New Arrivals – February 2020
Posted by estiator at 9 February, at 11 : 22 AM Print
A coast-to coast glance at some of the industry’s newest additions
Chicago
KOSTALI
521 N. Rush Street, Chicago, IL kostalichicago.com
Nestled inside The Gwen luxury hotel is Kostali (meaning “coastal” in Maltese), the newest restaurant from celebrity chef (and James Beard Award winner) Carrie Nahabedian and her cousin, Michael Nahabedian. The casually elegant eatery “offers a transportive coastal experience” with cuisine inspired by the various countries on the Mediterranean. Standout appetizers include feta cheese turnovers with medjool date, pumpkin, and za’atar; a semolina crusted fritto misto with calamari, shrimp, eggplant, and zucchini; and coco de paimpol (a white bean stew with snails, chorizo, and Marcona almonds).
New Jersey
O BLAXOS
195 Mountainview Boulevard, Wayne, NJ oblaxos.com
Pronounced “Vlahos” but spelled with the Greek alphabet beta and chi in place of the “v” and “h,” O Blaxos is a family-oriented breakfast/lunch/dinner spot that strives to provide food that is “organic and fresh for all of you to enjoy.” On its website, the restaurant boasts: “Our main chef grew up in Greece and very well learned about the traditional Greek cooking. Our chefs earned a Certificate in Culinary Arts and they are inspired with the old traditional recipes. Our goal is to bring Greece here and try all the best foods that Greece offers.”
New York
GEORGY GYROS
120 West Ramapo Road, Garnerville, NY georgygyros.com
After retiring from the Ramapo Police force, George Drivas is connecting with his Greek roots as the owner of this fast-casual eatery in Rockland County, focusing on takeout and delivery. The website advertises meats that are top quality, with “no mystery meat by-products,” no dyes, no preservatives, no MSG, and no fillers, making them gluten-free. Sauces are made from scratch with fresh ingredients. The signature Georgy Gyro is served with hand-cut fries on the inside. In addition to pita wraps, you’ll find combo platters of grilled meats, loukaniko, feta-stuffed kebabs, and falafel.
New York
MEDUSA GREEK TAVERNA
133 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY medusataverna.com
The center of hipsterdom, Brooklyn, has its latest Greek addition in Medusa Taverna, in the borough’s Park Slope district. Owned by George Constantinou (who also owns two Latin American restaurants that speak to his background on his mother’s side), Medusa seeks to take traditional Greek food and elevate it with locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. Chef Peter Tsaglis is manning the kitchen here, serving up a menu that includes papoutsakia (eggplant stuffed with onions, capers and smoked feta), short rib yiouvetsi (with orzo and mizithra cheese), pastitsio, lemon chicken, and fish plaki.
North Carolina
CAVA
2126 South Boulevard, Charlotte, NC cava.com
The 96th-location Cava recently opened in Charlotte’s South End, bringing its inspired fast-casual menu to a city where one of the company’s co-founders (executive chef Dimitris Moshovitis) has history (his uncles owned a longtime diner in the city). Cava is among the most successful of the Chipotle-style build-your-own concepts, with menus that read more like those of an upscale full-service eatery than an order-atthe-counter quick-service model. Guests can build their pitas, bowls and salads with some savory delights that include harissa honey chicken, spicy lamb meatballs, braised lamb, roasted vegetables and, of course, falafel.
California
MESO
3060 Olsen Drive, San Jose, CA mesorestaurant.com
With several Michelin stars attached to executive chef Gregory Short and chef/partner Roland Passot (also a James Beard Award winner), Mesa opened with a significant pedigree. This 200-seat spot, located in a new building within the 700 Santana Row retail and office complex, bills itself as a high-end French restaurant with Mediterranean flavors. The impressive menu highlights spices, herbs, and ingredients that span the Mediterranean basin, with a heavy influence on the Middle East. Among them: lentils, chickpeas, za’atar, Aleppo peppers, tahini, harissa, kufta, sumac, pomegranate, turmeric, and zhoug.
