Contemporary Greek Cuisine with Love to America

The invitation read:

The sumptuous table setting looked like this:

The deconstructed, fresh food in the Greek Nice N Easy restaurants look like this:

And the story goes like this:

Chef Chris Athanasiadis and restaurateur Dimitris Christoforidis who created the Nice-N-Easy Restaurants in Athens and Mikonos came from Greece to create “a dinner of Cycladic Fare” last night at Culina Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel, Los Angeles, on Doheny). It was part of an American tour to introduce their food to an  audience. The contemporary restaurants are named after the Frank Sinatra song, “Nice-N-Easy.”

Synchronistically, Inotheke, a contemporary dining destination from Carolos Tomazos, just recently opened in Santa Monica.   It also showcases modern Greek from Mediterranean Island, Cyprus, Tomazos’ homeland.

The name was inspired by the Frank Sinatra song when Christoforidis’s desire to use Hollywood’s golden era as the theme. “The combination of the classic film era and the healthy cuisine works organically together. In fact there is even a dish on the menu to the singer who popularized the song, “The Frank Sinatra. ” Bold and elegant as the singer,  it is the Black Angus free-range filet of beef topped with a wild mushroom sauce, mashed carrots and grilled young potatoes.

Christoforidis has has enormous success in Los Angeles in the mid-90’s with a luxurious restaurant-club concept named Sanctuary just outside Beverly Hills, which catered to celebrities.  He returned to Greece in 2003 and developed the fresh, casual food theme with even greater success in Athens and on Mykonos.

The contemporary menu the pair showed off at the dinner, started with a pre-dinner plate of Greek olive oil and walnut butter to go with the bread. 

Each course featured a vegan option. For example, has a vegan alternative had beet root tartare instead of tuna.

First course 

tuna tartare, chives, avocadeo, olive oil, lime zest, quinoa tabouli, micro greens, yogurt drops.

Second course

A modern Fava Bean Spread, tomato, Pickled onion, Grilled Octopus, Micro leaves, Botarga.

Salad course 

New Style Greek salad with quail egg egg and feta cheese

Entree

Lamb loin with red wine, gravy sauce, eggplant caviar, red pepper coulis

Dessert

Our new favorite was the Greek yogurt Mousse with Honey Jelly and Berries because it was the most straightforward of the deconstructed dishes.

Chef Athanasiadis told writer, Faye Levy (shown here with the chef and Christoforidis), that “he is inspired by other Mediterranean cuisines. His delicious stuffed eggplant, for example, was his take on the Turkish classic dish Imam Bayildi, with the traditional topping of onions and tomatoes cooked not only with olive oil but also with red wine and raisins.

The style of such a colorful dinner with dishes enhanced with superb olive oil and with generous proportions of vegetables and fruits, which Athanasiadis and Christoforidis call organic contemporary Mediterranean cuisine, could also have been described as modern Israeli, modern Provencal or modern California cuisine.”

Contemporary Mediterranean cuisine  using fresh, high quality Farm-To-Table ingredients; a variety of drinks, plus a warm and welcoming atmosphere have become the trademarks of Nice n Easy organic restaurant bistros.  On the menu, you will find nutritional values and measurement of calories for each dish served as well as a fine selection of gluten free courses.

Dimitris Christoforidis and Chef Christos Athanasiadis began with their first location in Kolonaki, followed by two more in Kifissia and Mykonos.

The background goes like this:

Born in Kozani, Christoforidis dreamed of someday creating a life he would love to live beyond the fields surrounding his family’s home in northern Greece. An admirer of the Los Angeles Lakers from his early teens, his wish “to be an LA Laker” did come partially true later when, after living in Sweden and then Chicago and New York City, he ended up in southern California. But he was there to create Sanctuacry, place of escape for professional sports players and other celebrities that offered deliciously healthy food. This place was Sanctuary, a restaurant/lounge that soon became an exclusive hideaway for many in the entertainment industry.

