Refined Greek Food for Refined Palates

There's been a culinary trend catching on lately: high-quality ingredients, simply cooked, with no frills. By coincidence, that's precisely the Greek way of cooking, and a trend that's been interpreted with great success at Okeanos, the under-the-radar Greek restaurant that opened in January of 2010 on Seventh Avenue and Eighth Street.

Owner Tommy Mamounas also owns the neighborhood fixture Donuts Coffee Shop a couple doors down, and decided to open the restaurant in order to "show our Greek heritage," he explained.

"We've run the coffee shop for the past 20 years, and wanted to provide something else to enhance the community. This type of restaurant was nonexistent around here two years ago: simple, fresh Greek cuisine, with a modern twist. It's refined food, because diners in this neighborhood are refined."

Okeanos means "the deep sea," explained general manager Stephanie Voulgaris, who joined the team five months ago and has since fine-tuned the menu and added an extensive Greek-only wine list (she's also a professional sommelier). "We have seven kinds of fresh fish on the menu, and that's what we're known for. It's simply grilled with olive oil, lemon, and oregano. It's very healthy, and lets the freshness of the ingredients come through. There's zero compromise on quality."

Traditional Greek dishes such as moussaka, spanakopita, and pasticchio are on the menu, but it's the fish that has been drawing a crowd. And with good reason: the chef, John DeWine, honed his skills as the city's preeminent fish-centric restaurant, Eric Ripert's Le Bernardin.

So why did DeWine decide to trade one of the finest kitchens in the city for Brooklyn?

"Park Slope is attracting some great chefs, and it's carving out a niche for itself as a real destination neighborhood," explained the chef, who attended Johnson and Wales University. "This neighborhood has a tight-knit community of families, and we have an equal amount of passion. I'm passionate about what I cook, and Park Slopers passionate about what their families eat. I'm looking forward to growing together."

That passion is obvious from the moment you walk through the door. "Our staff is unpretentious and down to earth, but we've trained them to be very knowledgeable about our menu and its offerings," said Voulgaris. "There's a Greek word, Filoxena, and it means 'come as strangers, leave as friends.' Our doors are wide open, and we embrace each guest as if they're our best friends. That's the Greek way: hospitality."