MP Taverna in Irvington to Offer Chef’s Tasting Menu on New Year’s Eve

“On New Year’s Eve, MP Taverna will hold its first ever New Year’s Eve bash,” said Executive Chef Michael Psilakis, who opened the Greek-influenced contemporary American restaurant in Irvington back in 2012. At 9 and 9:30 p.m. seatings, a $75 per-person, three-course chef’s tasting dinner will be served, he said. The evening’s festivities include a DJ, dancing, noise makers and a champagne toast at midnight.
Earlier, MP Taverna will offer 5, 5:30, 7 and 7:30 p.m. seatings for its regular menu dishes and the chef’s tasting menu for $55.
The three-course tasting menu:
First course. Choice of buttermilk potato soup with dill, fennel pollen, and paddlefish roe or Saffron Risotto with mantilla clams, diver scallop, smoked paprika, Calabrian chile or Brussels sprouts salad with mint, red onion, hazelnut, and feta.
Second course. Choice of roasted lamb loin with turnip puree, turnip greens, and barolo jus or pan Roasted chicken with black truffle, wild mushroom, cauliflower, and black walnut vinegar or stuffed filet of sole with jumbo crab, purslane, and Meyer lemon vinaigrette or wild mushroom Cavatelli with wild mushrooms, mushroom broth, pecorino, and porcini powder.
Dessert. The choices are Meyer lemon tart or chocolate halva brownie or traditional baklava.

About the chef
Psilakis was the executive producer and co-star of BBC America’s new cooking competition series called “No Kitchen Required," which premiered in April, 2012.
He began his restaurant career as a waiter at T.G.I. Fridays and subsequently worked at Café Angelica, a trattoria on Long Island.
Eventually Psilakis bought out the Café Angelica's owners, changed the restaurant's name to Ecco and managed the front of the restaurant. Two years later when the chef and cook didn’t show up one night, he spent the evening helping out in the kitchen. That turned out to be the first day of his new career as a cook and chef. A year later, Ecco earned a two-star rating by The New York Times.
Next, Psilakis started Onera, an upscale Greek restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and in 2006, he teamed up with restaurateur Donatella Arpaia to open the Greek restaurant Dona. Dona received two stars from The New York Times and was named one of Esquire's "Best New Restaurants" but because of real estate issues, it was forced to close in 2007.
Onera was transformed into Kefi, a neighborhood gathering place with a modestly priced menu in 2007, and moved the next year to a location that tripled its seating capacity.
Psilakis also opened an upscale restaurant in 2007 called Anthos to fill the void caused by the closing of Dona.
Then, in July 2009, he opened Gus & Gabriel, named after his late father Gus and his four-year-old son Gabriel. He closed Gus & Gabriel when he opened Fishtag at the same location in November, 2010. He opened MP Taverna in Roslyn, NY, in May, 2010.
His newest restaurant venture is MP Taverna in Brooklyn at 470 Driggs Ave.
He has received awards from many publications including:
• Food & Wine. "Best New Chef"
• Bon Appetit. "Chef of the Year"
• Esquire Magazine. “Chef of the Year”
• Michelin. Anthos, his restaurant in midtown Manhattan, received a Michelin star
• The New York Times. Anthos was ranked third of ten best new restaurants chosen by restaurant reviewer Frank Bruni.
• Gourmand World. "Best Foreign Cuisine Cookbook." Awarded for his cookbook "How to Roast a Lamb," released in October, 2009 by Little, Brown
MP Taverna is located at 1 Bridge Street, Irvington, NY, 914-231-7854, www.mptaverna.com