Costa Arabatzis and his Chef de cuisine, Richard Silva, are still tweaking the menu for The Greek, but One Arts Plaza is finally seeing the arrival of fresh faces starting on October 15. Come Monday, The Greek will open in the old Commissary space, where John Tesar once ruled the burger kitchen. The Commissary, to be honest, used to feel cluttered and claustrophobic. Tables were spaced six inches apart with barely enough room for waiters to maneuver between them. The burgers were great, but the physical space was not. People like me who enjoy their physical bubbles don’t like it so much when a stranger is almost sitting on top of you, definitely close enough to overhear whatever conversation you’re having with your boss. Not. Cool.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I dropped by The Greek to see what Mary and Costa Arabatzis did with the space. The restaurant is open and inviting, and tables are far enough apart for anybody – not just toddlers – to walk through comfortably. Who knows what it’ll look like once customers fill up the chairs, but for now, even empty, The Greek looks like it’ll give customers more elbow room to enjoy dishes like the ESP (a steak with polenta, flamed with Greek brandy, and an egg over easy on top).
In case you can’t wait, there’s a Fall Block Party at One Arts Plaza this Sunday from 12 to 4 p.m. The Greek will be there serving bites from their new menu. I bet it’ll have the Greek dip, the Arabatzis and Silva’s invention of roasted lamb, balsamic onions, horseradish smear, and lamb jus on a toasted baguette.
UPDATE: Richard Silva is no longer the execuchef. Silva is out, and Taylor Kearney is in.
