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By Manos Angelakis
Numerous Greek food enterprises dot the North Jersey landscape. There are food importers, diners, and restaurants. Some call themselves restaurants, but many are nothing more than glorified diners. In reality, there are very few authentic Greek tavernas and a few upscale restaurants owned or co-owned by Greek chefs. In this story, we will talk about a taverna located in Bloomfield, and a new upscale restaurant, in Englewood.
Nisi Estiatorion (translation: Island Restaurant)
90 Grand Avenue
Englewood, New Jersey
(201) 567-4700
Executive Chef John Piliouras, formerly of New York City's Molyvos, has opened as a partner to an upscale Greek restaurant in Englewood, New Jersey, called Nisi Estiatorion.
We attended Nisi’s opening party in mid-January and found the food to be updated Greek, with very good and fairly traditional appetizers, excellent main courses and, of course, the appropriate desserts. What impressed us though was the counter of fresh fish and seafood on ice that is in the main dinning room. It is a very traditional presentation that can be found in any Greek-island restaurant. It guarantees, if you know how to select fresh fish, that you can get a very fresh porgy, grouper, mackerel, or any other fish or other sea creature that probably was still swimming the day before. Talking with General Manager Michael Liristis, I discovered that not only do they buy their fish daily at the Fulton Fish Market; they also fly in fresh fish from Greece.
From ancient times to modern day, the most important holiday on the Greek calendar is Easter, and at Nisi, they honor this sacred day in traditional style. On Greek Easter weekend, both the midnight meal served Easter Eve (April 18), and the Easter Sunday feast (from noon until 8pm on April 19), will feature spit-roasted whole baby spring lambs, slow roasting directly outside the main entrance to Nisi for approximately four hours, where guests and passersby can see and smell the tender lamb cooked to a crispy, juicy turn. A traditional four-course Easter menu will begin with Magiritsa, a soup made from all parts of the lamb, consumed immediately after midnight church services to break the long Lenten fast. A selection of mezedes (appetizers) will be served along with the soup, a leek and cheese pie, sautéed sweetbreads, and taramosalata, the carp roe mousse, all of which symbolize rebirth and Spring. The menu continues with a lively salad, and then tender slices from the spit-roasted baby lamb, and roasted potatoes (lemonates) flavored with lemon juice, olive oil and oregano. A traditional dessert, galaktoboureko finishes the meal. Extra delights will grace the Greek Easter table include tsoureki, a braided bread baked and cooked with eggs dyed red in the center. The red eggs will also be passed separately; and guests can crack their egg, one against another. The person whose egg does not break will experience good luck throughout the year.
Stamna (translation: clay pitcher)
1045 Broad Street
Bloomfield, NJ
(973) 338-5151
You can’t take Stamna as any other kind of restaurant but Greek, even though the owners, some of the staff and cooks are from Cyprus. Blue and white decorations, and of course the typically Greek menu will transport you to the Eastern Mediterranean.
It is an excellent introduction to the Mediterranean cuisine. The appetizers are what make this restaurant so authentic. You can find fried calamari in any Italian or Middle Eastern establishment in the area, but the fried calamari rings here are lightly breaded, and deep-fried to perfection. The wood-grilled octopus is exquisite. Both the saganaki and the wood-grilled haloumi cheese are properly prepared. The taramosalata is lemony. The melitzanosalata, properly smoky. There are both rice-stuffed and meat-stuffed vine-leaf wrapped dolmades, the meat-stuffed ones with a velvety egg/lemon sauce. The fried meatballs are exactly as mother used to make. And the deep-fried smelts (marida), taste fresh from the sea. The main courses are also very typical. We like the pastitsio (Greek lasagna) and the moussaka. Of note is the grilled fish that comes smoky, with just lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and minced parsley sauce. The desserts are OK and whoever makes the Greek coffee, knows exactly what they are doing.
Both restaurants feature very authentic Greek kitchens. One is a BOB taverna; the other is upscale, with an outstanding wine list. You can’t go wrong eating in either one.
© April 2009 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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