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Category: Greek
Neighborhoods: Murray Hill, Kips Bay33rd St-Park Ave (6)
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Just got back from dinner here and feel the need to rave about Ethos. We got to the restaurant close to 8 and the place was packed but they managed to seat the 4 of us in a booth in the back. It was a bit cozy but we were happy to get a table so fast. We ordered A LOT of appetizers, which is a good thing because the fish takes awhile.
Here's what I liked:
Revithosalata (hummus) - not the best but pretty good
Melitzanosalata (roasted eggplant) - really really liked it, ordered extra
Taramosalata (red caviar whipped with lemon) - kind of weird tasting at first but grows on you.
I wasn't crazy about:
zucchini and eggplant chips - a little too greasy for me
Skordalia - a mashed potato dish that's served cold, not how I like my mashed potatoes
Tzatziki - I'm just never into the yogurt dishes, nothing against this one
I ordered the red snapper as my main course and asked for it to be de-boned. It was fresh, perfectly cooked and just delicious.
Our server was really nice and made sure to check up on us fairly often. The wine he recommended was good and the dessert was on the house. It's just nice (or maybe rare?) to be in a restaurant where the staff smiles at you good naturedly
Greek food never really stood out to me before, but it stood out here.
The humus wasn't so great. The wine was fine. They didn't have the fish that I wanted from their menu. The fish they gave me was pretty good, but bony (not really their fault, but whatever). The environment was pretty nice, though nothing amazing.
Overall, nothing special.
Overall crappy Greek food.
I came here a while ago, and tried more or less everything. Literally. My brother has a black card and tends to overuse it, meaning every time I go to eat with him, he orders the entire restaurant, more or less. So I had a variety of appetizers (baba, elephant beans, artichoke, tzaziki, etc etc); dishes (mousaka, lamb, different fish) etc etc.
None of the food stood out. Most of it went by the age old false adage: "if it aint good add some salt." So oversalted, so bland.
Service was good though. I give them that.
I've been meaning to write a review about this place for literally months, reminding myself, "That place was so delicious", but then never seeming to have anything zesty to say when push came to shove.
I had wine and shared some olives and ate moussaka. Everything was delicious. BF lives in the area so I'd come here again and I'm certain I have suggested it to people, but I'm sadly missing that initial fervor. Maybe an update after a second visit?
This place sums up why I don't like to try new places - they are infinetely disapointing. Everything from the cold grape leave appetizer to the exact-opposite-of-delicious main course mousaka... Could not have been more mediocre
I guess I found a decent greek place to go in Manhattan. I mostly went to Astoria for greek food but this one was quite casual and easier in a way not to deal with too much authentic ways like in Astroria but, still great food. Not quite sure what I am trying to say here. LOL Anyhoo, there was some wait which we found to be a good sign. And finally we got a perfect table by the open door to the outside street.
We had appretizer calamari expecting usual calamari but it was grilled baby calamari stuffed with feta + some other cheeses. It was good but a bit too rich. I like regular calamari.........
We shared, pikilia(assortment of spreads of hummus and other kinds) - yumm... seafood combo grilled skewers, lamb shank and grilled atlantic sea bass. The fish was excellent, lamb shank could be better and the skewers,, you know they never fail. so.... overall, excellent dinner... the desert was on the house - don't know that name or fogot since the guy said in greek.. it was served hot, sweet egg custard wrapped in phyllo..heavenly.
We had a excellent greek wine named Kouros which was recommended by the waiter. White and fruity but not acidic even it is young as 2007. pretty cheap, too. i think that adds a lot of plus in the end looking at the bill. Also, it was surprisingly good when having no expectations considering we never heard of Greek wine other than that famous Ouzo.
The service was good and rather interesting. The waiter was quite flirty, usual in that greek manner(?).. he kept saying no to all my questions and orders. I said "no?" and then he would say "I am joking!!". Even he said that there is no restroom when I asked where it is. then again "joking" this way. LOL Ha Ha funny.
Recomended~~
Ethos is Greece, nobody can argue that. My general feeling in terms of ambience and food was like a grandma dinner. Good and authentic greek food prepared without any high level pretension and a kindly service is what you will found at Ethos.
