Bites Nearby: Greek with a Difference at MP Taverna

First there were diners, then the next generations opened fancier restaurants. Now award-winning chef Michael Psalikis has returned to his ancestral home, bringing diners Greek traditions with his very own approach back to Long Island where he was raised.

In opening MP Taverna, Psilakis says he is trying to bring Greek food into the mainstream so that when diners are considering where to eat, “let’s eat Greek,” can be a choice.

No white walls or pictures of the blue Agean jot the Roslyn restaurant and the music is Frank Sinatra.

“I’m trying to break the ethnic barrier,” said Psilakis, who had the location designed in the manner of a steakhouse with wooden floors and a huge oval bar. “It doesn’t have to look Greek to be Greek.”

Psilakis has accrued many food-world high honors including Food & Wine’s Best New Chef, Chef of the Year from Bon Appetit and Esquire and a James Beard Award nomination for Best New Restaurant for Anthos, his modern Greek restaurant in New York City (now closed because the building was sold). Athos was one of only two Greek restaurants in the world to receive a Michelin star.

Plilakis’ 2009 cookbook, How to Roast a Lamb, won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award for Best Foreign Cuisine. He owns two other restaurants on the Upper West Side: Kefi and Fishtag and to mark Greek Independence Day in 2009, Psilakis cooked a special meal in the White House.

A meal at MP Taverna can start with small plates (mezethes) or can be a meal unto themselves. It is typically Greek to have a tableful of mezethes that are shared by the diners and enhanced with wine, ouzo or raki.

Several mezes include meatballs with olives, onion and tomato sauce; octopus with a Mediterranean chickpea salad; and crispy cod with garlic and potato puree and tomato sauce, served with a thick piece of toast to sop up the delicious gravy.

There are spicy pork ribs that are marinated for eight hours and then slow cooked. Loukaniko, a Greek sausage described as a cross between Italian sausage and cured Italian salami, comes dressed with lemon and olive oil.

The bulghar salad with dates, almonds, pomegranate, olive and pistachio is also eye-catching.

A unique menu item is the lamb burger served on a roll with a spicy feta spread and a side of smashed potatoes and the grilled branzino with fingerling potatoes, cherry tomatoes and olives.

George Pappas serves double-duty as both manager and wine expert, and the restaurant features a well-stocked beer collection with 10 on tap and 30 craftbeers as well as the usual assortment of domestics. The wine can be order by half-glass, full glass, half bottle and whole bottle.

A Baklava Napoleon with maple walnut ice cream and metaxa (Greek brandy/wine) spiced cream stands out on the dessert menu when capped with either French press coffee or thick Greek coffee. Fresh brewed loose tea is also available.

Opa.

1363 Old Northern Boulevard, Roslyn, NY 11576, 516-686-6456
www.mptaverna.com
Hours: Lunch: Monday through Friday from noon to 3 p.m.; Brunch: Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dinner: Monday through Thursday from 3 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 3 to 11 p.m., Sunday from 3 to 9 p.m.
Prices: Meze prices range from $7.50 to $12.00; Entrees from $15 to $27.