NOUVEAU GREEK
A Bay Ridge diner of
20 years steps into the world of haute Greek cuisine
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Defying the rest: The charcoal-grilled octopus with red wine sauce and onions, "octapodi," is a stand-out appetizer at Yiannis on 69th Street and Fourth Avenue. The Brooklyn Papers / Greg Mango |
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By Jennifer Crutcher Wilkinson On the corner of Fourth Avenue and 69th Street, Yiannis has all the physical attributes of a traditional diner with its rounded corners and trailer-like shape, old fashioned counter with bar stools and low-key decor. But the menu of this favorite Bay Ridge hangout has gone from simple to sumptuous under the careful watch of its talented and dedicated owner and manager, John Stathopoulos. Stathopoulos was attracted to the world of gastronomy early in life. After leaving what he describes as "a difficult political situation" in Greece in 1968 ("I was one of the students making noise," he told The Brooklyn Papers) he came to Brooklyn to finish high school and seek his fortune. He landed in Bay Ridge and has lived here ever since, always working in food - from pubs, to diners, to restaurants, and developing his culinary interest by attending food seminars and classes, visiting vineyards and traveling. Opened in 1979, the original Yiannis was a diner, owned and run by Stathopoulos for the last 20 years. As such, it served basic diner food like hamburgers and sandwiches, salads and pizzas, always with Greek flair but never offering a full-blown Greek selection on the menu. Yiannis did well as a diner, but after such a long run, Stathopoulos felt ready for a change. "In 2000, people know more about food," he explained. "Young people have more money and they want to spend it on better product." So Stathopoulos put his mind to upgrading Yiannis' menu based on the culinary knowledge he had acquired over the years and on his love of Greek flavors and traditions. "My style is not clean Greek," he explains. "I like to blend different cuisines, especially French and Greek. Basics are basics," he adds, pointing out that knowing how to perform routine techniques well - roasting, frying, sauteeing, baking - is central to any good cooking. Grilled octopus is the first dish to be sampled, one of the rare foods I have always felt squeamish about - something about the snake-like tentacles and suckers, the fact that they squirt ink, the memory of their rubbery texture the one time I did try them. I take a big swig of the dry white wine made from the Greek grape rodetes (Foloi Marcoury 1997) he has ordered for us before daring to taste. Grilled over a charcoal fire and served in a red wine and balsamic vinegar sauce, I am relieved to discover that this octopus is like nothing I've ever experienced before. Tender, delicate, slightly sweet and sour, the overall effect is utterly pleasing. The wine, too, is intriguing and different, very dry and clean. "This is made with rodetes grapes grown on the Greek mountainsides. All grapes grown on mountains are better than those grown on flat land," Stathopoulos tells us. "I believe in using the best of everything. Our fish is bought fresh from the Fulton Fish Market every day. Some I even order from the Mediterranean because the flavors of those fish are so particular to that part of the world." He serves us a small whole Mediterranean fish "from the dorade family." It is simply prepared, sauteed in butter with lemon; its basic freshness and flavor speaking for themselves. "Americans tend to eat filets of fish," Stathopoulos explains. "I prefer cooking fish with the bones in, because they add so much in flavor." As we finish our fish, a sampling of dips arrives surrounded by sauteed rounds of eggplant for dipping. According to Stathopoulos, these are the four basic Greek dips - the pungent, pale golden ktipiti, made with four cheeses; the crisp and fresh green tzatziki, a combination of yogurt, cucumbers and garlic; the strong, hearty Greek version of garlic mashed potatoes, skordalia; and the pink taramasalata made with a fish roe base and bread crumbs. The mussels with a fresh thyme and ouzo sauce have just arrived along with what looks like a cheese blintz. Not being a mad ouzo enthusiast, I find this sauce to be a tad too strong in anise flavoring but that undoubtedly has to do with my own personal palate. My guest thinks this is one of the best dishes thus far, so intriguingly unusual. Saganaki, as the cheese square is called in Greek, is a combination of egg white, cheese, flour and lemon. It is light and delicate in flavor, a good accompaniment to the strong taste of the mussels. It is the pizza, however, that shows Stathopoulos' genius at its best. Beautiful to behold in its pink and green glory, the Figuier pizza is delicately thin-crusted, bringing together fresh figs, goat cheese, prosciutto and arugula. Baked in Yiannis' gourmet, wood-burning brick oven, Figuier's marriage of sweet and sour, nutty and creamy is perfection, as is the ultra-thin crisp crust. Yiannis' menu offers many standard Greek specialties - Greek salads, lamb dishes, spanakopita (spinach pie), halvah (a sesame seed and honey confection) - as well as a large selection of international fare including "the best Black Angus steaks anywhere," according to Stathopoulos. He is also very proud of some of his lunch specialties, in particular his wraps and hamburgers which are popular with his lunch clientele. But beyond the food and the minimalistic decor (there are 10 to 15 tables in the back with white tablecloths and napkins) the feeling of warmth and wellbeing with which John Stathopoulos infuses the place is winning. As he says himself: "In order to have good food you have to have good feeling. We love to cook here." And it shows.
Yiannis is located at 6901 Fourth Ave. in Bay Ridge, and is open Mondays through Fridays from 11 am to 11 pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 11:30 pm. For more information call 238-7510. |
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