Greek Seafood Restaurant AVRA

The Restaurant Gods and Goddesses are Greek!   On a recent trip to New York City Sue and I found a room at The Radisson Hotel in Mid-town Manhattan for $169.00 a night. PriceLine really works! I asked the Bellman where he would recommend for dinner that night. He immediately said the "Greek seafood place across the street". I often take this type of recommendation with a jaundiced eye as the bellman could easily be on the restaurant's payroll. But since it was raining and we both were hungry, we decided to give it a try.   Restaurant AVRA was a rare find! We arrived a little before six and found they were totally booked with the exception of two tables saved for walk-in customers.  This, and the fact that the ambience was very European/Mediterranean made me feel comfortable that this would be a great evening of fine dining.  We were not disappointed.   Our waitress, Salma, was very pleasant and very knowledgeable of the menu. She immediately made us feel like we were the only customers in the restaurant. She brought us an amuse bouche of humus, mixed olives and quartered radishes. The radishes were marinated in honey water, which brought out the rich buttery taste of these root vegetables. A basket of home made bread with a crusty shell and a light, melt-in-your-mouth center set the stage for what was going to be a wonderful dining experience.   We first ordered an appetizer of three spreads with Pita bread and toast points. The spreads were the traditional Tzatziki. This combination of yogurt, garlic, cucumber and dill was accompanied by Skor Dalia, an almond/garlic spread and Tarama, a carp roe spread served with capers. This $18.95 trio could have easily been a meal unto itself.   We also tried the Yemista Kalamarakia; grilled calamari stuffed with four Greek cheeses and herbs. We found out, all too soon, that all of AVRA's portions are large enough for two persons.   Salma insisted we try the house Greek salad. We convinced her to only bring us a small portion and it was still enough for both of us. I was astounded to find that in the center of Manhattan, all of the ingredients were amazingly fresh! The yellow and red tomatoes were especially good. They must have their own garden in the back of the restaurant!   Sues' entrée was a grilled halibut steak served with dill, fennel, spinach and rice. I chose the Youvetsi; shrimp, scallops, and mussels in an herbed tomato sauce with orzo and feta cheese. Each meal was perfectly spiced and prepared.   On Salma's suggestion we tried a Sigalas Santorini Cyclades 2007 white wine. It comes from the island of Cycladic. The island's volcanic soil makes this wine a perfect match for seafood. Remind me to tip that bellman when we get back to the hotel.   These items were so good we decided that they had to be someone's family recipes. Salma said that "Anna" was responsible for all of the authentic Greek items on the menu. Salma said that Anna arrives by six am every morning and prepares the items for that day's service.  Our mental picture of an elderly Greek lady with a passion for her homeland's culinary delights was shattered by restaurant manager, Stelios Tsappas, who explained that Anna is actually a young woman who is the Chef de Cuisine for AVRA. I am convinced that Anna does have that passion for fine Greek dining. Everything we experienced at AVRA was perfection.     We were ready to crawl across the street to our hotel when Stelios convinced us to try some dessert. This turned out to be a house made yogurt with honey and marinated black cherries. The yogurt was more like whipped cream than yogurt, it was fantastic. We were also "forced" to try the rum soaked walnut cake with home made vanilla ice cream AND the baklava served with home made fig ice cream! So much for the diet! Once again, the portions were huge.   We tried to settle all of this with a cup of coffee. Stelios took us to the back of the restaurant where Turkish type coffee was prepared in copper canisters and boiled in super-heated sand. I've never seen anything like this before and I must say it was a great cup of Joe.   AVRA is owned by a restaurant group that also owns Rue 57 and TAO in New York. I'd like to try one of those on our next trip to New York, but There are too many more items at AVRA that I want to try first.   AVRA turned out to be a perfect place to celebrate Sue's birthday. It was a memorable meal in a fantastic restaurant.   AVRA is located at 141 East 48th Street, New York, NY 10017 Telephone # (212) 759 - 8550                FAX  (212) 307 – 9056 www.AvraNY.com   AVRA is open seven days a week with brunch on Saturday and Sunday.   Reservations are highly recommended.