Pylos Visited 1/7/2012 4.5 Forks

Pylos 128 E 7th St., (between 1st Ave & Avenue A), New York, NY 10009

I had been to Pylos years ago and all I could remember was that it had these clay pots hanging from the ceiling.  This was before I was "all into food" but I have always been meaning to try it out again.  So I was thrilled when my friend Vid suggested that we try it out for dinner on Saturday.  She used to live in Astoria and therefore had been accustomed to great Greek food.  So she wanted to try this place out in the city.  I also love Greek food but it doesn't really seem to be too prevalent in the city or Brooklyn so I haven't had Greek food since probably when I went to Barbados last year (weird, right?)

I was shocked to see that even after all these years Pylos was still super crowded.  In fact, when I got there the hostess said that if we didn't have a reservation, the next table would be 10:30pm.  But the beautiful marble communal table is first come first served.  So luckily, Vid and I pretty much got the last 2 seats at the communal table. 

They describe the menu as rustic, home cooked Greek food.  You won't find lamb sandwiches or gyros here.  Instead you'll find lots of small plates with lots of cheeses, veggies, and yes they also have whole fish.  Vid and I ordered 5 different small plates:  fried zucchini and eggplant ($10), grape leaves ($12), trio of dips ($11), Greek salad ($12) and spinach rice pilaf ($6).  I just want to put it out there that everything was fabulous and re-invigorated my love for Greek food.  The trio of dips came with tzatziki (tangy yogurt), a fish roe type dip and a grilled eggplant/olive oil dip.  They were all thick dips and to be honest, you could also just order this and 1 other dish and be full.  They all tasted homemade and made with fresh ingredients.  Next came the Greek Salad and while it was pretty basic, it was delicious.  There was no lettuce but it was full of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, red onion, and huge beautiful chunks of feta cheese.  The dresssing was a perfect combination of olive oil and herbs.  I could eat this salad all day.  The fried zucchini and eggplant was also really enjoyable.  They were extremely thinly sliced and lightly battered to the right texture so that you could still taste the crispiness of the batter but the meat of the veggies.  If I had to express one disappointment, it would be the grape leaves.  It took me years to get on the grape leaf bandwagon, but now I love them.  This one came stuffed with veal which I thought would be a nice addition.  But unfortunately, I didn't really like the addition of the veal.  It was a bit too much and made it too heavy tasting.  The rice pilaf was light and fluffy and was a nice side addition to everything we had.

All the portions were sized just right and honestly, I would have been just as full had I not ordered the grape leaves.  I wish instead I had ordered some kind of seafood dish instead (I mean how did I go to a Greek place and not order seafood?!).  They had a lot of yummy sounding shrimp, scallop, and squid dishes.  The waitstaff was friendly but I did feel a bit rushed when they threw down the dessert menu without asking us.  I mean on one hand I get that they need to turn over as many seats as possible, but I think it can be done in a bit more tasteful manner.  We each got a glass of wine and total meal including tax and tip was $45/pp...not bad at all for all that food!

Photo Credit: Yelp