Besides we had to wait for our reserved table, because we specifically wanted that one right in the window, the rest of my experience was just great. Our waitress was really funny ad flirting, probably because we were a group of 5 dress up girls celebrating a B-day... but how greek is that huh?
We order appetizers and main courses to share. Vegetables and seafood is a must order. As appetizers we order Pikilla, a assorted plate of 4 dipping sauces including hummus and a yogurt base, with apple slices. We get also the grilled calamari stuffed with cheese, very tasty, strong cheese flavor but independent of the juicy calamari with olive oil.... delicious.
as main dishes we order Lamb shank which looks tender and juicy (I don't use to eat meat, but my friends couldn't stop to eat it). Grilled fish and grilled seafood...again, very savory, keeping the original flavor of each ingredient.
the dessert was a hot fried phylo roll stuffed with some kind of egg custard where you could detect cinnamon flavor and also honey. Yummy and heavy!! and it was on the house for wherever reason.
Finally, I have to mention we order a white greek wine, called Kouros, that any of us had try before, and it was just perfect. Young wine of 2007, surprinsingly not acidic, just fruitty but not sweet.
Be sure to make a reservation before to get there....
and enjoy!
After living in Astoria for a year, where you have the best Greek ever (Zorbas) it is hard to impress me but Ethos will hold me over.
Their lemon potatoes, one of my favorites, are scrumptious. Most people don't think to get them but its a huge portion I would split with at least two people.
For delivery I once got a salad with apple, goat cheese, craisins, which was basic but held me over. Nothing spectacular. In the restaurant, which is decorated nicely but a little squeezed in, many people I have come with get the meats which they always love. Lamb especially. For dips I like their spicy feta.
It aint the best Greek ever, but it's good enough for me. Equally feel the same way about the other one in Great Neck.
My go-to place for Greek. I've eaten at Ethos four or five times but it was only the last time that inspired me to finally get around to the Yelp review. It's because I finally ordered fish from their fresh display. It was heavenly. Perfectly done red snapper, grilled and then drizzled with lemon and butter. It was fish for two (some are smaller and so they're for one), and so it came with two sides -- we got two orders of the lemon potatoes, since another reviewer had said they were great and we wanted to share with our other friend -- and they were! Soft and lemony with springs of rosemary (or was it sage)?
There are also lots of tasty small plates on the menu, so you can do a tapas-style meal if you want to try a bunch of things. Actually there is a huge selection of both small and big plates; the service is decent. Every table gets a basketful of hot, soft, delicious pita. And you gotta love the "on the house" dessert -- a sweet-cheese filled pastry reminiscent of baklava.
And the winner for the best dramatic bathroom entrance goes to...Ethos!
On my first day feeling better from the SWINE FLU OF DEATH* Laura and I went to grab some hummus. Well, we first tried going to Ali Baba. And as we were sitting there, eating fresh Turkish bread, we tried to order the appetizer sampler according to OUR preference. You know. A little switch here. A little trade out/trade in there. Zing. Zing?
The waiter at Ali Baba was not having it. Or us.
So I got frustrated that Ali Baba was not flexible like Ethos and then I realized that I was most upset that Ali Baba was NOT Ethos. So we threw done a couple bones for their time and journeyed over to Ethos, where we were, of course, treated like royalty. The waiters love us there.**
We had a feast of the Gods. Our appetizer sampler was custom tailored to Nicole and Laura. It consisted of the: whipped potato, babaganoush, hummus, hot feta dip, and...something Laura picked. I forget. We also got vegetables for the dipping in addition to pita and a hearty Greek salad on the side. The complimentary dessert was divine as usual. Which figuratively, and perhaps literally, led us to the bathroom.
When you walk into the bathroom, you will squeal a bit.
The mirror is on the ceiling and it slants downward toward you, as if you are going to attack yourself and walk into yourself. If you stop and look up, however, it also looks like a nice flattering angle, aka, what I like to call: MySpace photo angle. I approve of this angle all the time, anytime, even during...bathroom time.
*We exxagerate/lie in this household.
**Laura reminds me, all the time, that the busboys usually like us. And it's probably because we bus our own tables. Not because we're pretty.
Ethos wins the award for best first impression.
It's high end casual, like one reviewer mentioned.…
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GREAT greek food...the reason i couldn't give it 5 stars is because they don't have baklava, my all time fav...i've ordered:
Pikilia Spread - melizanosalata tsatziki skordalia
grape leaves
spanikopita
a grilled calamari dish
lamb baked in a pot with rice
all amazing...
