Authentic Greek Cuisine Comes To Middletown, New Jersey

SANTORINI Grill, a casual, yet stylish family-friendly restaurant, has opened at 650 E. Newman Springs Road in the Lincroft section of Middletown, directly behind Subway. The restaurant, which is BYOB, prepares authentic cuisine from both the northern and southern regions of Greece and the Greek Isles. The telephone number is (732) 933-4800. The restaurant is opened Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sundays from 12 Noon to 10 p.m. Take-out is also available.

On Thursday, November 13, members of the public are invited to the official grand opening celebration at SANTORINI Grill. At 12 Noon on November 13, elected officials and members of the media will gather for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. A food and dessert sampling will follow the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Everyone is welcome at the sampling.

The Recipe For Success = The Best Ingredients + Love

The business is owned by seasoned restaurateurs Melody and Dmitrios Vathis, the husband and wife team who previously owned and operated Jimmy’s Greek American Grill in Spotswood, New Jersey, a popular restaurant which introduced authentic Greek cuisine to the Middlesex County region. Dmitrios, who is known as ‘Jimmy’ and hails from Sparta, Greece, has deep roots in the culinary world and learned about the importance of producing and using pure ingredients from his family. His father and brother own 3,000 olive trees outside of Sparta and produce organic olive oil. Sparta is an area that is known for fertile soil and a favorable climate and according to Dmitrios, produces the best olive oil in the world. In addition, his uncle owned the highly successful Seville Diner in East Brunswick, providing additional inspiration. “We are 100 % Greek here at SANTORINI Grill and prepare only authentic Greek cuisine using the best ingredients. You can be the greatest chef in the world, but if you do not have great ingredients, the meals will be nothing,” Dmitrios noted.

SANTORINI uses the highest quality olive oil and offers fresh feta cheese, something that is uncommon in the area. Nearly half of the products used for cooking are also organic. SANTORINI also uses an original gyro machine to prepare gyros fresh daily. The machine shaves the meat, allowing for the best cuts of lamb and beef which are never frozen. Dmitrios explained that Greek cuisine is simple and based on a few ingredients which are staples in the Greek diet – olive oil, tomatoes, feta cheese, vegetables and lamb – but emphasized that there is one special ingredient which makes everything better. That ingredient is love. The husband and wife team, who have been together for over 20 years, are the perfect example and wholeheartedly agree on the importance of bringing passion into the kitchen. “We make everything with love. You have to have that,” stated Melody, who is especially proud of the tzatziki sauce, which she stated is “totally different than anywhere else.” She also mentioned some traditional crowd favorites including mousaka, spanakopita and pastichio and said they are never dry at SANTORINI and are unique in flavor. Desserts are prepared fresh daily. “We take the time to experiment with different flavors and to refine the process and are not afraid to invest extra money for quality,” Melody concluded.

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