Dolmades aren’t made with grape leaves, they’re rolled in colorful chard. The rice filling is dotted with raisins, corn and pine nuts. The sauce is avgolemono, literally egg and lemon.
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Dolmades aren’t made with grape leaves, they’re rolled in colorful chard. The rice filling is dotted with raisins, corn and pine nuts. The sauce is avgolemono, literally egg and lemon.
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A coating of chickpea and rice flour makes these zucchini chips extra crispy. A squeeze of charred lemon might be enough to make them addictive, or dip them in tangy, garlicky yogurt.
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A coating of chickpea and rice flour makes these zucchini chips extra crispy. A squeeze of charred lemon might be enough to make them addictive, or dip them in tangy, garlicky yogurt.
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There are seven dips to choose from. An order includes three, ranging from well-known olive tapenade and tzatziki to more obscure but equally delicious red-pepper-and-feta tipiti and mashed chickpeas that bear practically no resemblance to hummus.
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There are seven dips to choose from. An order includes three, ranging from well-known olive tapenade and tzatziki to more obscure but equally delicious red-pepper-and-feta tipiti and mashed chickpeas that bear practically no resemblance to hummus.
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Wright says salty, toothsome halloumi cheese is his favorite for saganaki. The flaming ouzo that makes the dish theatrical also lends it an enticing note of anise.
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Wright says salty, toothsome halloumi cheese is his favorite for saganaki. The flaming ouzo that makes the dish theatrical also lends it an enticing note of anise.
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Spiced meatballs are small enough that it’s easy to demolish a plate of the tender balls without noticing. The cumin-spiced, deeply garlicky tomato sauce makes it even easier.
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Spiced meatballs are small enough that it’s easy to demolish a plate of the tender balls without noticing. The cumin-spiced, deeply garlicky tomato sauce makes it even easier.
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Queso fan? This melted pair of kefalograviera and kasseri sheep cheeses is Wright’s Greek take on the Texan favorite. And thanks to its Texas pedigree, the dip is spicy with banana peppers (and chile flakes) and woven with caramelized onions.
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Queso fan? This melted pair of kefalograviera and kasseri sheep cheeses is Wright’s Greek take on the Texan favorite. And thanks to its Texas pedigree, the dip is spicy with banana peppers (and chile flakes) and woven with caramelized onions.
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Lamb souvlaki is bookended with peppers and onions and served with thrice-fried fries worth the price of admission on their own. Souvlaki and gyro dishes, including a homemade version of Greek-American beef-and-lamb gyro, are available personal-sized or as a platter.
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Lamb souvlaki is bookended with peppers and onions and served with thrice-fried fries worth the price of admission on their own. Souvlaki and gyro dishes, including a homemade version of Greek-American beef-and-lamb gyro, are available personal-sized or as a platter.
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And for gluten-free diners, lettuce wraps are available in place of the pita, with tomatoes, onions and tzatziki on the side, to be assembled into wheat-free gyros.
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And for gluten-free diners, lettuce wraps are available in place of the pita, with tomatoes, onions and tzatziki on the side, to be assembled into wheat-free gyros.
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The pastitsio is already gaining a cult following, with good reason. Beneath those crispy crumbs lie layers of long, fat bucatini surrounded by spiced beef flavored with tomatoes and a comforting bath of Béchamel.
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The pastitsio is already gaining a cult following, with good reason. Beneath those crispy crumbs lie layers of long, fat bucatini surrounded by spiced beef flavored with tomatoes and a comforting bath of Béchamel.
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Wright says bougatsa is a breakfast pastry best enjoyed with coffee, but we found it hard to stop eating on its own in the late afternoon. How could one feel any other way about sugar-dusted phyllo stuffed with warm, eggy semolina custard?
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Wright says bougatsa is a breakfast pastry best enjoyed with coffee, but we found it hard to stop eating on its own in the late afternoon. How could one feel any other way about sugar-dusted phyllo stuffed with warm, eggy semolina custard?
Arthur Ave had its fans, but if the attendance at the April 11 opening of Helen in the Heights is any indication, locals are excited for Greek food. As at Helen Greek Food & Wine, chef William Wright, a 2017 James Beard Foundation award finalist for Rising Star Chef, is at the helm. That means an eye toward authenticity, but also excellent ingredients and the utmost in craft. But this isn’t simply a sequel to Helen, it’s an entirely different experience.
As sommelier Evan Turner puts it: “When you think, ‘I’m going to a Greek taverna,’ which dishes am I going to have?” That’s the goal at Helen in the Heights, with its less expensive, less formal menu of small plates, pitas and comfort food.
The atmosphere is similarly revamped. Designer Erin Hicks has reimagined the Arthur Ave space in blues that suggest the ocean, alongside vaguely nautical brick and whitewashed wood wall paneling.
The bar menu, which at Arthur Ave was cocktail-forward, now puts the cuisine first with a list of “food-pairing cocktails.” Bar manager Josh Bearden created a menu that includes suggested pairings. We recommend the Juicy Karpuzzi, which pairs watermelon shrub and cucumber tequila with ginger ale and cilantro, eaten with the appropriately refreshing dolmades.
Alice joined Houstonia in November 2015 and has been relishing exploring the city’s vibrant food scene ever since.
She began her journalism career at age 13 with a cult film criticism ’zine. As an adult, stints with WWE Magazine and EatingWell led to her job as senior food writer at Vermont’s alternative newsweekly, Seven Days, in 2008. In that capacity, she became one of the state’s most well-known TV and radio personalities. Her first book, Vermont: An Explorer’s Guide, was published in 2015. Alice has won an AltWeekly Award for Best Food Writing, two Daysies for Best Print/Online Journalist, and two "Top Social Foodie" awards from Burlington Social Media Day.