I was torn on giving this place 2 or 3 stars....but since it was the main course that I didn't like, I figured the less stars is more appropriate.
With that being said, we liked the appetizers. We ordered the assortment of spreads. One garlic tziki cucumber like dip, one eggplant, one cavier (kind of had a cream cheesy texture and taste to it and one cold mashed potato dip (we didn't like this one at all). The dips were all average...nothing you can't get anywhere else.
we also ordered the quail appetizer. This was our favorite dish of the night. It was grilled with delicious spices and we squeezed lemon on it. I practically ate all the bones! that's how tasty it was :)
As for our main...since we were sharing everything, we opted for the skewers (shrimp, scallops and swordfish). This was horrendous! we basically left the entire thing. The scallops were under done and had this gross textural thing going on. The shrimp were overcooked and fishy and the swordfish seemed off as well.
One nice touch was that they give you a complimentary dessert which was yummy. I don't know what it was, because I didn't understand the guy who brought it to us.
I probably would not return to this restaurant. I only went because I had a http://restaurant.com gift certificate that made it worth it. It wasn't the worst experience ever, but there is much better greek out there.
oh and just to comment about the service since a lot of people complained about that. We went at 6pm on a thursday night and had no problems at all. It was actually really speedy and we were out of there by 7pm.
so to sum it up, 2 appetizers, one main and a free dessert cost $56.
Attentive and friendly all around. We loved the eggplant appetizer and could have feasted on that the entire time. I'm a fan if the grilled octopus. Save room for their custard dessert!
Excellent food - everything is good!
One of my friend's favorite places, we stopped in for a late-evening bite (post-9p) and were pleasantly surprised - the hot eggplant appetizer and soft young lamb claypot bone dishes were superb, complete with pita to dip it in the sauces. The mussels were okay (they were only warm when they came out), the fish - best ask the waitress for a selection, as she'll know the best fish out there - tasty and crisp, but watch out for the scales, and the octopus was fairly good. Seating near the door - hard wooden bar-style chairs and softer seating along the edges.
Service... eh, was okay. Took a while to take my order (I arrived late), get water refilled, and the waitress made a mistake in our order due to trying to memorize it all. Also the kitchen closing earlier than we expected resulting in only a dessert of greek yogurt with honey and nuts - good, but not great. And no choice of sides - they just brought out potatoes and spinach. Odd.
Decent wines, though.
Great little spot. Fun atmosphere. YUMMY orzo. GREAT Greek salad. I've lived in the city for years and consider this my go to place in Murray Hill.
Plus you get a free dessert!
Pleasant Greek restaurant. Nice service.
We two had spinakopita and mixed dips appetizers, and received a free dessert: custard in phyllo dough. All, with nonalcoholic drinks, for under $35.
Rest of menu looks good : fish and seafood, etc. Will return.
Great Greek food at reasonable prices. Definitely recommend getting the http://restaurant.com coupon. You get $25 off it you spend $45 dollars. Also, during certain times you can get 1,000 bonus points on Open Table. Not a bad deal for pretty decent fare. The service was a bit spotty, but the server was definitely friendly. Nice place for a laidback Greek meal.
Absolutely overrated!
Three friends and I went to Ethos on a Friday night, we ordered two appetizers to share. One appetizer arrived on time and the second one well after the first one was finished. They both tasted good but not amazing. Two of us ordered fish. They asked if we wanted it de-boned and both of us said yes. The fish comes ... late... the fish is dry and very dry...and contains bones...not only small bones but also large bones the sides arrive late....
The dessert to share was on the house for that night... note that we had not expressed our complaints...... so it was not a "we are sorry" dessert.
Ehh, this place is ok.
It's getting 3 stars for its lamb dish in clay pot since it was pretty good -- the meat was falling off the bones! Yum.
But other than that, I can't think of anything else positive. Our mushroom appetizer was not bad, but not spectacular either. The cheese and salsa overpowered the taste of the mushroom. But maybe that's the style of the dish? I ordered a chicken shishkabob. The chicken was a bit dry. Our waitress was also slow to bring us the check. She was too busy chatting it up with the other workers (or at least that's what we saw).
