Restaurants

Axia Taverna

City:

Tenafly

County:

Bergen County

Phone:

201.569.5999

Price:

Cuisine:

Greek

Key:

Full Review

Axia Taverna

***
18 Piermont Road
Tenafly | 201.569.5999
axiatavern.com

Anyone who has traveled to the Greek isles knows how difficult simple, fresh, sunny food on this side of the Atlantic. Alexander Gorant, talented chef here, displays impressive credentials that allow him to do just that. For one he has Greek grand-parents. Diane Kochilas, my favorite Greek cookbook author, is his consultant. And he has worked in such top-drawer New York restaurants as Le Bernardin, Artisanal, and Town.

Gorant makes stars of even the most humble ingredients of the Greek larder, including incomparable oregano, pinches of which we swirled in fruity olive oil before dipping in pieces of excellent country bread. At the other end of the meal, we were wowed by a napoleon featuring tangy Greek yogurt and mountain-thyme honey between layers of walnut Florentine. Gorant manages to find flavorful tomatoes here for an emblematic Greek salad, even in the dead of winter.

The dish that most conjures the Greek isles is the grilled octopus salad -- tender as can be. But the selection of classic spreads comes close. We chose three of a possible five, and the taramasalata -- creamy carp roe mousse that Gorant spiffs up with lobster "essence" -- stood out next to the worthy but not exceptional grilled eggplant spread and the creamy, garlicky tzatziki. Eggplant, lamb, and phyllo feature in numerous dishes, as they should. Phyllo hand-pies filled with pulled lamb shoulder braised in red wine make an indulgent starter, worth the calories. The restaurant has fig-stuffed leg of lamb -- with slices of plain roasted leg accompanied by a red wine sauce that incorporates jus from the braised shoulder used in the phyllo appetizer. This pristine dish is accompanied by artichokes and goat cheese mashed potatoes.

I asked to substitute roasted potatoes for the mashed, and our young server, who was correct but not quite friendly, didn't blink an eye before acquiescing.

My Yiayia's Roasted Potatoes, as they are listed on the menu, do, in fact, match the best oregano-and-lemon infused potatoes I have ever eaten -- which happened to be in Athens and at the hands of a real Greek grandma. Gorant later told me that his secret ingredient is lamb fat.

Seafood fared well in two entrees, including seared sea scallops with crunchy noodles and mizithra, a cheese similar to ricotta salata, and in a baked dish of shrimps (kudos to the chef for keeping the heads intact), scallops, feta, and orzo in a light tomato sauce. A classic pastichio -- the rich, hearty baked dish of pasta, meat sauce, and bachamel -- was overwhelmed by cinnamon.

Our server couldn't help us when it came to wine, so he wisely called over the restaurant's general manager and co-owner, Timoleon Vlahopoulos, who expertly guided us through the many intriguing Greek selections. We settled on a xinomavro, one of Greece's best indigenous red grapes, from the widely distributed firm of Boutari. Vlahopoulos termed it rustic and Rhone-like; we
enjoyed the dark cherry flavors.

Axia opened in October in an attractive multilevel space that seats 120. It successfully pulls off its goal of being a modern, hip version of a taverna.

Abundant natural materials including semi-buffed blond wood and soft gray quartz contribute to the pleasant setting.