Ethos
25 Middle Neck Rd.
Great Neck
516-305-4958
www.ethosrestaurants.com
To this island, where Greek dining usually means a diner or souvlaki stand, comes Ethos, by way of Manhattan and Astoria, where fresh grilled whole fish is the draw and reason alone to celebrate. An impressive makeover to the spot that housed the legendary Millie’s Place for years has an airy skylit back room making for an appropriate setting for appreciating the Mediterranean menu. The conceit here is a counter with crushed ice, where diners are supposed to choose their fish for dinner. But on busy nights, the fish are already in the kitchen, waiting their turn on the charcoal.
I have an ongoing craving for grilled octopus, and Octapodi Skaras ($13) scratched my itch. I could make a meal of these chunks of tentacles, bathed in olive oil and vinegar and topped with red onions. (Have you seen that amazing video of an octopus killing a shark on YouTube?) Warm pieces of pita and rustic bread with a dish of hummus go well with everything. A bowl of Avgolemono soup ($6) has plenty of chicken and displays a light hand at work. Crab Cakes ($14) are chunky, with plenty of meat. We’ve been on sort of a fried-cheese kick lately, which usually means ordering Saganaki, but at Ethos you also have the option of grilled cheese. This version is not the sandwich but thick slices of Halloumi ($8), with grill marks straight from hot charcoal-a nice change of pace, lightly drizzled (like everything else on the menu) with olive oil. If only it had been less salty. Same with the Hovoli Metsovo ($10), a fun-to-pronounce grilled vegetable salad of potatoes, yellow squash, peppers and mushrooms on mixed greens in a salty lemon vinaigrette. Someone was on a sodium rampage in the kitchen; cold sauvignon blanc quenched our growing thirst.
advertisement
Despite a long-standing personal prohibition of devouring anything with “baby” as an ingredient (including carrots), I dipped into satisfying Arni Giouvetsi ($20), a baked baby lamb casserole made with orzo, feta and tomato sauce. I made amends with a more mature grilled jumbo shrimp dish, Garides Sta Karvouna ($21). Like much Greek seafood, they’re simply grilled and dressed with little more than lemon and olive oil. With our entrees came a dish of Fasolakia-stewed string beans-putting me in mind of a boring diner side dish. The main event, though, is the Psaria menu, nine whole fish by the pound. Among the snappers, bass, porgy and bronzini are a few unfamiliar options with no English translations. One, Orata ($20 per pound, $28 per portion), described as Mediterranean flaky whitefish, was a fine choice. Oddly, Orata is actually Italian for sea bream. It was grilled perfectly, splayed open, filleted with good charred skin. An alternative for fish lovers who dislike having their dinner staring back at them is Xifias ($21), a harder-to-pronounce way of saying “swordfish.” You get the whole charcoal treatment sans skin and that dead fish attitude.
At meal’s end a platter quickly appeared (everything appeared quickly from the kitchen) with baklava, melon, orange slices and strawberries. Free dessert, a tradition at many genuine Greek establishments, is another bonus, as is this authentic Greek success.
