Finding A Bit of Huntington in North Carolina

A little bit of Huntington can be found in Durham, N.C.

It’s something long-time residents may remember: Spartacus, the Greek restaurant that occupied 400 New York Ave. for almost a quarter of a century.

The Durham restaurant is co-owned by Nondas Kalfas, whose parents opened the original Spartacus in 1978.

Kalfas opened the Durham restaurant 18 years ago with his brother, Vassilios (Billy), and a good friend, John Drury. Other Spartacus restaurants followed in nearby communities, along with a pizzeria, but those were later sold.

“Durham is definitely different than Huntington,” Kalfas said, noting that each community has its own character.

While the Huntington Spartacus was an informal storefront eatery seating just 68 with walls decorated with Grecian frescos, its southern namesake is a sprawling 250-seat tablecloth restaurant with a dining patio.  Although there are no murals in the largely beige, modern dining room, Greek music peals from the speakers and four golden columns decorate the entrance. The newer Spartacus is informal at lunch with a buffet of cold Greek mezzes, gyros, souvlaki and more and a menu of more formidable fare and burgers. It features fine dining in the evening. 

The Durham restaurant “is steeped in tradition while eagerly embracing new people and new ideas,” according to a 2 1/2-star review by Raleigh News & Observer restaurant critic Greg Cox on Dec. 10, 2010.

The Huntington restaurant closed in 2002, two years after Kalfas’ parents divorced and its business deteriorated, according to New York court documents. Il Panino and now F.H. Riley’s restaurant subsequently replaced it. The Kalfas family owns the building.

Durham and neighboring Raleigh and Chapel Hill, have boomed thanks to Duke University, the University of North Carolina and Research Triangle Park.  

“In this area you have people from all over the world,” Kalfas said. That international customer base has broad culinary tastes. Besides Spartacus’ Greek cuisine, area restaurants represent a broad array of foreign foods, including French, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Mexican, Ethiopian, and more. “It’s a whole city of foodies,” he said. 

To be sure, many Long Islanders have migrated to the area. “I’ve probably talked to over 200, 300 people who’ve eaten at our restaurant in New York,” said Kalfas. 

Spartacus has its roots in North Carolina. Upon returning from World War II in 1949, Kalfas’ grandfather, Vassilios Makros, opened a cafeteria in Winston-Salem. The family eventually migrated to New York, where his daughter Ralitsa and her now-former husband, Kyriakos Kalfas, opened the restaurant, originally called Aetos and later Spartacus.

Kalfas’ mom, now retired to North Carolina, recently joined his sister, Melina, in a commercial bakery that produces cookies and baklava — sweet, nutty Greek pastries. They're sold at Whole Foods Markets under the name Melina’s Greek Cookies.

Kalfas says he returns to Long Island several times a year to check on his tenants. “I get my fix and then I’m ready to go.” But he adds, he misses being near the water and “good Italian food.”