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To understand why Westchester hounds can’t say enough about Santorini, consider its taramosalata. Lesser Greek restaurants skimp on the fish roe that gives this classic spread its oceany tang. Some don’t even make it themselves but have it trucked in from Astoria. Not so at Santorini, where EHS observes that “you can actually see (and taste) the caviar, and the minced onions mixed in aren’t bad either (nor are they overwhelming). Much more flavorful than the more generic cream ‘dip’ from the other place(s).”
That’s how it is all the way down the menu at this two-month-old restaurant in Sleepy Hollow: Dolmadakia (stuffed grape leaves) are crisp outside, and the herbed rice inside is al dente, not overcooked and mushy as at many other places. Avgolemono is fabulous—creamy, lemony, chunky, and nothing like the usual mediocre brew that, for EHS, brings to mind Campbell’s chicken soup tarted up with lemon juice. A combo dubbed the Zeus highlights four hot dishes, all first-rate: moussaka, spanakopita (spinach pie), pastitsio (pasta layered with ground meat and béchamel sauce), and a generous slice of gyro meat. With a round of excellent house-baked pita, this appetizer plate is a meal in itself, EHS says. Others recommend the falafel, tiropitakia (cheese pie),
galaktoboureko (custard-filled phyllo), delicate, well-seasoned keftedes (meatballs in tomato sauce), and a superb rendition of youvetsi (lamb shank and tomato stew).
Charcoal grilled dishes are masterly. Standouts include meltingly tender lamb or pork souvlaki and nicely charred octopus. For a broad sample, try the Santorini platter, an enormous combo comprising gyro, chicken souvlaki, and beef kebab. These and other main courses come with soup or salad and rice or potatoes, and even the sides are exceptionally strong. The salad is huge and fresh: chopped lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, olives, and two stuffed vine leaves. The potatoes are roasted, lemony, and delicious.
Overall, hounds say, this is shaping up as the best Greek place in Westchester—outshining Lefteris in Tarrytown and Niko’s in White Plains, to name a couple. Their only concern seems to be that not enough people are making their way to this off-the-beaten-path restaurant. After enjoying a wonderful early dinner at a nearly deserted Santorini, laylag drove past Lefteris and was saddened to see a long line. “Not that I dislike Lefteris but it doesn’t compare.”
Santorini [Westchester County]
175 Valley Street (between Chestnut and Depeyster streets), Sleepy Hollow, NY
914-631-4300
Board Link: Excellent New Greek Restaurant In Westchester
Due to rave reviews I decided to go to Santorini. While the food is good- the service is extremely poor. I never witness such disorganization. The father/owner cannot handle being the host- he fumbles, gives tables away to people that come in after you, cannot run the credit card machine- overall can not run a restaurant in an organized fashion. We even had a reservation and he scratched off our...+READ
Due to rave reviews I decided to go to Santorini. While the food is good- the service is extremely poor. I never witness such disorganization. The father/owner cannot handle being the host- he fumbles, gives tables away to people that come in after you, cannot run the credit card machine- overall can not run a restaurant in an organized fashion. We even had a reservation and he scratched off our name before we arrived. Then we sit down and the staff was one of the rudest I have ever witnesses. Suffice to say – I will NEVER go back to Santorini. I will stick to Lefteris where I am always greeted with a smile.-COLLAPSE
Due to rave reviews I decided to go to Santorini. While the food is good- the service is extremely poor. I never witness such disorganization. The father/owner cannot handle being the host- he fumbles, gives tables away to people that come in after you, cannot run the credit card machine- overall can not run a restaurant in an organized fashion. We even had a reservation and he scratched off our...+READ
Due to rave reviews I decided to go to Santorini. While the food is good- the service is extremely poor. I never witness such disorganization. The father/owner cannot handle being the host- he fumbles, gives tables away to people that come in after you, cannot run the credit card machine- overall can not run a restaurant in an organized fashion. We even had a reservation and he scratched off our name before we arrived. Then we sit down and the staff was one of the rudest I have ever witnesses. Suffice to say – I will NEVER go back to Santorini. I will stick to Lefeteris where I am always greeted with a smile.-COLLAPSE
I have to say that I was drawn to visit Santorini after reading about it in the Times and the reviews here, however I must confess..... I would still prefer the drive to Dobbs Ferry for some "Mykonos". I may be a little bias since I absolutely LOVED my time on the actual island, but great food is just that, GREAT food. =) Their special of whole grilled fish is my favorite. I take my mother there...+READ
I have to say that I was drawn to visit Santorini after reading about it in the Times and the reviews here, however I must confess..... I would still prefer the drive to Dobbs Ferry for some "Mykonos". I may be a little bias since I absolutely LOVED my time on the actual island, but great food is just that, GREAT food. =) Their special of whole grilled fish is my favorite. I take my mother there when she visits just for that dish. I say head over there and you'll also experience the difference!-COLLAPSE
A nice little place to enjoy excellent Greek food at a reasonable price. Who knew?
We have been going to this lovely gem of a place since the week it opened. We love the friendly service. Elias and his staff make a huge fuss over the kids, hanging the crayon drawings over the cash register.