They did give us a dessert dish on the house, which was a nice plus!
Stopped by here on a Saturday night with a friend who was in town for the week. We weren't overly hungry so we went with several of the appetizers.
I had the Lemon Chicken Egg Soup, it was fantastic. It was thick and creamy, the texture and flavor were spot on. Given the cold weather of that day it was a perfect way to warm up. I highly recommend you try this on a cold day!
My friend had the Dolmas and Humus. The Humus was also excellent, very flavorful and not too oily. The Dolmas were good, just the right amount of seasoning. Yet I was in the mood for hot food so I only partook of one.
The service was courteous and very helpful. They don't bother us much but always make sure we had a full glass of wine or water.
The interior is well appointed and somewhat spacious by Manhattan standards, as you aren't sitting on top of the table next to you.
If you are in the neighborhood I highly recommend you try this place out sometime.
Bring earplugs and a nose clip. Our waiter is a serious plate-slinger. I understand why he reeks of BO, but still... this is no excuse.
The ambiance is bizarre, like I'm on the set of Disney's cartoon Hercules.
So why am I giving it 3 stars? The Branzini was very good. The Greek salad was very good. The lemon chicken soup was almost as good as the one at Pylos. It was not a bowl of soup, it was actually a bucket... enough for 2. For no reason, they slung a dessert of some sort before our check miraculously appeared. Overall, you will get good food and good value here. Just don't order the shrimp [They murdered them and you only get 4.]
Great greek place with lively atmosphere and in a non-touristy location. Delicious lamb that's extremely tender, falls right off the bone into delicious tomato based sauce; fresh fish that you can choose from yourself good in flavorful sauce! Nice experience, slightly pricey for the quantity of food but highly recommended.
Ethos is one of those made-for-midtown dinner spots with a nice cozy environment consisting of dim lights, lots of stone and wood furniture, and gnarled tree branches covering parts of the ceiling. My friend and I went there for dinner on a Tuesday night and it was a pretty good experience.
The waiter was courteous, and service was pretty good. We ordered the stuffed Calimari appetizer with cheese and peppers (sprinkle some lemon on it for a little bit of "zest") which wet our appetite a nicely. The entrees was pretty good as well, although not as "Greek" as I would have expected. I had the Biftekia (grilled lamb with sprouts), which was excellent but could have probably used some olives or something on the side. They decided to give us dessert on the house, and I'm not quite sure what it was called but it was a cream filled flaky pastry thing and was delicious. The entire meal was also served with a basket of bread of assorted types (but no hummus or dip!).
Overall we sat there for about an hour or so waxing poetic on random things, and we never felt rushed or out of place. Moderately priced, and pretty good food - I would say that it would be a great place to go on a date or just with some friends to relax.
I've never actually had dinner here, I could barely tell you what it looks like, but I've gotten delivery from it sooo many times when I work late that its about time I gave it some recognition. So this is a food only review.
I generally get the Domata Salata which is great with pieces of cucumber/tomato/onion/feta that you cut up yourself. The ground lamb (Biftekia), Moussaka, any of the Fish have all been good. The lemon potatoes and spinach have never failed as sides either.
Best part though is that every order comes with a big old sack of different kinds of bread and pita and a complimentary pastry of phyllo and marscapone or something to that effect for desert which is awesome.
Solid food, though a little pricey... hasn't failed me so far
Ethos is a surprisingly good restaurant situated right in the middle of Murray Hill hell. If you can make it past the drunk kids at Mercury Bar, you owe it to yourself to try the cuisine at Ethos. The space itself is very open and Mediterranean. One drawback to Ethos is that the dining room is small, so things were a little tight throughout our meal... waiters and busboys brushed up against the back of my chair constantly and diners waiting for a table to open up clogged the doorway. Another issue was that despite our 7:30 reservation, we were not seated until around 7:50. Those were my biggest issues with Ethos, though, since the rest of my experience was pretty great.
Kypriaki salad (goat cheese, roasted red peppers, apples, baby greens, lemon dressing) was a delicious starter, and you can't go wrong with their fantastic Tsatzaki. Some of the best items to order here include the clay pots... the Arni Giouvetsi (baby lamb, orzo, tomato sauce and feta) had such tender lamb and it was so creamy that it really hit the spot, and a few of us enjoyed it actually. My friends told me that their fish selections were also great. Portions are not skimpy -- I've been here twice and the food is always very enjoyable.
