cuisine from the ghost kitchen of Cosmos.” Owner Sam Bourounis told a local news station that “in light of the pandemic, we wanted to start a carry-out, curbside concept. Fort Wayne has adapted to it so well over this, so we’re like, how can we tap into that market?” On the menu: staples like gyros, tzatziki, spinach pie, and baklava. Bourounis said he eventually hopes to expand Urban Greek into an actual eatery. “Fort Wayne needed a good, true, Greek authentic restaurant,” he added.
Naperville, IL
VASILI’S
vasilismediterranean.com
Paidakia, feta-brined chicken, and souvlaki are stars of the menu at Vasili’s, which opened on Naperville’s picturesque Riverwalk in January. General manager Kevin Roskoskey told the Chicago Tribune the restaurant’s centerpiece is a custom-built hearth that allows cooking and grilling over wood. The main room is configured to give diners a glimpse of hearth action from wherever they’re seated. White oak is the kitchen’s wood of choice. “Cooking that way is just extraordinary. You can keep the food very simple, very rustic, but get really get some nice, elevated flavors,” Jaysen Euler, a Vasilis partner and its executive chef, told the Tribune. The restaurant’s name “pays homage to the warmth and charm of our Papou Vasili,” its home page explains.
Chicago
ANDROS TAVERNA
androstaverna.com
Long before he became a fixture of Chicago’s dining scene, Doug Psaltis hung around Olympia Diner, his grandfather’s Queens restaurant. Now, after opening more than 21 establishments for Chicago’s Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises and working in kitchens across the country, Psaltis has opened a highly personal restaurant in Chicago’s hip Logan Square. Partnering with wife Hsing Chen, a celebrated pastry chef, Psaltis is aiming for “a fresh, modern expression of Greek soul food through sustainably sourced and health-minded dishes inspired by traditional cuisine,” according to a press release. Expect premium seafood like tender grilled octopus, Andros’s interpretation of classic shrimp saganaki, and whole fish simply cooked in the wood-burning oven to pair with meats slow-roasted over charcoal embers.
Albuquerque, NM
MERAKI COFFEE + MARKET
facebook.com/drinkmeraki
With events and private dinners on hold, Nicole Kapnison transformed a function room at her father’s Greek restaurant, Mykonos, into this bright, airy coffee shop. As the Albuquerque Journal reported, the menu features brunch items, baked goods, and coffee, with a few nods to Kapnison’s heritage. So along with avocado toast and quinoa bowls, there’s honey-soaked loukoumades and “the Greek frappe, a blend of whipped coffee and milk that was supposedly invented in Thessaloniki in the 1950s and has since become a national drink.” Kapnison recently launched her own line of spirits, Nikle Co., so Meraki’s menu is cocktail-heavy, with brunchy drinks like a pumpkin-spice White Russian. “Meraki Coffee + Market is both forwardlooking and conscious of its heritage, with a stylish setting and an attention to detail that bode well for its future,” the Journal wrote.
Long Island, NY
SUPERGREEK
supergreekny.com
Calling itself “Greek street food with our new normal in mind,” SuperGreek opened in Ronkonkoma, Long Island, in January. The concept: allowing customers to customize their own gyros and bowls, with the focus on Greek flavor combinations. The restaurant has seating for up to 30 people and offers takeout and curbside pickup as well. “The setup is similar to a Subway or Chipotle, where you go up to the counter, choose your protein and toppings, then watch the staff assemble your food in front of you,” reported Long Island’s Daily Voice. Toppings and sauce options include dolmades, pickled red onions, roasted beets, Greek muffuletta, tahini, “crazy” feta, and “feisty” Greek dressing. Until its Greek reboot, brothers Kostas and Raphael Mokkaz had run the place as a burgers-and-wings joint.
