at the sign of The Pink Pig: Thalassa: Swim Little Fishy

[Pigging by Wilfrid: March 18, 2013]

This week on the Pink Pig, reviews of two restaurants which, for better or worse, hadn't been on my radar: Thalassa and Junoon.

Thalassa is a mysterious omission: last November, it celebrated ten years in a former Fantis Foods warehouse in Tribeca (it's right across the street from Kutsher's, and within bread-roll-throwing distance of the Greenwich Avenue dining strip (The Greenwich, The Harrison, Tribeca Grill).

Maine diver scallops in kataifi filo; picture courtesy Thalassa

One good thing about press dinners is that they do prompt me to visit restaurants which otherwise might pass me by. A recent meal at Thalassa gave chef Raphael Abrahante the opportunity to send out a parade of neat mezze-style dishes, most of them on the menu in one form or other. The chef has been with the restaurant since it opened, first as sous-chef, then executive chef since 2007.

I warmed up with a house cocktail--a simple but effective idea: the ouzo mojito; that pungently aniseedy aperitif, spruced up with refreshing citrus notes.

Thalassa is owned by the Makris family, owners too of Greek food and wine importers Fantis Foods. This was their warehouse, and the dramatic conversion into a restaurant looks like last week's idea rather than something from 2002. It's a multi-level, high ceilinged space, part of the main floor dropping dizzyingly away to reveal a staircase down to the bottle-lined wine room. White tablecloths, correct service.

Smoothly refined versions of some familiar spreads to start. Humus, tzatziki, sharply fishy tarama salata, and a smart blend of red pepper and greek cheese.

These came with warm pita bread, of course, and some pristine olives. It was hard to get a chance to do the olives justice, because next up, a Greek take on a classic bar snack.

That's how I read it, anyway. A healthy version of nachos. Crisp, addictive slices of eggplant, with Graviera cheese and tzatziki sauce. A fight almost broke out over this one.

The meal was accompanied exclusively by Greek wines. I've never had a bad experience with Greek wines in a New York Greek restaurant--indeed, I've had excellent pairings at Kefi when it first opened, and much more recently at Boukies on Second Avenue. What I've never done is attempt to learn the names of the grapes properly. My bad.

Tartare time, and these were complicated constructions. Sushi-grade tuna over cucumber was in there. So was a cooling baba ganoush.

On the darker side of the table, a plate of swordfish crudo. Chef Raphael noted that crudi weren't really a Greek thing--but after all, when you have the fresh fish, and the oil, why not? This might have been the most praised dish of the evening: deceptively simple, fruity from the oil.

Greek restaurants should be able to handle octopus. Thalassa literally handles it, tenderizing it with a brutal manual massage. Well, the washing machine thing is out of style, and rocks to bash it on aren't plentiful in Tribeca.

Another very well-received appetizer, the Maine diver scallops wrapped in crunchy kataifi filo, with a balsamic reduction (pictured top of article).

For all the excellence of the mezzes, Thalassa's main boast is fresh, mainly wild fish, sourced via the Fantis company. The display, on entering the restaurant, is appealing. What's more, they've blessedly stopped charging by the pound (a practice which makes Estatorio Milos a suprisingly expensive restaurant). The fish are now priced per entrée portion, and the prices are almost too low. $48 for dover sole is currently a steal.

We ate the lavraki, simply grilled with oil, and with capers rather than dashes of salt. It's a European sea bass (it says here), but you know what naming fish is like. Light, flaky flesh. For me, I'd have liked it a little less cooked.