During a recent chat with restaurateur David Laris, we got to talking about types of food that are still underrepresented in this city. The first thing that jumped to my mind were the flakey spanakopitas, delicious baklava, lemon roasted potatoes and succulent souvlakis made at a Greek restaurant, Mykonos, where I once worked. The elderly couple who owned the restaurant, John and Kathy, made everything by hand, bustling around in the kitchen before 7am each morning. If we ran out of hummus during the dinner rush, we had to call Kathy to come in and make it. So, obviously, I immediately cited the lack of Greek options as a cause for woe. Apart from a rather dismal Aegean, now Three and Tree, and Acro which only barely resembles Greek cuisine, the only decent options thus far have been Greek Taverna, now with three locations and the newly opened Mythos down in the Cool Docks which I've yet to try.

To my elated surprise, Laris then told me that he, too, will be dabbling with this classic Mediterranean fare. Having already secured a location at Silver Court on Huaihai Lu, the venture will be a wine bar with Greek tapas featuring both savory and sweet selections. Being half Greek and spending a significant portion of his childhood eating Greek cuisine, Laris seems particularly keen on this project. It will be called Fat Olive and, if all goes to plan, it will be opening sometime around February. When I asked if, if the tapas / bar approach was successful, he would move on to opening a full scale restaurant, he said it was a possibility.

In the meantime, if anyone knows any other great spots around town for Greek cuisine, tell me, please!