The food is completely fresh and very authentic. As people who would go to Astoria just for olives and know Greek food, we have been dying for great food locally. (We are fans of Lefteries...+READ
We have been going to this lovely gem of a place since the week it opened. We love the friendly service. Elias and his staff make a huge fuss over the kids, hanging the crayon drawings over the cash register.
The food is completely fresh and very authentic. As people who would go to Astoria just for olives and know Greek food, we have been dying for great food locally. (We are fans of Lefteries and his great staff and location but the food is often just fast, not good)
Santorini did get swamped after the glowing Times article and It did take them a week to staff up. I was quite surprised to come in that Wed and find a line out the door.
I was there tonight at 7pm and there were 3 wait staff and a full kitchen. Valet parking was very attentive, we were seated immediately. Elias was his usual friendly self, coming over and chatting and entertaining my daughter. I had the vegtable soup and the Santorini platter. As usual it was out of this world, I have no idea how they can make onions taste that good and the meats were all tender and perfectly spiced. The rice pudding desert was tasty and fresh and super creamy. Including coffee the bill was $20.
I often order many dishes and take the leftovers for lunch the next day. My favorite dishes are the Octopus, the gyro's and the ribs!
I've been to Santorini's 20 times and never ever been disappointed. We order take out a few times a month and its been unfailingly excellent.
The decor is nice, not fancy, but inviting. The large posters on the walls are their own photography taken from Elias dads house in Greece (Elias Dad is often sitting at the back table and happy to chat) Santorini has adjoining new space they are getting ready to open.
You could walk from the Tarrytown train station, past the McDonald's, up Valley street and be at Santorini in 5 min. It's certainly less out of the way than the Expensive and poor food of the Chart house or it's cousins.
If you love good food, definitely put Santorini on your MUST list.
David & CJ.-COLLAPSE
As the original reviewer of this restaurant on ChowHound (see the digest above), I am somewhat sad to post this review. Like so many upstart restaurants that hit the scene with aplomb, some manage to continue what makes them so successful, others drown in it. And Santorini is definitely drowning.
It appears that the fire (and soul) has gone out at Santorini. One of the original owners "Elias"...+READ
As the original reviewer of this restaurant on ChowHound (see the digest above), I am somewhat sad to post this review. Like so many upstart restaurants that hit the scene with aplomb, some manage to continue what makes them so successful, others drown in it. And Santorini is definitely drowning.
It appears that the fire (and soul) has gone out at Santorini. One of the original owners "Elias" (as he has Anglicized his name), no longer keeps a firm hand on the management, and spends quite a bit less time there. Instead, he now relies on one or two uncouth, sweating fellows who lean on the very small bar at the entrance, and cannot be bothered to acknowledge your presence, -- much less interrupt their conversation with the only waitress in the place.
So you wait, and the other diners wait.
And, after waiting patiently, you may finally be noticed with a low grunt (a full syllable it clearly is not), then a jerk of the head, -- if at all. And the place is not full, nor is it busy. One would expect that the newly minted owners would use attentiveness to the customers to make up for the lousy, edgy location (and lack of parking), but that is clearly not the case.
But the disappointment does not stop there, and I, as well as many of the initial supporters of the place, have noticed that much of the original quality that made Santorini has be replaced by oil and grease.
You can see it, -- it hangs in the air, you can smell it, -- it hangs in the air, and you can taste it, -- it hangs in your mouth. On a visit the other night, the odor was palatable -- and visible -- like the haze in old days when restaurants had smoking sections.
And that all translates into your food swimming in the same grease and oil -- and it follows you out with its smell in your clothes afterwards.
Clearly, the kitchen cannot handle the new volume, and the surly waitstaff and management can't either. While the food was initially better than at Lefteris (see above), this was most likely due to the low volume the kitchen needed to produce. It's now also obvious why Lefteris maintains its following and a consistently packed dining room -- always friendly service, management that takes an interest in its customers and running the place, not dating the waitress, and reasonable, if not spectacular food and quality.
All very sad when a promising place drops the ball. But also all so very common.-COLLAPSE
Agreed completely: At the start, they were mostly doing take out and didn't have a liquor license. Was there this week on a Tuesday, and now they are swarming with diners. What a great change. Good for them -- given how good the food is, and how absolutely charming the staff is, I'm willing to make reservations. I swooned over the tenderness of the beef souvlaki
The problem of "not enough people are making their way to this off-the-beaten-path restaurant" ended a couple of weeks ago when the Sunday New York Times Westchester section gave Santorini an "Excellent" score in its review.
http://events.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/06dinewe.html?scp=1&sq=santorini
It's been requiring reservations at least two hours in advance, full to the...+READ
The problem of "not enough people are making their way to this off-the-beaten-path restaurant" ended a couple of weeks ago when the Sunday New York Times Westchester section gave Santorini an "Excellent" score in its review.
http://events.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/06dinewe.html?scp=1&sq=santorini
It's been requiring reservations at least two hours in advance, full to the brim ever since.-COLLAPSE