ethos

nymag.com

Lauren and I came here for the first time last week, on a rainy and completely miserable evening. She was in town from D.C., and we'd met up with a few of her friends. It was late and we were starving; everyone was sticky from the humidity and cranky from the heat. Someone suggested this place and we jumped at it, since it was only a few blocks away. It's now one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants. The atmosphere is warm and cozy, with friendly staff and walls that come down in the summer for an indoor/outdoor feel.

Even better, the food was both delicious and reasonably priced. I ordered the salata octapodi, a delicious mix of fresh spinach, apple, and tender, grilled octopus, and we all shared the pikilia spread, a platter with creamy hummus, spicy eggplant dip and fresh tzatziki. But perhaps the best thing we tasted was the kotoupoulo giovetsi: oven-baked chicken so tender a fork was all you needed to cut it, resting on a bed of orzo spiced (to absolute perfection) with cinnamon, cumin, tomato and feta. Needless to say, our crankiness had all but evaporated by the time we'd finished. And though we were too full to try them, the honey-drenched pastries we saw coming out of the kitchen looked fantastic.
Side note: there is one other locations (905 1st ave), but seeing as I've been told that both the atmosphere and the menu are a little different, I can't speak to it.

495 3rd Avenue (near 33rd St)
website

*recommendations:
  pikilia spread
  salata octapodi
  kotoupoulo giouvetsi