In 2003, Greece was pulling at his heart to return. Back in Athens, Christoforidis saw the trend towards quick food and decided to develop a new twist on it with healthy cuisine. Along with his business partner, chef Chris Athanasiadis, he created his first Greek venture in 2006–the “Derlicatessen”, a healthy souvlaki eatery that used fine meats served on whole-wheat pita and freshly-made tzatziki.

But he wanted …to keep spreading the health.” The result, an organic restaurant-café/bar called “nice ‘n’ easy” which he opened with Athanasiadis in 2008 in the Greek capital’s chic Kolonaki district.  The restaurant became so successful that it became known as the ‘Hollywood of Athens’, which pleased Christoforidis.

Dishes like the “Marlon Brando Burger” (Kobe beef topped with cheddar cheese, baked onions, coleslaw and fries) and the “Anthony Quinn Quasantilla” (a warm tortilla with chicken filet, gouda cheese and vegetables, sprinkled with a sweet chili sauce).

Chef Chris Athanasiadis and restaurateur Dimitris Christoforidis who oversees the Nice-N-Easy Restaurants in Athens and Mikonos came from Greece to create “a dinner of Cycladic Fare” last night at Culina Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel. It was part of an American tour to introduce their food to an American audience. The contemporary restaurants are named after the Frank Sinatra song, “Nice-N-Easy.”

The name was inspired by the Frank Sinatra song and Christoforidis’s desire to use Hollywood’s golden era as the theme. “The combination of the classic film era and the healthy cuisine works organically together. In fact there is even a dish on the menu to the singer who popularized the song, “The Frank Sinatra. ” Bold but elegant, it is the Black Angus free-range filet of beef topped with a wild mushroom sauce, mashed carrots and grilled young potatoes.

Their contemporary menu in America concept featured a vegan complementary option for choice. For example, the first course featured tuna tartare, quinoa tabouli and avocado, and its vegan alternative had beet root tartare instead of tuna.

Chef Athanasiadis told writer, Faye Levy, that he is inspired by other Mediterranean cuisines. His delicious stuffed eggplant, for example, was his take on the Turkish classic dish Imam Bayildi, with the traditional topping of onions and tomatoes cooked not only with olive oil but also with red wine and raisins.

Faye added, ” The style of such a colorful dinner with dishes enhanced with superb olive oil and with generous proportions of vegetables and fruits, which Athanasiadis and Christoforidis call organic contemporary Mediterranean cuisine, could also have been described as modern Israeli, modern Provencal or modern California cuisine.”

At ‘Nice N Easy’ organic restaurant bistro, a contemporary Mediterranean cuisine is served using high quality Farm-To-Table ingredients.

In Nice N Easy, the cuisine is fresh, the drinks are diverse and appealing and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. The emphasis on eating organically grown food that is healthy for you and the environment is at the forefront of every recipe. On the menu, you will find nutritional values and measurement of calories for each dish served as well as a fine selection of gluten free courses.

The restaurant with its jazz & old Hollywood inspired feeling was conceived and developed by Dimitris Christoforidis and Chef Christos Athanasiadis with their first location in Kolonaki, followed by two more in Kifissia and Mykonos.

Born in Kozani, Christoforidis dreamed of someday creating a life he would love to live beyond the fields surrounding his family’s home in northern Greece. An admirer of the Los Angeles Lakers from his early teens, his wish “to be an LA Laker” did come partially true later when, after living in Sweden and then Chicago and New York City, he ended up in southern California. But he was there to create Sanctuary, place of escape for professional sports players and other celebrities that offered deliciously healthy food. This place was Sanctuary, a restaurant/lounge that soon became an exclusive hideaway for many in the entertainment industry.

In 2003, Greece was pulling at his heart to return. Back in Athens, Christoforidis saw the trend towards quick food and decided to develop a new twist on it with healthy cuisine. Along with his business partner, chef Chris Athanasiadis, he created his first Greek venture in 2006–the “Derlicatessen”, a healthy souvlaki eatery that used fine meats served on whole-wheat pita and freshly-made tzatziki.

But he wanted …to keep spreading the health.” The result, an organic restaurant-café/bar called “nice ‘n’ easy” which he opened with Athanasiadis in 2008 in the Greek capital’s chic Kolonaki district.

