When Sally Maglaris opened Zorba’s with her then husband in 2001, their authentic Greek food stood out as the real deal, drawing a rapturous clientele and earning numerous awards for Best Greek in Dallas. Now Sally has partnered with her sister Rhea Manos and Yanni Garmiris at a new spot called Platia Greek Kouzina. The sisters come from a restaurant family. Their father had restaurants back in Chicago. The sisters took over a defunct pizzeria in Frisco and recast it as a kind of Greek-themed courtyard with faux stone, wall sconces, and high-backed upholstered chairs. Service can be distracted, but they have the food covered. The big magnet is the signature roast chicken with potatoes: a half chicken as juicy and tender as it gets, with thickly sliced potatoes baked until brown and soft. Pita bread is nifty with your choice of three dips, such as yogurt, eggplant, caviar, and a firmly textured hummus that makes the more common Middle Eastern version seem pallid. Greek casseroles are lush: moussaka with eggplant, and pastitsio made with thick macaroni and ground beef and capped with creamy béchamel. But Manus has also added ultra-authentic items such as broiled octopus, a revelation with chunks of octopus boasting a cool, chewy-firm texture, like a cross between shrimp and steak, brightened by a brisk olive-oil-vinegar-oregano dressing. She makes desserts, too, including flaky pastry filled with custard, and rice pudding with just the right consistency—a little nubby, not too soupy.
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