Wine is reasonably priced... bottles are what you'd expect at a restaurant of this caliber, but the selection includes some Greek selections that make for interesting options. Desserts are what you'd expect at a Greek restaurant, and I believe complimentary pastries are usually provided at the end of the meal... ours were only pretty good ("free" is always good), but left me with a memorable sweetness in my mouth that will keep me coming back to Ethos for more.
Oh, what a surprise - a restaurant near my apartment that I've been to.
I'm beginning to bore myself with the same review format so I'm mixing it up:
Ethos, Ethos, I walk by you everyday.
You're patrons are so pretty
Many beautiful girls, no time to play
Your calimari is delish
All your seafood is mouth watering. . .
Scallops, shrimp, hell - any kind of fish
Your open format seating is to my liking
And you never make me wait
But sometimes I feel like I'm a viking
So come to Ethos if you want fresh food
Wonderful ambiance, friendly staff but most importantly . .
A good view of people to put you in the mood
Don't love it. It's in the neighborhood but I'm not a frequent customer. For Greek I try going to more authentic places, however, for a quick fix it'll do. The highlight at this neighborhood-type restaurant is the delicious free dessert that comes with every dinner. That alone makes it worth the hit or miss menu. From the "hit"side try the zucchini and eggplant chips with the garlicky spread - delicious. Also, the Greek salad, is fresh, a good size and definitely one of the few healthy choices on the menu.
I generally like it but would skip it in favor of a tastier morsel.
This restaurant had some great food. Everything was really tasty starting from the complimentary pita basket to the complimentary baklava-like dessert.
The food was good, nothing spectacular. Filling and for its price a great portion. We still had about 1/4 to 1/3 of each plate to bring home as leftovers. The moussaka is okay - I've tried making moussaka before and the only thing different from mine and theirs is that they did mashed potatoes and mine was too greasy. I'm not really sure I would order the moussaka again but would try it again if it were my first time.
Their salad with walnuts, cream cheese and apples (I'm guessing) was refreshing though it got sickening after about 10 bites. So it may have been better to have ordered that to share around the table. We also ordered off the grilled list chicken and lamb, both of which looked okay. The chicken seemed a little dry but the lamb was eaten up. The dessert was probably one of the better parts of the evening with a custard/creamy cheese-like filling, flaky crust, and honey drizzles.
The service was on the side of lacking. We were promptly greeted and seated but I feel only because it was a Monday night. Our waitress was okay but only smiled when we ordered and basically ignored us the rest of the evening. After they removed our small plates, we asked for olive ol for the pita bread and she brought us...a jar of olive oil. I guess we were supposed to drizzle the oil right on top of the pita and consume. The only good thing was the water cups were filled constantly.
The place was still pretty busy considering it was a Monday night, which is always a good sign.
I was going to give this place three stars because although the food was good (not fantastic), the staff seemed a bit rude. BUT I was pleasantly surprised when at the end of our meal, the waiter presented us with a lovely dessert, on the house, for absolutely no reason at all.
I must say that their muscle dish had this very tasty red sauce that was perfect for soaking the bread in. That was the only memorable part of out meal. Everything else was about 3.5 star quality.
I keep noticing how many 3 stars I give -- why is it so hard for me to love all the dining NYC has to offer? Ugh, in any case, Ethos is another 3 star experience for me. I liked it, would go back, but feel like the food impressed me less than I wanted. The service was friendly and the portions are large enough to share - the best thing I ordered was the ground lamb main dish. Lots of spices, grilled deliciously. The Greek salad was nothing special, cucumber, tomato, feta, olives - but they were all spaced out on the plate and I wanted to it to come chopped and mixed... the place got packed and was hopping by the time we left on a Sunday at 8pm. There is a section with seating that seems awkward, the tables and seats are really low, but the rest of the restaurant feels good. I especially liked the fresh-fish-on-ice display and will order some seafood next time.
i will miss my other nexxt door neighbor tambien!
tasty, tasty greek food. im no expert.. oh wait, i kind of am. ive lived in astoria, have traveled to greece, and have had homecooked greek food. so listen up - the food at this place is gooood and tastes authentic. the servers are warm and inviting, as is their decor.
love their saganaki and souvlaki platters.
