PETROS GREEK CUISINE AND LOUNGE
MICHAEL BERK'S RESTAURANT REVIEW

Perhaps the first really serious Greek restaurant in Southern California opened about two months ago in the new Metlox Center (Developed by one of our clients, the Tolkin Group) in Manhattan Beach, as Petros Greek Cuisine and Lounge, 451 Manhattan Beach Blvd. (@ N Sepulveda), No. B110, Manhattan Beach 310-545-4100 . The restaurant was created by Athens native Petros Benekos, a very successful manufacturer of high-end vintage clothing. Why, besides giving me an opportunity to write eponymous? Petros felt (correctly) that what we locals know as Greek food - from dining at Sofi, Taverna Tony, The Great Greek, Ulysses Voyage, and the like - is really taverna food, menus that prior generations brought with them from Greece in early waves of immigration, while serious Athenians today are serving world-class contemporary food, combining contemporary cuisine with highest quality ingredients. He wanted to bring that experience to us.

First, he found a great chef, Yianni Koufodonis, who counts the kitchen at Spago under Lee Hefter among his credentials (although Yianni was born here, not in Greece). Then Petros imported his mother, Frederiki Benekos, and his aunt, Louisa Pappas, from Athens to train the staff in current Greek food preparation methods. As a result, Petros serves the 3haute cuisine2 of Athens (and Mykonos and a few other of the Greek islands), featuring rotisserie meats, such as lamb, pork and even quail (infused with sage) and several varieties of fish flown in from Greece, albeit frozen for the day trip, cooked over wood and served simply with Greek olive oil, oregano and fresh vegetables, along with the obligatory moussaka and the like.

The space is very contemporary, and the Greek tchotchkes and traditional Greek bouzouki music are noticeably absent (although some of the current music with a heavy back beat could be scraped). High ceilings and clean, unadorned white walls with a few arches, glass doors to the wide canopied patio, cream-colored linens and cushioned white birch wood chairs and banquettes on a polished cement floor with a few white lines painted on it give the whole scene light and airy ambiance. Contemporary stainless and water glasses, plain white plates and good quality sleek large bowled wine glasses make up the table setting. Hanging single white-frosted glass light fixtures are spaced along the ceiling.

Petros, the consummately charming host, works the room incessantly checking up on his guests and offering suggestions for food and wine, if asked. He says that he is there every night, as he feels responsible for making sure that visitors to his 3home2 are well taken care of. Chef Yianni also circles the room periodically to make sure everything and everyone is OK. The service is casual and efficient and the servers are friendly and very helpful to those in need. Once you are seated at your table -there is no place to seat while waiting, because the small bar and accompanying bar side tables and stools are all filed to a man...and woman.. with diners - the server delivers a basket of bread and dish of Skorthalia, a spread made of crushed garlic and potato, which disappears in a heartbeat.

Getting down to specifics, the Dinner Menu offers two Soups, Avgolemono (very traditional lemon chicken and rice) and Fasolatha Vegetable Bean Soup by the cup $5 or bowl $9. The Salad offerings include the Petros Greek Salad (vine ripened tomatoes, Epirus feta cheese (3the mother of all feta,2 the menu reports; its a soft white goat cheese), Volos olives (kalamatas just are not good enough), extra virgin olive oil and oregano and green pepper) $9; and Horta (braised dandelion greens, lemon and extra virgin olive oil) $8, among several other salads. A word about the tomatoes - Petros takes great pride in finding the best vine-ripened ones available, he reports - and others have reported to us how good they are-- but , regrettably, the ones we had were disappointingly watery and tasteless. Among the Meze (small dishes to share a the beginning of a meal) selections were Malpeque Oysters (with Ouzo, shallots and red wine vinegar dip) ? doz. $12; a delicious, tender fried Calamari dish with lemon, olives and almonds $12; a tough (but others have reported it tender on other evenings) grilled Octopus with carrots, beets, red onion with extra virgin olive oil, lemon and oregano $10; a spectacular Nikos Saganaki (sesame-crusted feta with golden raisins; not traditional, but the melted cheese melted in your mouth) $8; and Spanakopita (made with home made phyllo stuffed with spinach, Epirus feta, dill, green onions and served with tzatziki, olives - we did not have it, but its supposed to be wonderfully flaky) $10. I1ll skip the dips, as we did at the restaurant, but the usual Greek dips are offered and, served with grilled pita, are reputedly great noshes at $6-$8 per dip/ $14 for a small serving of all of them.