The restaurant became so successful that it became known as the ‘Hollywood of Athens’, which pleased Christoforidis.

Dishes like the “Marlon Brando Burger” (Kobe beef topped with cheddar cheese, baked onions, coleslaw and fries) and the “Anthony Quinn Quasantilla” (a warm tortilla with chicken filet, gouda cheese and vegetables, sprinkled with a sweet chili sauce).

Chef Chris Athanasiadis and restaurateur Dimitris Christoforidis who oversees the Nice-N-Easy Restaurants in Athens and Mikonos came from Greece to create “a dinner of Cycladic Fare” last night at Culina Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel. It was part of an American tour to introduce their food to an American audience. The contemporary restaurants are named after the Frank Sinatra song, “Nice-N-Easy.”

The name was inspired by the Frank Sinatra song and Christoforidis’s desire to use Hollywood’s golden era as the theme. “The combination of the classic film era and the healthy cuisine works organically together. In fact there is even a dish on the menu to the singer who popularized the song, “The Frank Sinatra. ” Bold but elegant, it is the Black Angus free-range filet of beef topped with a wild mushroom sauce, mashed carrots and grilled young potatoes.

Their contemporary menu in America concept featured a vegan complementary option for choice. For example, the first course featured tuna tartare, quinoa tabouli and avocado, and its vegan alternative had beet root tartare instead of tuna.

Chef Athanasiadis told writer, Faye Levy, that he is inspired by other Mediterranean cuisines. His delicious stuffed eggplant, for example, was his take on the Turkish classic dish Imam Bayildi, with the traditional topping of onions and tomatoes cooked not only with olive oil but also with red wine and raisins.

The style of such a colorful dinner with dishes enhanced with superb olive oil and with generous proportions of vegetables and fruits, which Athanasiadis and Christoforidis call organic contemporary Mediterranean cuisine, could also have been described as modern Israeli, modern Provencal or modern California cuisine.

At ‘nice n easy’ organic restaurant bistro, a contemporary Mediterranean cuisine is served using high quality Farm-To-Table ingredients.

In ‘nice n easy’, the cuisine is fresh, the drinks are diverse and appealing and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. The emphasis on eating organically grown food that is healthy for you and the environment is at the forefront of every recipe. On the menu, you will find nutritional values and measurement of calories for each dish served as well as a fine selection of gluten free courses.

The restaurant with its jazz & old Hollywood inspired feeling was conceived and developed by Dimitris Christoforidis and Chef Christos Athanasiadis with their first location in Kolonaki, followed by two more in Kifissia and Mykonos.

Born in Kozani, Christoforidis dreamed of someday creating a life he would love to live beyond the fields surrounding his family’s home in northern Greece. An admirer of the Los Angeles Lakers from his early teens, his wish “to be an LA Laker” did come partially true later when, after living in Sweden and then Chicago and New York City, he ended up in southern California. But he was there to create Sanctuacry, place of escape for professional sports players and other celebrities that offered deliciously healthy food. This place was Sanctuary, a restaurant/lounge that soon became an exclusive hideaway for many in the entertainment industry.

In 2003, Greece was pulling at his heart to return. Back in Athens, Christoforidis saw the trend towards quick food and decided to develop a new twist on it with healthy cuisine. Along with his business partner, chef Chris Athanasiadis, he created his first Greek venture in 2006–the “Derlicatessen”, a healthy souvlaki eatery that used fine meats served on whole-wheat pita and freshly-made tzatziki.

But he wanted …to keep spreading the health.” The result, an organic restaurant-café/bar called “nice ‘n’ easy” which he opened with Athanasiadis in 2008 in the Greek capital’s chic Kolonaki district.

The restaurant became so successful that it became known as the ‘Hollywood of Athens’, which pleased Christoforidis.

Dishes like the “Marlon Brando Burger” (Kobe beef topped with cheddar cheese, baked onions, coleslaw and fries) and the “Anthony Quinn Quasantilla” (a warm tortilla with chicken filet, gouda cheese and vegetables, sprinkled with a sweet chili sauce).