#TerrificTakeout #InauguralReview #Yasouvlaki by #GeorgiosKantaris and #JohnGiampilis #UpperEastSide
A new bright light of Mediterranean dining on the Upper East Side is Yasouvlaki by our new friend Georgios Kantaris, who is both Executive Chef and Owner, and our old friend, John Giampilis, Owner, who has earned accolades for Bocado Cafe previously on Whom You Know.
The Mediterranean Diet is widely acclaimed for its health benefits, and so it makes sense that there are six salad choices on the menu, which we applaud. Above, we met with the Prasini, a powerful bastion of green nutrients composed of romaine lettuce, scallions, dill, and of course our favorite vegetable: cheese and in particular, feta. Lemon vinaigrette brightened the array and they listened and put it on the side for Ms. Pretty Picky. We really liked the dill and scallion combination and found it entirely refreshing. Below, introduce yourself to the Greek Caesar salad. With a base of romaine lettuce, the Kefalograviera cheese and hearty Greek Rusks (barley croutons made in Crete) add pizzaz to the plate with of course Caesar Dressing. All ingredients were fresh and fabulous.
We count ten appetizer choices and stuck to the classics. Spanakopita, spinach pie, is presented in phyllo pastry form with the spinach inside joined by the right amount of dill, feta and scallion. The Oktapodi, of course octopus, boasts an outstanding grilled quality and flavor and comes with an excellent presentation of fava and lentil salad, topped with tomato vinaigrette. If you need a wake-up, their cappuccino is rich and frothy: we recommend it.
Of course the piece de resistance here is the namesake Souvlaki Platters.
Ya means "Let's Go" or "Hello" and Souvlaki means protein on skewer.
There are a whopping nine souvlaki choices and we narrowed it down to Swordfish and Chicken, both of which were outstanding and expectedly the spotlight of the meal. As Peachy is Irish and an obvious potato enthusiast, she really was impressed by the french fries which are cut and made fresh daily and you can taste that. The french fries alone make this something to rave about. Joined by the fries, Greek Tabouli (bulgar wheat with vegetables), toasted pita, Yasou Sauce (House Mayo) and our favorite Tzatziki, these skewer stars of protein were each superlative and enhanced further with lemon olive oil.
This is the one that lost to Bobby Flay: Moussaka...Georgios was on the show! This rendition is hearty and substantial with its eggplant, potatoes, wonderfully seasoned ground beef and lamb meat sauce and lovely bechamel. It really hits the spot on a cloudy day like today. If you are more poisson-motivated, go for the Mediterranean Spiced Salmon, which has twelve different spices really setting it apart. They all mix nicely together and bring color to the fish with eggplant puree, roasted veggies and chickpeas.
Yasouvlaki is Terrific Takeout and we look forward to seeing what they do next!