I was going to put four stars, but then I realized that the reason I was taking a star away was for the fact that there is a bus stop right outside of this restaurant. Why would that take a star away? Well, on a hot summer night with the windows open at around 5:00 p.m., there was a SLEW of buses passing and with many passengers entering, exiting and waiting for the next one. Since we were right by the window, once or twice I noticed it was slightly irritating to hear the roar of the bus taking off. But, um, aren't I in a kinda' busy city? Yeah. So I'm over it.
And is that reason to fault Ethos? No. And this is some great Greek food. I hardly ever order fish when I go out. But they have so many different selections, that I did. Grilled shrimp. EXCELLENT. Just as described in the menu.
And the waiters were great. Helpful. Nice. Friendly. If you're looking for a little romantic spot, I recommend not sitting by the windows if they're opened. But it seemed to be it has romantic capabilities. Kind of had a rustic-y feel to it.
Oh, and for the people in the kids' circuit, I took my two toddlers. If you're going to take 'em along, do as I did and go in the early evening. It seems to get pretty crowded after 6, 6:30 p.m. and it's not a big place. The waiters were really nice to the them and even told my husband that it was fine when the kids went to an empty table by the windows to look at the people on the bus stop. I think most places, understandably, would be trying to politely drop us hints to get them out of there. But it wasn't crowded, so they didn't mind. As more patrons were coming in, we packed it up and left.
Like many others, I was a bit apprehensive about what the food here would be like, given this place is stuck between Mercury Bar and another Irish bar. After all, this is Murray Hill - home of the mediocre. And so I could understand why this place would be totally packed on a Saturday night as it is an oasis of calm, comfort and classiness on a block that otherwise leaves you feeling like you just joined a frat. The atmosphere is nice. They actually have a nice selection of fresh fish. And food is more than decent. Oh, did I mention this is in Murray Hill?
Anyways, our group of 5-7 ordered the following family style:
Tsatziki (yogurt dip) - yummy esp with the basket of pita bread
Kalamari Yemisto (calamari stuffed with greek cheese) - who can turn this down?
Garides Elinikes (shrimp in tomato based sauce) - I'd pass on this for another dish. It was a fine dish but not outstanding in any way.
Paidakia (lamb chops) - highly recommend. Lamb chops came out tender and it was with great regret that I passed this dish on around the table.
Synagrida (Red Snapper) - they showed us the fish first and after cooking it, deboned it for us, making it it much easier. Delicious, would definitely order this again.
Fasolakia (green beans) - over stewed for my taste.
A side of cauliflower - delicious.
A side of rice
Oh, and we managed to finish three bottles of Greek vine. The Sauvignon Blanc was by the far the best. We also stayed close to 4 hours here and like most everyone else, were served dessert on behalf of the house. Service was great. Our order was taken promptly. Our water glasses were kept full and new wine glasses were brought out when we switched wines. Dinner was reasonably priced and I'd certainly come back here again.
Very nice Greek restaurant in Murray Hill.
We started off with the Tsatzaki app (yogurt app). All I need to say is that is was so good my girlfriend is now scouring the web searching for Tsatzaki recipes.
She had the lamb pylina (in a clay pot) which was absolutely to die for. I had the Salmon steak which was also very good, if not a bit too salty. The free dessert that everyone has been raving about is very very good too. I will definitely be back in the future to work up the courage to pick out my own fish from the cabinet ... that looks sooooo cool!
An unusual eatery in a quiet neighborhood, we wanted our first dinner while on vacation to be somewhere casual. With the shortage of Greek/Med establishments back home, this was an easy choice.
Even though I booked on OpenTable, the host didn't look for our reservation when we walked in. We were quickly ushered to a cramped deuce towards the kitchen. Not our usual style, but that's okay. We quickly scan the selections and request some garides sta karvouna, some jumbo shrimp simply grilled with fresh herbs in lemon and olive oil. Butterflied, it was a small yet tasty start.
I cran my neck around the room to discover the one room dining space is PACKED to the gills. It was not even 6:30. I thought folks ate later around here? I was still able to hear their Madonna-themed music as we launched into carb hell with their bread basket 'o pita.
