eXo

I got word from my Cypriot connection, Bill and Flora, to check out this fairly new Greek spot in Whitestone (1515-16 149th Street, http://www.exorestaurant.com/). My friends never steer me wrong. So I made a reservation for myself and a friend who lived in Greece while in the Navy. He loved the food there but hasn't found an equivalent here. We decided to do it up right! Flora, who knows the Chef Constantine Kalandranis, gave him the heads up that we wanted to try all the specialties. We walked into a cozy and welcoming atmosphere, yet it held a simple elegance. We were able to meet Chef Constantine, who was very gracious, and set up a 6 course tasting menu for us. We began with a lobster bisque topped with what I believe was a little dollop of greek yogurt, lovely texture and slightly tangy. This was accompanied by a traditional style greek horiatiki salad with feta, cucumber, tomato, and olives, simple and fresh. Next we had a trio of dishes: prawns over a little goat cheese mashed potato, grilled octopus (this was our favorite), and grilled halloumi cheese. This was followed by a selection of homemade spreads and pita, homemade fingerling potato chips, and mini lamb meatballs and greek-style chicken wings. The classic spreads included: skorthalia (potato-garlic), taramosalata (a creamy puree with fish roe), Tzatziki (cucumber-yogurt), Htipiti (feta and roasted red pepper), Melitzanosalata (eggplant), and Hummus. WOW. We were enjoying all this with a nice, slightly crisp Chardonnay. Yes there is more. Homemade feta ravioli with garlic and oil and herbs. For the main course, probably one of the most excellent choices and most popular, a grilled whole Branzino. Last but definitely not least was dessert, a selection of greek specialties: Rizogalo (rice pudding), Galactoboureko (custard pie), and yogurt icecream covered in fried phyllo.  Everything was perfectly plated and the service was excellent. Thank you Zee. You have to go and try it for yourself. It was really one of the top culinary experiences of my life. And they hold cooking classes on Mondays! Fun! Maybe I will see you there. ..Sas ef̱charistó̱, Chef Constantine! Kalí̱ órexi̱!
(Please note: I apologize if I have misspelled or misquoted any words, let me know of any corrections)