Pylos

September 26, 2008

Pylos Restaurant                                    

128 E. 7th Street        

New York, NY 10009

The Setup: Greg and I are always in search of great Greek food. On our first trip together to New York City 2 years ago, we found a place called Pylos and we loved it! Boasting a consulting chef who divides her time between New York City and her own cooking school in Greece, this restaurant has a lot to live up to! On our most recent trip to NYC last weekend, we found ourselves once again in the mood for Greek food and decided to revisit Pylos.

The Experience: Pylos is an authentic yet modern Greek restaurant located in the heart of the East Village. We arrived around 6:00 PM and even though there were only 4 other people in the restaurant, we were told that we could have a table as long as were done by 7:30. Although I understand that they have previous reservations, the way it was put to us was a little rude. Once we were seated, the waiter brought us out pita bread and hummus which we ate up pretty quickly without remembering we still had 2 appetizers plus dinner coming! My only gripe about the service was that the man refilling the water hardly let you take 2 sips of your drink before he was back at your side, jug in hand. In the hour we were at the restaurant I would guess he filled our water 7 to 8 times - and each time our glasses were never under half full. Some call this efficient - I call it obsessive. 

The Food: After the complimentary pita bread and hummus, Greg and I decided on 2 appetizers: Anginares Moussaka (artichoke moussaka) - $11 and Kalamarakia Tyganita (lightly breaded and fried calamari) - $10. We also ordered 2 glasses of a Greek cabernet called Vatistas - $9 per glass. For our main dishes, Greg went with "Garides Kai Hteniame Saltsa Ouzo Serverismena Me Hilopites" - or - shrimp and scallops in an ouzo tomato sauce with pasta ($25) and I went with my all time favorite food - Greek or otherwise - Pastitsio, which is a baked pasta dish layered with ground beef and spices, and then topped with a bechamel sauce ($17).

The Verdict: A+ With food this good, I can definitely overlook a slightly rude hostess and way overzealous water replenisher! Pylos offers authentic Greek cooking at its best, along with a few modern takes on Greek classics such as the artichoke moussaka, which is normally made with eggplant. The calamari could have used some kind of sauce, but that's a minor criticism when you take the caliber of the rest of the meal into consideration. **Insider's Tip** - No matter how many cars are parked on the street directly across from the restaurant - it's still NOT o.k. to park there! (Unless you're willing to pay the $65 parking ticket) 

(photo courtesy of www.pylosrestaurant.com)