You quickly conclude that something is afoot, when on a frigid, blustery Monday night, nearby restaurants in this stretch of Yorkville remain as still as morgues, yet Yefsi Estiatorio is teeming.
The crowd is an even mix of perfectly coiffed upper East Side matrons, families and young couples contentedly shoehorned into their smallish tables. They are fawned over and over by ever-present, nearly maniacally smiling waiters. But cooing service is de rigeur in these parts. To have it alongside such earthy, ambitious food is the real surprise.
One can’t help wonder if chef Christos Christou had one hand tied behind his back during his earlier days at midtown’s Milos and Molyvos. Serving an endless parade of business lunches (read: tuna burgers) and tourist’s dinners (flaming Halloumi), their menus tend, appropriately, to cater to the crowd-pleasing, lowest common denominator. Dependable food certainly, but perhaps not where one might venture in search of the esoteric.
At Yefsi, Christou seems to have hit his stride. The emphasis here is on Meze (small plates), of which there can be over two dozen to choose from on most nights.
The expected standards are here and, generally, in good form: Saganaki, Fried Squid and Pikilia (dipping spreads including a luscious Eggplant Melitzanoslata) and a wonderfully textured Taramoslata ($6) that, alas, suffers a bit from having its Salmon Roe, the primary ingredient, improbably upstaged by an overly assertive olive oil into which it has been whipped.
Happily, the menu turns much more interesting and moves confidently from land to sea with Christou taking cues not just from the Greek Isles but seemingly well beyond. Feta Sto Fourno ($11) is a deconstructed lasagna — a cloud of grassy, sheepy feta cheese melted atop a small mound of smoky eggplant and intensely concentrated tomato. It is irresistably indulgent.
Housemade Louganiko ($12), a lightly charred pork sausage, offers hints of orange and fennel seed and nestles on a bed of tender black-eyed peas. An occasional special, Garides Me Loutzna ($14) is a fragrant shrimp stew spiked with chunks of smoky Cypriot ham. Imagine Gumbo on a Mediterranean cruise, but left her grits back in the Bayou.
Yefsi Chips ($13) greaseless, paper-thin slivers of fried zucchini and eggplant resembling tempura, quickly turn additive once dunked in their garlicky tzatziki.
Only the unpronounceable and severely undercooked Kolokithokeftedes ($9), which are sautéed zucchini croquettes, land with a flop. Their almost imperceptible crust quickly gives way to a raw, mushy interior of grated vegetable that suggests a burger made of lawn clippings.
As the menu migrates to entrées, the dishes increasingly turn into minimalist celebrations of their topnotch ingredients.
Sublimely clean and flavorful Tsipoura ($26), roasted imported sea bream, is given proper deference and anointed with the faintest drizzle of olive oil and a whisper of oregano. Anything more would desecrate this precious fish.
Mousaka ($20) is a dish I have learned to dread in many a restaurant, thanks to its sad, but predictably uncanny impersonation of a cinder block. That leaden iteration is nowhere in sight as Christou whips his béchamel to a foamy consistency. It eats like lamb tiramisu, the ethereal texture forcing me reconsider this dish anew.
More nimble minds might have registered the Scud missile of a hint that accompanies our next order: “I don’t care for lamb,” our Greek waiter volunteers, his voice trailing off at our contemplation of Arno Youvetsi ($24), lamb shank supposedly simmered in a cinnamon tomato sauce that is traditionally served over orzo.
Cluelessly, we forge ahead, our reward is a dry, stringy hunk of meat that betrays the raw cinnamon but little else. Certainly no salt, nor moisture. The dessicated limb perches atop a clump of congealed lanzanki noodles, a sort of miniature pappardelle, that evidently snagged more than their share of cooking time.
With dessert, Christou reverts to the basics, but what basics: Warm Baklava ($8) defies convention by managing to remain light and flaky despite its dense walnut core. A softball of intensely rich, Canadian-made Greek Yogurt ($8) comes adorned with just a swirl of honey and a single mystifyingly flavorful out-of-season strawberry. It requires nothing else except, perhaps, a second spoon. Dig in.
YEFSI ESTIATORIO
Website: yefsiestiatorio.com
Summary: Unexpectedly sophisticated Greek in Yorkville
Don’t miss: Yefsi Chips ($13); Feta Sto Fourno ($11); Loukaniko ($12); Octopodi ($15); Mousaka ($20); Tsipoura ($26); Baklava ($8); Greek Yogurt ($8)
Pass on: Taramosalata ($6); Kolokithokeftedes ($9); Arni Youvetsi ($24)
Suggestion: Get several of the terrific mezedes and share.
SIDEDISH:
Upper crust: The beautifully charred crust, lush, locally sourced cheese and unapologetic scattering of fiery hot peppers elevate the Ricotta Pizza ($17) into a memorable meal at Franny’s (295 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn, 718-230-0221, frannysbrooklyn.com).
A member of Saag: Don’t let the gritty surroundings throw you. Lahori Kebab (124 Lexington Ave., 212-400-1166), a bargain-priced Pakistani kebab house, makes one of the city’s best versions of Saag ($6). Smooth and creamy, it tastes as if a truck full of spinach were in each bowl. Have it with the Tandoori Naan.
Just like Bubbe made: The Chocolate Rugelach ($1.50 each or six for $8) at Bread’s Bakery (18 E. 16th St., 212-633-2253, breadsbakery.com) is an elegant, flaky pastry that more closely resembles miniature croissants than their Eastern European namesakes. You won’t care, you’ll just want another.
ssagner@nydailynews.com
Twitter: ssagner