Kellari

While there are many restaurants surrounding Grand Central, there are only a handful worth your hunger pains.  Kellari is one of those establishments.  Dining with my friend catching a late train from GC, we opted for a Greek night.

Kellari draws a large local business crowd at lunch and a slightly more diverse crowd for dinner.  The bar area, a great people watching spot, features jars of olives and other Greek small bites to sample so you can avoid drinking on a completely empty stomach. 

As you walk through the dining room to your table, you will pass a display of fresh fish available chilling on ice.  The dining room's high ceilings, wine barrels and wood tables evoke a NYC style Greek taverna.

Within a minute of being seated, our server introduced himself.  The dishes at Kellari are best shared so we ordered several small plates and a entree.  The pace of the meal was leisurely (we appreciated not having tons of small dishes dropped on our table at the same time) and the service was attentive throughout our meal.

The wine by the glass selection was somewhat lacking so I opted for a glass of the Vueve Rose champagne, which (unsurprisingly) turned out to be the perfect choice for a sticky, summer evening.

Immediately after we ordered, we were presented with a bread basket filled with warm, freshly baked rosemary bread and a sampler (which we destroyed prior to the picture, sorry readers) of olives, radishes and a savory white bean dip.  We asked for thirds and then fourths of the bread and bean dip.  I made the rookie mistake (again) of filling up on the bread and bean dip but still found room for the delicious food to come.


What to Eat:

We started with a Greek staple, the Traditional Greek Salad. The salad bowl was piled high with fresh garden tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, onions, peppers, olives, and huge chunks of feta.  The salad was generously coated in olive oil, salt and pepper and a refreshing light dish for a hot, summer night.  The salad is large enough to share with 2 to 3 diners.





Sticking with Greek staples, we opted for the Spanakopida.  At Kellari, the Spanakopida should be shared by at least 2 or 3 people because the appetizer includes 3 gumbo size spanakopidas.  The mixture of feta and sauteed spinach is fried to perfect in the pastry triangle.  The fried treat isn't covered in grease and has a nice, crisp shell (the picture didn't come out, sorry readers!).

For an entree, if you love seafood, order the Seafood Yiouvestsi.  The hearty portion of oval shaped orzo is tossed in a light tomato sauce with peas and tiny cubes of carrots overflows.  The pasta bowl is practically overflowing with fresh shrimp, jumbo scallops, mussels and clams. 







Can't make it to the Greek Islands this summer? Don't despair, Kellari will let you pretend you're there,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip:  Kellari has an incredible NYC Restaurant Week menu for another week (featuring a few of my favorites above, like the spanakopida and seafood yiouvestsi)