Kefi - Review

Intro
Kefi - Highly Recommended
505 Columbus Ave, New York NY 10024
Btwn 84th & 85th St
Phone: (212) 873-0200

Met up Mr Risotto and checked out his new digs in the UWS. I'm never in this area, but I was excited to check it out since I've been reading about the transformation of the area with all these great eateries. One place I've been dying to check out is Kefi, Michael Psilakis's casual Greek restaurant. This place was totally in my comfort zone. Everything was properly executed and just delicious. I mentioned to Mr Risotto, if I lived in the area I would go once a week. Overall, I give the restaurant an 86/100.

Our Menu

Grilled Octopus, Bean Salad ***
octapodi stin sxara, revithia, fasolia, tomates liastes
A big time wtf moment. Octopus was so tender and it had the nice smoky flavor from the grill as well. Add the chickpeas and the sun dried tomatoes and this dish just sung. Awesome dish.

Pan Seared Striped Bass, Green Beans, Potato, Capers, Olives **
psari, fasolakia, pataes, kapari, elies
Perfectly cooked sea bass - crispy skin and flaky moist fish. Great flavors with the capers and olives.

Braised Lamb Shank, Orzo *
arni giouvetsi
Lamb had some solid flavors - gamey yet cut by the herbs - parsley, thyme, and maybe rosemary. Delicious stuff. Could have been more tender though imho.

Side: String Beans ***
It's kinda ridiculous that i'm rocking the WTF for a side of string beans, but i'm sticking to my guns. These were delicious and such an eye opener. Quickly blanched - so it's bright and still relatively crispy - the flavor was grassy and covered with a nice garlic oil. I really could eat that side once a week...

Side: Lemon Roasted Potatoes *

Good potatoes, well cooked - nothing amazing, but just solid.

Lemon Sorbet **

Spectacular lemon sorbet. Exactly the right creamy consistency and topped with a candied ginger - it just made the dish pop. And what me thinks was dried phyllo, honey, and ground nuts - kinda like the baklava crumbs - it just totally kicked ass.

Rating System
--- What the F - in a bad way * Good ** Great *** What the F – in a good way


















Overall Restaurant Experience (86/100)

• Food (9.0/10) – Just really happy with the food here. Everything is executed perfectly. This isn't world changing food, but just really delicious and makes me uber happy.
  
• Service (7.5/10) – Food came out at a decent pace, but our server was rushing everything.
  
• Atmosphere (7.0/10) – Narrow space with incredibly tall ceilings. We sat in the bar area and the place was loud and tables were very cramped. Crowd consisted of families and older couples. We got there at 6pm and had to wait 20 mins for a table for a Tuesday night. The place was absolutely packed.
  
• Price (9.0/10) – About $50 a head including tip and drinks (I had two). Completely spectacular deal and Mr Risotto and I were incredibly happy. Some glasses of wine were in the $7-9 range
  

Closing Comments
Definitely a go to if I'm ever in the area. Clean tasting food that has huge pop. Psilakis is a big proponent of olive oil (no butter) and lots of lemon to brighten up the dish. Really great stuff here. Funny considering this was the dinner after the A Voce Columbus lunch...a complete night and day difference.