The Entrees include Mykonos Astakomakaronatha (Lobster spaghetti with chili, tomato, horta, feta and basil - we need to go back to try this highly touted
dish) $34; a classic Moussaka, made with eggplant, ground beef, tomatoes and not-too-much bechamel sauce, served 3village style2 $20; and a very tasty Feta Crusted Colorado Rack of Lamb, served with horta (dandelion greens) with tomato olive jus $36, among several other choices. Regretfully, no one ordered a fish dish, put off by the information that all was frozen, but we are told they are juicy and flavorful, and very Greek. Next time one of us will have the Sauteed Lavrake (Greek sea bass filet with braised artichokes, carrots, potatoes and white wine manouri emulsion) $32, or Tsipoura a la Greek (grilled Greek snapper with vegetables, lemon, extra virgin olive oil and oregano) $32.

Petros offers a selection of Greek Cheeses, including the afoaresaid Epirus feta, kasseri, kefalograviera and kefalotiri $8/ Assortment $12, but the stand out clearly was the Minouri (an unsalted cheese drizzled with Attiki Greek honey and extra virgin olive oil, to die for, or of-literally!) $8.

The Desserts are equally spectacular at $8 each. The Greek Yogurt is home made and with Attiki honey and toasted walnuts; the Bougatsa (vanilla bean and semolina custard wrapped in phyllo served with cinnamon ice cream was a winner; as was the Bomba (a dome of chocolate mousse with a meringue center and a rice krispy and praline (what part of Santorini are those from?) crust with vanilla ice cream; and a few equally deserving candidates, left off for reasons of space. What I found to be a disappointing Greek Coffee is available for $6, along with regular coffees and espresso and cappuccinos.

The Petros Lunch menu is shorter, and each dish is a few dollars less at lunch. The salads can be enhanced with chicken or shrimp as a lunch entree, and some lunch dishes, like a Chicken Pita $12 or Greek Burger $12

Those of us who think we know all we want to about Greek wines from tasting the resin in retzina in our youth are in for quite as surprise. The Greeks always made good wine, but have been making vast improvements not only in the winemaking process to ensure consistency and quality, but also in the marketing of their excellent wines. Petros has, with assistance of a lawyer, no less, and a Greek one at that (Tom Martin -- what1s in a name?), who is an expert and tireless promoter of Greek wines and lives in the area, has assembled a compact wine list that, in addition to some California wines familiar to us all, offers many of the best in Greek whites and reds. Be sure to try these wonderful wines, many of which are hard to find elsewhere and are offered by the glass. (Petros or the bartender will even pour you a sample if asked, so you can be sure that it suits you before you order the glass or bottle.). Corkage is $15.

Petros is open for lunch and dinner 7 days,11 AM to 11 PM. Sunday through Thursday, and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. No valet, but there is plenty of parking in the public lot under the Metlox Center. Route
suggestions: Standard Route - take the 405 south; off at Rosecrans Ave.
West, toward Manhattan Beach; turn right onto West Rosecrans Ave., then left onto North Sepulveda Blvd. And then right onto Manhattan Beach Blvd. Berk1s Preferred Route - Take the 405 or Centinela south; off at Culver Blvd. West; take Culver Blvd until it merges into Jefferson Blvd, continuing west; Left turn onto Vista Del Mar; continue south past Playa Del Rey; the sewage treatment plant, the electric generating plant until it becomes Highland as it approaches Manhattan Beach; continue to Manhattan Beach Blvd. (the pier); turn left on Manhattan Beach Blvd. and drive several blocks to the Metlox Center at North Sepulveda.

In brief, Petros is definitely worth the short trip to Manhattan Beach. The ambiance is light and beautiful, the crowd sophisticated, and the Greek food carefully and lovingly and delicately prepared and wine of great quality.
There were a few hiccups with the dishes, and I never found the lounge, but in general the whole experience was truly wonderful. I'm looking forward to returning soon, and next time taking Tom with us.