$$$$Price: Moderate • Mediterranean • Upper East Side
If you’ve ever been to the Mediterranean and were fortunate enough to be able to get a glimpse of and experience what real, local life and dining is like (not the touristy stuff), this restaurant will bring tears to your eyes. Everything was so fresh, the flavors melded together and it was basically a religious experience. We ordered the passion fruit cocktail, a glass of wine from Montepulciano, and a red called Psyche and Eros” from Greece. For appetizers we had a crab cake and calamari (the crab cake just melts in your mouth!). For the main course we had lamb shank and lamb chops. The lamb shank was impossibly and mind blowingly tender. The sauce it came with was literal chefs kiss. For dessert we had the baklava and gelato, as well as a shot of espresso in a traditional espresso cup, spoon and all. We thought we were done with dinner and then the bartender brought us shots of limoncello. We aren’t talking crappy premade limoncello. This stuff was FRESH and the balance of tart to sweet was the best I’d had (even in Italy (sorry Italy!)). An absolutely phenomenal experience where you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the atmosphere around you. This is definitely our NYC go-to restaurant now. A wonderful experience we can’t wait to have again.
