New Arrivals – December 2019
Posted by estiator at 14 December, at 15 : 26 PM Print
Boston
GREEK STREET
Time Out Market, 401 Park Drive,
the Fenway, Boston
timeoutmarket.com
Two minutes by foot from their Saloniki fast-casual concept, acclaimed Boston chef Jody Adams and partners Eric Papachristos and Jon Mendez have opened Greek Street at the Time OutMarket food hall. Greek Street offers grilled lamb chops, beef patties infused with cumin, pork schnitzel with Greek herbs, and spanakopita, bringing fare usually found in upscale dining venues to the food-hall environment.
New Jersey
SMALL BITES BY LOCAL GREEK
20 Nassau St, Princeton, NJ
smallbitesbylocalgreek.com
Tony Kanterakis has followed up his sit-down restaurant with a grab-and-go eatery that takes a playfully delicious approach to Greek cuisine. Breakfast options include a free-range egg with loukaniko and kasseri on a bagel; pita wrap entries go beyond the tried-and-true to include beef and lamb kofta, keftedes, and zucchini fritters. They’re a perfect solution for customers who want authentic flavors in “smaller, more commuter-friendly” doses. The restaurant specializes in sweet and savory pastries (think spanakopita and tyropita; baklava, galaktoboureko, and bougtsa).
Houston
ANONYMOUS CAFÉ
3701 Kirby Dr., Houston
anonymouseats.com
Greek eats and specialty European coffee are on tap at Anonymous Cafe, recently opened by husband-and-wife team Tasos and Patricia Pantazopoulos (she’s the baker, he’s the barista). The cafe won a coveted award from Buzzfeed, which named it Best Bakery in Texas, calling out Patricia’s signature dessert, ekmek kataifi. In addition to a bevy of sweet stuff, Anonymous offers up pastitsio, spanakopita, and pita wraps, along with a daily special. The couple is planning to add wine and beer, featuring mostly Greek wines.
California
PITA PITAKI
3401 Cherry Ave., Long Beach, CA
With less than a dozen tables, Pita Pitaki offers resident beachcombers quick, casual Greek treats that bounce between veg-heavy items like falafel and melitzanosalata, and lots of grilled meats. Honey feta is wrapped in phyllo and crisped up quickly before being topped with black sesame seeds, while a plate of stuffed tomatoes and bell peppers take visitors beyond the typical street grub. Even that menu subset has some nice surprises (hello, chicken gyro). Baklava and galaktoboureko are among the sweet finishes offered.
New York
LEFTERIS GYRO RESTAURANT
501 Marble Ave, Pleasantville, NY
lefterisgyro.com
Westchester County has gotten its fourth Lefteris location with the recent opening of Lefteris Gyro in Pleasantville, along with its original Tarrytown location, Mount Kisco, and Yonkers. It offers traditional taverna fare like gyro, moussaka, and saganaki. This location can accommodate 65 guests in its two dining rooms, plus more in an outdoor dining area. And Lefteris in Tarrytown is preparing to unveil its expansion, adding a full-service bar and more dining seats as it grows into the adjacent storefront.
Phoenix
KOVO MODERN MEDITERRANEAN
10625 N Tatum Blvd., Suite 150, Phoenix
kovomedi.com
Opened in September, Kovo Modern Mediterranean is part cocktail bar and part brunch spot. As its name suggests, Kovo carves up slow-cooked rotisserie meats (the name means “to cut”) and even has a signature carved meat mezze platter that includes gyro, loukaniko, and chicken gyro. A stuffed chicken breast filled with spinach, feta, and herbs is also a hit. With lineage from Cyprus, the restaurant’s owners couldn’t resist putting on sheftalia, a delicious sausage/kefte hybrid wrapped in caul fat and grilled.
