Hellenic's End Of Harvest Wine Pairing Dinner A Creative Feast

EAST MARION, NY — For generations, scores of loyal clientele have made the Hellenic Snack Bar & Restaurant a deep part of their delicious North Fork experience: In 2016, the East Marion family-owned eatery celebrated 40 years of beloved memories, longtime friends, heartfelt values coupled with mouthwatering recipes — and a restaurant that feels, for so many, like coming home.

Under the dedicated nurturing of owner George Giannaris, Hellenic has continued to evolve as a must-visit foodie destination — a place to find the finest fare prepared with care and a core culinary philosophy geared toward exploring new horizons while staying true to deeply ingrained roots.

And now, a new tradition that's wowed diners in recent years is back: The 12th annual "End of the Harvest Wine Pairing Dinner" is a testament to the North Fork's emergence as a region rich in wine and abundant, farm fresh fare, an experience unlike any other on the culinary canvas. The event, which takes place on Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. at Hellenic in East Marion, has limited seating and tickets are selling fast, but there's still a chance to purchase here.

Giannaris explained the origin of the dinner: "In 2006, I decided to have an intimate dinner for friends. It was the end of a prosperous, busy season and I wanted to celebrate it. An acoustic finger-style guitarist approached me about playing at the restaurant to promote himself, so I invited him to play for us at the dinner. A customer overheard me talking about the dinner and said, 'I want to go!'" he said. "They reserved a table for a handful of their friends, which led to more people wanting to come. I wanted to impress everyone, so I came up with a four-course menu and I decided to pair my menu with local wines."

And so, one of the finest wine pairing evenings on the East End was born.

Giannaris said he was tasting wines with his friend and "exceptional winemaker "Juan Micieli Martinez at Martha Clara, who offered to speak about the wines at the inaugural dinner.

"The event was an instant success and we been doing the End of the Harvest wine pairing dinner ever since," Giannaris said.

This year's dinner features an evening with winemaker Juan Sepulveda of Laurel Lakes Vineyards, with music by American Idol star Leah Lorenti, vocalist Isabel Alvarez, and finger-style guitarist Russ Amenson.

The delectable menu represents a glory of abundance, with a cocktail hour featuring Peconic Gold oysters, little neck clams and jumbo shrimp paired with a 2016 Pinot Gris. Next comes "Rich Man, Poor Man," lobster and grilled monkfish in a butternut squash bisque, served with a 2016 Sauvignon Blanc. A "Sortofa salad" of sliced grilled yams, marinated and roasted Latham's beets, grilled Manouri medallions, tri-color quinoa, and cherry tomatoes over frisse lettuce with a balsamic avocado dressing is presented with a 2014 Estate Reserve Chardonnay.

The "Duck, Duck" course is a mouthwatering offering of slow-smoked Crescent Farms duck breast with balsamic tarragon glaze, Crescent Farm duck chili, roasted Latham's autumn vegetable puree and a 2013 Pinot noir.

Save room for the 12-hour slow cooked prime Angus rib with a veal demi-glace, oven roasted Latham yellow cauliflower, stir-fried, and lemon scented asparagus, married with a 2013 reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

The grand finale, "How About Them Apples?" is a decadently dazzling serving of Briermere Farms Honey Crisp apples, served Tart Tartin, coupled with Hellenic's all-natural, homemade bourbon vanilla gelato and a Sparkling Muscato.

"The wineries have opened the flood gates for an emerging and creative culinary community."

Giannaris shared his thoughts about what the wine pairing symbolizes in the Hellenic's long and rich history on the North Fork.

"I love to create in the kitchen. Although my family has built a specific, respected niche on the North Fork as a Greek restaurant, it is a little stifling," he said. "When you serve families for generations, they expect the same entrees and the same consistency. The majority of my customers don’t look at the menu; they order what they have loved for years. The annual End of the Harvest Dinner allows me to nurture and pour out my creativity into courses no one ever had or would expect to have at Hellenic. It runs parallel with the blossoming generation that is planting their roots on the North Fork. The shock of finding outstanding Korean inspired sandwiches in a shopping center or amazing duck schnitzel at a miniature golf course is fading. The wineries have opened the flood gates for an emerging and creative culinary community."

The first dinner was an "instant success" and for the rest of the year after, people kept asking Giannaris to host another, he said.

"I would build the menu in my mind and in my test kitchen for months. I would then go to different wineries and try to find wines that would pair with my food. This was a complete disaster. It is like buying a shirt and tie first and then trying to find a suit to match. I was tasting wine with another spectacular winemaker, Anthony Nappa, at his tasting room in Peconic with his wife Sarah, who happens to be an amazing chef. Instinctively, we began to come up with food combinations that would pair nicely with the wines. That is when the light bulb went off: Create the menu around the wines."

This year's pairings are poised to delight, Giannaris said: "Some of the most sophisticated reds, reds that rival library wines from California, are made by the hands of master winemaker Juan Sepulveda from Laurel Lake Vineyards. His Credence Meritage is jaw-dropping. His reserve Chardonnay is this year’s best North Fork vintage, in my opinion. When you taste wines like those, it is like a circus in your mouth. Ingredients start screaming at you. The whispers — and screams — from his wine bottles have inspired my dishes," he said.

With an eye toward raising awareness, in order to promote breast cancer awareness for the month of October, Rick and Ellie Coffey from the Coffey House Bed & Breakfast sponsor the cocktail hour, Giannaris added.

Reflecting on what makes the yearly dinner a singular experience, Giannaris said: "I have a killer-secret ingredient that sets my wine pairing dinner apart from all the other wine pairing dinners on the North Fork: I’m Greek. We know how to celebrate life. We also know that the music is just as important as the food."

In previous years, he's flown in finger-style guitarists such as Lance Allen from Nashville to play; Glen Roth of CT has been the musical talent for many years and is "simply extraordinary," Giannaris said, adding that this year's shining talent is set to soar.

At the event, Giannaris introduces each course, discussing what inspired him to create each dish, then hands the microphone over to the winemaker as he runs into the kitchen to serve the next course.

"Juan Sepulveda, this year’s winemaker, will talk about each wine and how it was produced, fielding questions," he said. "The dinner is more like a family gathering with personal interaction. That is why the same 40 to 50 guests book their reservations for the next wine pairing dinner a year in advance. Two years ago, I was sold out from the year before," he said. "I had to add extra seating."

For Giannaris, the dinner is a deeply personal endeavor, as is Hellenic's journey, with a focus on family — Giannaris and his wife Maria are mainstays at the restaurant — tradition, and a deep respect for the culinary experience clientele share.

"I was talking with a dear friend of mine, Harvey Passes. We share similar passions in that we both like to be diverse," he said. "He is a dentist and an inventor of dental equipment as well as a television show host that has aired more than 500 episodes. He said to me, 'You know, George, this year I will have worked for 39 years straight.' I responded, 'Me, too.' He was taken aback. He said, 'How old are you?' I said, '49.' He laughed, thinking I was joking."

Giannaris said he started working full-time when he was 10 years old. By 12, he was carving and cutting 600 pounds of pork into cubes for souvlaki, each week, all in an afternoon. At 16, he not only cooked at the restaurant all day, but cleaned the restaurant each night.

"It is an honor and a privilege to have customers that trust me so much, that they would allow me to the opportunity to be creative for them," Giannaris said. "I am thrilled that I can be unique and it is welcomed. Everything about my life is paradoxical. I own a 250 seat 'Snack Bar,' founded in the middle of nowhere that offers a legendary, gourmet wine pairing dinner. Why not?"

Photos courtesy of George Giannaris.