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| Long
Island, N.Y. - USA |
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Extraordinary - Society
March - 2009 |
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5 Stars
& 6 Stripes
Overall - 'Cuisine & Service' |
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The
Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and
Stripes® |
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| Our Seven Stars team travelled to Roslyn, N.Y. on the
Gold Coast of Long Island's North Shore. This high profile village has almost
3000 residents with high disposable incomes. Roslyn is a cultural epicenter for
the North Shore’s residents with its Nassau County Museum of Art (NCMA),
one the finest suburban art museums in the Northeast. Roslyn also has an
abundance of sophisticated local restaurants offering a cornucopia of delicious
ethnic foods. On this day, our team's destination was Limani (Greek: "little
port") an exciting new luxe restaurant on Northern Boulevard in Roslyn. The
restaurant, although only open since December, represents a crossroads of
culture and cuisine and has already garnered some fabulous buzz and splendid
reviews. As we pulled into the parking lot, the handsome exterior of the
restaurant built with white limestone and large tinted glass windows
immediately impressed us. Limani's Valet parking attendants quickly took our
cars and led us through two stylishly designed, carved wooden doors into an
elegant "Urban Chic" restaurant. Limani's smart interior, exquisite imported
white marble bar, and impressive golden colored chandeliers, offer a new
sophistication in restaurant design for North Shore diners. |
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| Once inside this beautifully
decorated venue, all eyes are quickly drawn to the bright white
state-of-the-art open kitchen, glowing open hearth stove, and the adjacent
counter top display of large fresh rainbow colored fish from the Mediterranean.
The fresh catch of the day are neatly displayed on a glistening mound of shaved
white ice. We were immediately greeted and welcomed by Albert Zafrani, Limani's
Maitre d’, who has years of experience meeting and greeting North Shore's
elite. |
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| Reno Christou, the owner and managing partner of
Limani, is young, charming and a veteran seafood restaurateur. Reno gave us a
quick "cooks" tour of the restaurant and an overview of the Limani dining
philosophy. The restaurant offers diners an "old school" European way of
ordering and eating fine fish. All fish chosen by diners are sold by the pound
and prepared in a natural, delicious, and non-pretentious manner. The fish are
lightly seasoned with olive oil and condiments, which enhance the natural
flavor of each fish. Under the skillful guidance of Executive Chef Peter
Spyropoulos, fish are served at their natural best... lightly seasoned with
olive oil and condiments which enhance their flavor. Limani has two beautifully
decorated seating areas, one adjacent to their very busy marble and glass bar
area, and the other area to the right of the entrance. There is also a very
special small enclosed private dining room used for parties and catered events.
This glass-in area is separated from the main dining area by a handsome wooden
wine rack, honey-combed with hundreds of imported and domestic expensive wines,
behind a crystal clear wall of glass. We were seated and attended to by Nikos,
our floor Captain, whose expertise and Greek charm helped us decide on a superb
selection of sea fare from the Aegean. The "Limani" dining experience includes
punctilious service provided by a finely attired and knowledgeable staff. After
being seated and while perusing the handsome menu, we were offered an amuse
bouche of Melitzanosalata (eggplant and garlic puree) served along with fresh
steamy hot pita bread. Before long, the restaurant filled up quickly with
well-dressed patrons out for a Tuesday night of fine dining, and we marveled at
the hushed chatter of seemingly happy customers interacting with each other
while enjoying their Aegean fare. Small platters of stone crab claws, head-on
shrimp (the size of small lobsters), and petite and delectable Kumamoto
oysters, all presented on fine white china, accompanied by sparkling glasses
and stemware. Eating a good oyster like the Kumamoto, offering sweet deep ocean
flavor, is akin to walking the path to enlightenment and we all agreed to our
near Zen experience after indulging in a few. John, our Seven Stars,
Internationally renowned wine connoisseur, chose a bone dry, 2008 Gaia Estate
Thalassitis wine from Santorini to accompany our meal. The wine is made with
indigenous Assyrtiko grapes, which grudgingly yield their fine personality from
nearly century-old vines grown in poor volcanic soil. The results, a vivid
acidity wrapped in a delicately sweet fragrance of serenity and
lightheartedness. Nikos suggested to us a series of uniquely prepared
specialties of the house starting with Kolokithi, consisting of paper-thin
Zucchini and Eggplant chips, stacked architecturally ‘Tower of Babel’
style and accompanied by lightly fried Kefalograviera cheese. This sheep milk
cheese added a mellow saltiness that with the addition of a squeeze of lemon
juice provided a unique expression of flavor. Arriving at the same time was
‘Super Lump’ Crab cake as the menu describes it. Large chunks of
Maryland crabmeat formed into a patty and gently fried golden brown and crispy,
the genuine taste had no imitation. The nutty, buttery flavor of Kastorian
beans accompanies this dish adding a mellow Greek accent. Also presented was
sushi quality grilled sliced octopus purely pan-fried in olive oil, giving us
the sense that it was a draw-back to the cuisine of more traditional times.
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| Peter
Spyropoulos & Reno Christou & Barry Kay & Albert
Zafrani |
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| Our main course offered a duo of exotic Greek fish
dishes right from the delectable display that is seen at the entrance to the
restaurant. Nikos once again recommended Royal Dorado (Porgy from Greece) and
Lupe de Mer (Sea Bass from Greece). The Dorado, also known as Tsipoura in
Greece has tender white flesh with a splendid succulent firm meaty flavor when
grilled. My personal preference was the superb delicate ocean-like flavor of
the Loup de Mer, especially when eaten off the bone. It seems that
Mediterranean cultures value the subtle taste differences of fish cooked whole
and then brought to the table to be thoroughly picked over by the one who is
eating it. Each entrée was presented with assorted steamed and grilled
seasonal vegetables and a Limani special treat of Greek fries lightly coated in
oregano and topped with a coarse grating of Kefalograviera cheese. For the
finale to this splendid meal we were presented with a highly delectable quartet
of "house made" Greek desserts served simultaneously with cups of exotic
imported tea of which my choice was chamomile-lavender while my wife opted for
peach-ginger. Some of our favorites included Baklava, a rich sweet pastry made
with thin layers of flaky phyllo dough filled with nuts and honey as well as
Ekmek, a scrumptious Greek bread pudding topped with a kind of clotted cream
and ground pistachios. We spent hours talking, savoring our food, and enjoying
the buzz of a capacity crowd. At meals end, Nikos took our valet parking
tickets to be sure that our cars would be warm and waiting at the door for us.
All in all, it was an awe-inspiring evening offered by an amazing new "Gold
Coast" restaurant. Limani has raised the level of excellence for cuisine,
ambiance and service. |
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by
Barry Kay & John Lomitola
Editor-in-Chief: Ingrid Lemme |
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| © 2009 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes, Inc. |
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