A Peachy's Pick Since 2011 and Best Greek Restaurant in Manhattan, Ammos Estiatorio by Dimitris Nakos Spring 2018 @AmmosNewYork #PeachysPicks @ManhattanPeachy #PeachyDeegan #WhomYouKnow
Our friend, Owner Dimitris Nakos with the Plaki in Beurre Blanc Sauce, the epitome of delicious this spring in Manhattan!
If you really know Peachy, you know she is a product of a @BostonCollege #Jesuit education where there were no fraternities or sororities: everyone shared their beer and it tasted the best at an athlete mod after a winning game. Peachy saved Going Greek for when she moved to New York, and the best way to Go Greek in Manhattan is to go to to 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, home of Ammos. We LOVE IT there.
It's not who you know, it's Whom You Know and we absolutely know Ammos.
Ammos was last featured this past winter:
And since then, you learned they host the best wine dinners in town complete with the vineyard owner that made the wine flying in from Europe:
Ammos earned a spot in Peachy's Picks in 2011:
In 2011, Ammos was one of the dozen venues that launched The Peachy Deegan cocktail:
http://www.whomyouknow.com/search/label/I%20Drank%20The%20Peachy%20Deegan%20at%20Ammos#.WYtCdVF97IU
http://www.whomyouknow.com/search/label/I%20Drank%20The%20Peachy%20Deegan%20at%20Ammos#.WYtCdVF97IU
Right now, the Peachy is not available and Peachy and Charles will relaunch it someday.
Ammos is a bastion of old world excellence combined with every modern inclination your little heart would desire. Steps away from Grand Central, Ammos is the primetime spot for spring and summer with open windows on temperate days so you can enjoy the outside while you dine inside.
The fashion runway of food begins this season with Pikilia (dips) which are simply smashing. Fragrant with varying textures, the array is enticing. If you are near Peachy, she is not going to share her favorite the taramasalata and probably not the Tzatziki either as that used to be her favorite...! From left to right, meet the fantastic five:
Skordalia: garlic and almond- a bright, fresh flavor
Melitzanosalata: eggplant - chunky and fragrant
Htipiti: jalapeno, feta, and roasted red peppers - smooth and spicy, it will knock your socks off
Taramasalata: carp roe caviar - a favorite of seafood lovers
Tzatziki - traditional dip of dill - universally loved
A perfect way to begin!
Then, Jay the manager introduces the uber fresh fish to you personally.
Unlike other venues where you have to go up to the fish case and check it out, Ammos is the host with the most and they bring it to you.
This selection of fresh fish is flown in daily from the Mediterranean water and is sold by the pound. Right in front closest to you you'll see the Dover Sole, which is what Peachy selected.
Fagri, Lavraki, Tsipoura, Black Sea Bass, Sinagrida, Barbounia and King Shrimp are others that star on the menu. This is the best way to order your fish. The pictures are never this edited. You are either as excellent as Dimitris, or you are not.
If you don't love sardines, it is because you have not met the right sardines.
Dimitris searches high and low for the best sardines available, and these are sourced from the Mediterranean and Portugal, specifically. The flavor and quality are superlative and they are briefly marinated in fresh hand-crushed oregano, sea salt, meyer lemon and fresh black pepper. This yields a sensational distinguished taste that evidence the delicacy that proper sardines are. And of course the wine list at Ammos excels:
Dimitris and Peachy, the shrimp in human form
We love shrimp not only because Peachy is one but also because Garides Kataifi are grilled to perfection and meet a sauce we are crazy about.
For someone that doesn't like many sauces, Peachy Deegan cannot get enough of the fabulous beurre blanc sauce, a signature of Ammos this season especially. The shrimp standalone are amazing as they're 48 hour braised tiger shrimp. If you listen carefully you can hear them roar in their grilled state of being, just waiting for you to help them pounce in that beurre blanc sauce.
This is the best part of your day.
Ammos has some of the best salads in town and we are searching for them. The Frouta sings a song of summer with watermelon, berries, seasonal fruits, vine tomatoes, barrel-aged feta, arugula and black sesame balsamic dressing, which they carefully put on the side per our request. We have not seen a better fruit salad anywhere in New York.
Hot on its heels was the Tragano Avocado: a superlative bevy of sliced avocados, beefsteak tomatoes, chickpeas, kalamata olives, parsley, cumin, paprika, crumbled pita chips and aged white balsamic evoo. The robust nature of the depth of salad is highly competitive and of course everything was uberfresh and cut just right.
If you are also an Ammos enthusiast, you know that Plaki is not a new entree. However, you will know its presentation is strikingly new with an elevated flavor upped by phenomenal Beurre Blanc sauce (you know, like the Tiger Shrimp pounced into above). Garlic, butter and Assyrtiko wine beautifully meld into a gorgeous smooth flavorful sauce that will entice your senses. If you know Peachy, you know she asks a million questions. She does this so she knows all the details because details matter and define the excellent. Some people use any old wine. Ammos is not some people. They are the best people and they use Assyrtiko wine from Greece's island of Santorini which has the correct acidity to yield the flavor desired and make this Plaki stand out, and everyone knows that Plaki is Chilean Sea Bass, a lovely buttery clean white flaky fish. Also invited to this party are yellow carrots, berry capers, vidalia onions, fingerling potatoes and tri-color carrots.
Normally, we order one fish and one meat entree. But if you saw how inviting the fish were the day Peachy visited Ammos, you would understand why she had to have two fish instead. The pure definition of luxury on a plate is the Dover Sole, sourced from a Dutch River in Amsterdam, and equally sensational. Every bite absolutely melted in our mouths and the freshness and quality of the fish flown over four times a week is unparalleled in the highly competitive dining world of Manhattan.
Do not ignore the simply smashing Sauteed Wild Shiitake Mushrooms and Haricot Verts, above and Grilled Jumbo Asparagus and Greek graviera cheese, below, which add tremendous nutritional value and flavor to your meal. Ammos even makes vegetables taste delicious, and the Mediterranean diet-going to Ammos every day- can't be beat.
Meet Milopita: traditional Greek Apple Tart crafted with local organic apples and sprinkled with sesame halva, a sweet confectionery of Tahini nut butter. It's a cousin of apple pie and amazingly delicious!
We look forward to seeing what they do next.
As always, Ammos earns our Highest Recommendation.
Be there this spring!
