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“Christos Steakhouse”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Greek	Queens	Moderate	Good

usted. You all already know I am far from it.) Really, he was, and still is, an amazing man. And life goes on—quite brilliantly at times, in fact. But what I really don’t understand is people who feel they must update you on the intimate details of the lives of your former soul mates? Note to all people who do this sort of thing: We really don’t want to know. And even if we do want to know, we don’t want to be told at cocktail parties. Please.

So, anyway, back to the matter at hand here—my return to Astoria. Last week, with my girls Jamie and Alison in tow, we ventured back to pay a visit to Christos, a newly redesigned and reconcepted Greek steakhouse where Mina Newman is the consulting chef.

The restaurant, an Astoria landmark since 1974, was born as Christos Hasapo Taverna and was re-designed re-concepted as Christos Steakhouse by new owners Allan Wartski and George Stergiopoulos in January of this year. The entranceway is lined in glass butcher cases displaying flanks of dry-aged Prime beef like mammoth baubles in a Tiffany window. Past the beef exhibit, the bar and lounge feels vaguely like an fancy airport bar somewhere in the Midwest, with flat screen TVs, and round cocktail tables with rose-colored armchair seating. The restaurant is contemporary and suburban in feel, with too-bright lighting, large floral arrangements, and lots of marble. Tables are dressed in white tablecloths and waiters in starched white dinner jackets emblazoned with the restaurant’s name. Tucked into a banquette, staring out onto the dining room from behind an oversized table for four, I knew I was not in Kansas anymore. The crowd is straight out of central casting for The Sopranos: Greece Edition. We heard lots of Greek spoken, and little English except at tables of the few groups of out of towners, over from the Marriott at LaGuardia airport. It was quite a scene. I loved it.

The menu mirrors the cross section represented in the dining room, some authentic Greek dishes, and mixed in with some American steak. The owners wanted to stay true to their Greek roots, which they do in the appetizers and mezze, but also wanted to continue the tradition of great steakhouses. Mina Newman, a chef whom I have admired since her days at Layla, was a natural choice for this juxtaposition—she was the chef at Dylan Prime, the steakhouse in Tribeca, and has worked with Greek ingredients during her tenure at La ... [more, click below]

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Posted: February 27, 2006

Other restaurants in Queens :
+ Christos Steakhouse   + Bohemian Beer Hall   + Eating Citi Field   

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