One unpleasing Greek restaurant in Forest Hills
doesn’t spoil it for another. In fact, Agora
Taverna residing at 70-09 Austin Street may surpass many of the eateries
located in Astoria. Astoria has long
been known for having a large Greek neighborhood, thus markets, restaurants and
bars to sample the cuisine. Total
authenticity and freshness reigns at this great lunch and dinner spot. Having a location on the corner allows for
some outdoor café space as well as large windows to bring in the air when it’s
the proper temperature.
To learn even more about Greek products I went to
Krinos, the manufacturer of Greek food and distributor for many of the imported
ones. That’s another story. I was more curious as to whether some of the
Greek restaurants made their own rendition with all of the ingredients and none
from a jar or can.
Peter Mastoros is the owner of Agora Taverna and
an accomplished chef as well. He said
that he prides himself on having a restaurant that focuses on fresh seafood and
a cuisine that he learned growing up in Greece.
Put your boasting where your mouth is and let’s
sample the menu as I begin with the famous Avgolemono, Greek Chicken Soup. Mmmm…I detect chicken broth, “pulled” white
meat chicken, Greek Orzo and lemon.
Must try the spreads. Peter tells me that they are all made without
prior preparation. They area called
“spreads” for a reason. “Tarama”, as it
is stated on the menu, consisted of red caviar (he buys the caviar), olive oil,
lemon and bread all processed together.
Skordalia is basically potatoes, garlic and
almonds. Not being a garlic eater, it
wasn’t my favorite. However, I did taste
it one a piece of pita bread and it’s a thumbs up. Pass me the water.
Tzatziki is another garlic delight. It’s more of a sauce made from yogurt and
cucumbers. Great for topping gyros and
kebabs.
Melitzanosalta consisted of roasted eggplant and
herbs, none of which is garlic. Loved
this one.
Ktipiti is made with Holland peppers and feta
cheese. I also detect some hot peppers
as well. Although I thoroughly enjoyed
the flavor, “hot” is not my thing. Not
hot enough to “pass me the milk”.
Roasted beets were quite surprising in that they did
not have the “root” taste. Excellent
choice of spices such as dill to enhance it and just a touch of garlic. If I didn’t ask, I wouldn’t have noticed.
Now here is one for the apps. Agora Chips.
Instead of indulging in freshly made fried potato chips, they use
extremely thin slices of zucchini, eggplant and kefalograviera cheese. Bet you can’t eat just 10!
Speaking of kefalograviera cheese, Saganaki is the
pan fried version. I found the cheese to
be quite mild and not salty as I did when I sampled the feta cheese that topped
the Greek Salad.
Peter said that the saltiness of the cheese depends
on the quality. I guess quality is
important here. The Greek salad had some
of the most delicious vine ripe tomatoes going.
Onions, cucumbers, green bell pepper and a perfect dressing to enhance
the produce….do I detect fresh oregano?
Grilled Octopus.
OMG. Grilling alone made it
savory. Cooked perfectly…not chewy or
overly soft. Could make for a great
meat substitute. No bones about it.
There is quite a difference between the sardines
that come out of a can and ones that are fresh from the Mediterranean. They are not “packed” or tiny. With a choice of fried or broiled I opted for
fried. Bone down the middle and with the
right seasoning, as done here, there certainly isn’t any “fishy” taste.
Speaking of bones…out came a whole Branzini imported
from Greece. It was not deboned but cut
open to allow the fish to be broiled inside with capers atop. The skin is seasoned and a must to
enjoy. I had a vegetable that I had
never eaten before called Horta. These
particular dark greens had a consistency of a “bok choy”. Not bitter at all. Cooked just soft enough. Herbs, spices, or whatever was added gave a
perfect flavor pairing with the Branzini.
A dry Greek white wine was a great choice.
Did I save room for dessert? Is the Pope Catholic? Does skordalia have garlic? “Sometimes you feel like a nut….”. All of the desserts are made in house as
well. There were two desserts with nuts,
one of which is the famous Baklava.
Phyllo dough, walnuts, honey, sugar, cinnamon. That thin Phyllo on top is crunchy with the
bottom soaking in a combination of Greek honey and sugar. Walnuts just soft enough to chew as if it
were a meat.
Ekmek delivers a layer of shredded phyllo dough that
builds with pistachios, custard, whipped cream and topped with more pistachios. It is certainly not a one-step process. I found it less sugary sweet than the Baklava
or “sometimes you don’t” Galactoboureko, a dessert using a milk farina custard
wrapped in phyllo with cinnamon and powdered sugar.
Say “Opa”, have a glass of ouzo, listen to the
music, but don’t even attempt to break a plate as the food will defy Agora
Taverna as an upscale restaurant, not a “joint”.
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