Situated not far from New York City, and with beautiful weather in the summer, Lefkes Estiatorio offers pure culinary delight in terms of fresh and locally sourced food. One of our best restaurants here in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey highlights classic Mediterranean cuisine, that offers an array of options hailing from other parts of the world. Cooked by skilled and passionate hands in an array of a high-class dining establishment, the elite gastronome can enjoy a meal fit for the desire we want.
Lefkes has stepped ahead in terms of taste and presentation. The head chef serves a menu that changes according to the seasons and his creative imagination. The food is artful and packed with exquisite flavors, and touched by a hint of exoticism. It is revered for its innovative and playful cuisine that draws on Greek tradition. At times, only serving the best and freshest seafood available, the menu changes as often as the sun sets.
Fresh, mild and just the right mix to be enjoyed with a meal. Next that came to us was the Calamari. This fried calamari is tender pieces of calamari soaked in buttermilk, then coated in seasoned flour and deep fried to light golden brown perfection. A quick and easy appetizer option that's even better than what you'd get in any other restaurant! It was light and enjoyed with or without the red sauce that was served on the side. As we finished this the next course arrived.
With that came the appetizers. First up was an order of Spinach Pie with a side order of tzatziki spread alongside. The pie was fresh and handmade. It contained real spinach that had not been frozen. This was fresh from the garden and ready for the meal. It was tasteful and delightful. For an appetizer we also had the Greek Salad. But this was not typical. If you go to a traditional older Greek restaurant you know this is filled with lettuce, tomato, olivers, feta cheese and more. Yet, this time Lefkes took it a step higher. It was the same, but different. There were truly fresh large tomatoes that were placed with some thin peppers, olives and a nice size piece of feta cheese. It was dipped with a light olive oil marinade. When you look at it you can see how fresh it is. But then you tasted it and realized it was new, delightful, and had a light flavor that was easy to eat and enjoy. It was not an ordinary flavor, but one that was new and enjoyable.
To start the meal this was perfect. And then out came the entree. This was now a step above. The meal was a good flavor that was also fresh and perfect. If you ordered it as medium then it was that. It was not less, and definitely not more. It was as you requested.
We had an order of Grilled Salmon, along with an order of fresh vegetables. It was a good and healthy lunch ready for you. One bite out of the salmon was perfection. It was ideal. It was a good size. And it tasted as if it was fresh from the ocean. It had a small seasoning, but not one that over handled it. It was there. And the vegetable mix front oday included fresh cauliflower, carrots, and broccoli. The flavoring was light, maybe a little butter to coat it. It was direct.
We also had an order of Chicken Kebabs along with rice and fresh spinach mixed together. It was a large plate, and served with some gyro and a more traditional tzatziki for texture and flavor. The chicken had been grilled on a skewer with some pepper and onion mixed on the item. It was a good combination that provided flavor, texture, and a touch that was unique and traditional in this combination. It was delightful as you cut a piece of chicken and took a bite. I even tried some tzatziki on a few bites and it was good. Nice, different and something you wanted to eat. Then, when you had the rice (which had been roasted) along with the fresh spinach you had an item that could have been a separate meal by itself. This was new and unique. It was a great way to enjoy what you had in front of you at that time.
For us, this was an entree that took time to enjoy and savor. And we did. When you are watching other items go through to the other guests in the area you realize that there is more to try if you had the time. But we had one more course. Dessert.
With this portion you received the dessert that you did not have to order. The team brings it to you when the table is cleaned and you are ready. Which means, for this time we had a Greek Baklava, which had a scoop of fresh vanilla ice cream topped with a little honey. This was delightful. It was just right. It was simple, sweet and just right. A size that was fresh, interesting and did not fill-you-up after the meals you had prior to this. Everything was the right amount that was filling and perfect. It allowed you to enjoy everything and feel complete.
This is a good place to be. I will rate it 5-STARS for this visit. It was perfect. And to use a line we have heard from expert restaurants, Lefkres would use "the layout is easy." That is for everything. read more