A chic new Psistaria (rotisserie) opened its doors in New York City’s Flatiron district last week, bringing with it a menu mainly filled with classic Greek spit-roasted dishes, which are served in a sleek, railroad-style space on West 21st Street.
Merakia: Greek MountainThief Spithouse + Steak is owned by Andreas and Renee Typaldos and the Greek menu was designed by Tassos Ballas, featuring lamb, chicken and fish, which will be roasted on the spit and accompanied by a selection of Greek inspired appetizers, salads and desserts.
Merakia, a word that modern Greeks often use to describe doing something with soul, creativity, and love, is a restaurant that celebrates this rustic style of cooking, known in Greece as a Psistaria, where meats are either grilled or cooked on a spit.
“Greek MountainThief refers to Greek bands of mountain highwaymen ("Klephts," meaning thieves) and irregular militia ("Armatoloi") who were the revolutionary backbone of the Greek War of Independence of 1821. When fighting the Ottomans in the mountainous terrain, these MountainThieves would feed themselves by stealing sheep and other livestock grazing on the mountains and cooking them on a makeshift spit,” says Andreas and Renee.
This is a great place to pair your Kontosouvli and Kleftiko dishes, with tzatziki and kafteri dips, smaller appetizers such as Keftedes and Octapodi, as well as salads such as the "Roca 'N' Roll" with arugula, chickpeas, beetroot and red onion.
For those who prefer meatless dishes, you can try the vegetarian options of Briam, Manitaria Yemista, Gigantes and Horiatiki Salata.
A: 5 West 21st Street, PH: 212-380-1950; W: merakia.com