A comedy of errors ensued as we received our plates and attempted to make them all fit. Our bronzini (aka loup de mer) tasted the way we anticipated, except we were not asked if we'd like it deboned (sigh). At $22 per pound, it was a bit of work to enjoy. Their kotopoulo skaras (grilled half free range chicken) was delightfully moist. No complaints. I made a yummy potato salad (not the kind found at picnics) once, and it prompted me to also try their version, hovoli metsovo. The onions were a bit strong, but the remaining mingled flavors of yellow and red peppers, mushrooms, squash, Greek wine vinegar, and potatoes maintained our healthy and light meal.
While they stated there wasn't a dessert menu, I do feel a bit cheated knowing other reviewers had a sweet treat at the end. We bundled ourselves up in their toasty holding area before braving the chill and finding a gelateria a few doors down. This gives our previous visit to Akdeniz a run for its money with its menu, but not service.
Ok. The first time I went here we got off to a rocky start. I made a reservation that did not make it into the book and we had to wait about 20 minutes and I was not happy. But, Ethos turned it around.
Starting with a terrific Greek white wine (they have a gooood wine list) and a bowl of warm pita, we were quickly on the mend. Then came dinner with a wonderful, perfectly grilled red snapper which was filleted at our table. They gave my Greek girlfriend the head of the fish (Greeks!!) as she asked. They served it with some nicely steamed horta and we were set. At the end of the meal, they brought us a little pillow of phyllo and what I guess is haloumi filling drizzled with honey. They treated us very well.
Since that first visit, we've returned multiple times and had the bronzini, octopus, shrimp, the potatoes (fried and broiled) and the greek sausage. I have to say I've loved it all.
This is definitely the place for fish and all things grilled. I have yet to try the lamb or the chicken but, I am determined to try them sometime soon.
The place gets a little loud and they usually have ABBA playing (thanks, Mamma Mia!) but that's not a biggie.
If you have the time to take, Ethos is definitely worth it.
I walked in on Saturday night with 2 friends and was seated immediately! In fact, they asked us where we preferred to be seated, which is rare.
We later had two extra friends join us and they accommodated them without any rude stares (even though we were messing with the aisles and all)
My baby eggplant dish was the most delectable dish ever!
At the end of the meal, they served us an extremely tasty greek dessert ON THE HOUSE! and there was plenty to go around.
that has almost never happened to me in New york city. especially during prime time hours like saturday night.
HIGHLY recommended. Waiters are cute too :)
I honestly wasn't expecting much based on my previous experience at a different Greek restaurant but I was pleasantly surprised with the decor and the atmosphere.
Warm pita bread was so good, by the time I got my food, I was already semi-full. Seafood kebab was really good and whatever dessert they gave us for free, yum yum. I would go there again just for that.
This is my second time trying Greek food so I can't even say how good they are but they are good enough for me to go again
My mother moaned throughout this entire meal. My sister and I were half disturbed and half in total agreement.
For real, guys, everything that passed our lips was delicious, and we didn't even delve into their fish specialties - we were a table of salad eatin', moussaka munchin', shrimp suckin' ladies. Between the three of us, we had their Ethos salad, the grape leaves, the moussaka and the grilled shrimp with lemon. The salad, specifically ordered because of the magic words "goat cheese" in its description, lived up to expectations... lots of goat cheese = lots of stars. I would also like to commend Ethos on their grape leaf-ability... those suckers are so delectible when done correctly and so gawdawful when half-assed. These were full assed grape leaves, they were. Just the right flavor, just the right texture, and HUGE.
My sister's moussaka was surprisingly sweet and cinnamony, in an "oooh! unexpected AND delicious!" kind of way, and well, I already mentioned the maternal moaning surrounding the shrimp. Yikes.
As for other important restaurant stuff... our waitress was adorable and attentive and made all the more appealing with her accent. I almost took off a star because she completely forgot the appetizer we ordered, but screw it, we were so full by the end we were grateful for the oversight and it never showed up on our bill, so it remains 5 stars!!! It's not that she FORGOT, I like to think, but that she can TELL THE FUTURE and knew we didn't need it.
Hey guess what? Writing this review shaved precious minutes off the end of the work day! Maybe I'll write ANOTHER one to successfully kill the remaining 18 minutes 'til the weekend. I love yelp.
Need Catering?
Neighborhood: Theater District
$35 Prix Fixe menu
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
Category: Turkish
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
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