GOTHAM FOODIE

I grew up in Germany, where Greek food is very popular, so I learned very early on that this stuff is sooooooo good. Greek restaurants in Germany always had owners and chefs that were straight from Greece, so the food was always super authentic and LOADED with garlic. I fell in love with Tsatsiki, and Feta cheese, and everything else. To this day, my favorite salad is a Greek salad. Those Kalamata olives had me at hello. Of course New York City has plenty of great Greek spots. Below find my three favorite restaurants serving this delicous fare.

Taverna Kyclades

Taverna Kyclades is probably number one when it comes to NYC Greek food. It is located in Astoria Queens, which is fairly easy to get to from the city via the N train to Ditmars BLVD. Very easy, and 100% worth the trip. (I mean it’s about 20 minutes from the city, that doesn’t even qualify as a trip here in the Big Apple). Astoria is traditionally the home of the Greeks here, so will find plenty of great Greek food here, however, Taverna Kyclades is the best in my opinion.

I went in wanting a good old three course meal, trying a little bit of everything, but little did I know that the portions were gigantic, and I ended up taking most of it home for dinner, lunch tomorrow etc. Of course I started with the Village Salad, made of cucumbers, Kalamata olives, onions, tomatoes and a good chunk of Feta cheese. So fresh and delicous!! Next was the Grilled Octopus, another huge portion, very tender, well seasoned, and you could taste the char of the grill, which made it even more yummy. I closed out with the Chicken Souvlaki, which is probably my favorite Greek dish. The chicken chunks were ginormous, I could only manage to eat one, and packed up the rest. But those Lemon Potatoes, that were served with it, were so amazing, I didn’t even leave ONE on the plate. Everything here is amazing, from the food to the decor to the staff. I love this place.

Pylos

Of course I do a ton of research before I even choose a restaurant, and Pylos has a ton of great reviews. So when Restaurant Week came around, I jumped right on it, and got myself a reservation. Pylos is located on the Lower Eastside, and it’s a cozy, almost romantic restaurant with very friendly people working there.

The three courses I chose from the menu were as follows: First I had the Saganaki. I had never heard of it before, but it involved pan fried cheese, and that’s a no brainer. It ended up being one of the most delicous things I ever ate. It came with half a lemon, and I thought, wait, cheese and lemon?? Of course I had to try, and Hallelujah, it was amazing. Next was Garides Me Saltsa Ouzo, which basically means shrimp pasta in a tomato sauce with a touch of Ouzo. The shrimp were huge, the sauce was delicous, and at this point I’m so full, I have to take it to go. Because there was still a dessert involved: Yaourti. It’s Greek yogurt with sour cherries, walnuts and honey. It was unbelievably good. The yogurt was a little thicker than you find in a grocery store, the honey made it sweet, the walnuts made it crunchy, the cherry gave it a perfect tang. So simple, yet exceptional.

Molyvos

Last but not least, there was Molyvos. This place also came with lots of great reviews, so needless to say, I included it in my Restaurant Week adventures. This is a very classy, upscale type of restaurant, right in Hell’s Kitchen. It’s beautiful, and their outdoor space it large and sunny. I sat outside in the late afternoon sun, listening to Greek music, and felt oh so good.

My appetizer were Aegean Crispy Calamari, and here they were prepared just the way I like them: light in spite of being deep fried. The sauce accomanying them was super delicous. A Roasted Free Range Chicken followed with (of course) Lemon Garlic Roasted Potatoes, which were heavenly. And so was the chicken. Juicy, perfectly seasoned, almost boneless like a Brick Chicken. I closed out with the Molyvos Sundae, which is Baklava Ice Cream, Samos Caramel, Shredded Sesame Halva and yogurt cream. It was served in a little vessel made of Baklava crust, It was incredible, and there was nothing but the plate left.