Amali, Restaurant, Mediterranean, Greek, James Mallios, Devon Gilroy, Upper East Side, Bloomingdales, Where to eat near Bloomingdales, Lamb, Whole Fish, Greek Recs, Diner Recommendations, Chef Recs, Best Places To Eat In NYC, New York City, Brooklyn, NY, Greece, Greek Islands, Mykonos, Food Purveyors, Ouzo, Greek Wine, Mastiha
Who
James Mallios is the co-owner of Amali, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant on the Upper East Side of New York.
Why
Having grown up visiting family in Greece, lawyer-turned-restauranteur James Mallios draws upon the inspiration of the Greek tavernas from his childhood for the food and feel of Amali.
Recommendations
James Mallios’ recommendations for where to eat, drink and shop in New York City and Greece.
Amali | Co-Owner James Mallios
January 31, 2012
Upper East Side - NEw York, NY
Q & A with Restaurateur James Mallios
Q. For people who have never been to Amali, can you tell us about it:
A. The name Amali is inspired by a historical region that encompassed much of the modern day Mediterranean. One of the highest compliments a Greek can say is that food is katharo - clean. Our menu emphasizes the food people actually eat in the Mediterranean - seasonal vegetables, olive oil, cheese and grains. We don't sell a Greek salad in the winter, when local tomatoes are not in season. When they are, we will serve it the traditional Greek way: just olive oil and a little lemon juice (tomatoes, not vinegar, provides the acid when you eat this salad in Greek homes).
We order whole, humanely-raised animals and butcher them in the restaurant, which is why we constantly change the cut of meat that we offer. This commitment permeates the wine list and in the sustainable design of the restaurant, where almost every item is repurposed from New York City buildings and made by artisans in the Bronx and Brooklyn.
These behaviors exemplify our focus on a real tradition and not a ghettoized American bastardization of it - which is what sadly happens most of the time when a restaurant calls itself Mediterranean.
Q. How would you describe your perfect meal at Amali?
A. Sitting at the communal table and sharing courses - starting with vegetables, sharing a pasta and then splitting a whole fish or rib steak with a Beaujolais or Rose. If I could have a wine list that was 30% rose and actually sell the wine, I would. I still might.
Q. You are from Greek descent -- how did that influence you in the process of creating Amali? Was there a particular place in Greece that influenced you in creating Amali?
A. I can actually trace my roots back to Venice, as well as Greece, and it got me thinking about the commonalities shared by all Mediterranean countries and is exemplified by a restaurant in Mykonos called Kiki's.
Photo Credit: Mac Brown
Recommendations
Find | Food Purveyors
Elysian Fields Lamb Loin Roasts | Rose Petal Preserves | Monastiri Honey
Photographs courtesy of purebredlamb.com | Amazon.com
Elysian Fields
Keith and Mary Martin’s lamb is the best quality I have ever had in 38 years of attending Greek American family gatherings, Easter celebrations and barbecues.
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Find | Greek Pantry Items
Preserves | Sour Cherry & Rose Petal Preserves
A spoonful of cherry preserve and soda makes a great summer drink. They can be found at Kalustyans, Titan, Mediterranean Foods or MastihaShop.
Honey | Monastiri
It has a wildflower essence to it. You can use it with various spices to mull raki, grappa or tsipouro (any pomace brandy). Our recipe is a family one and traditionally known as rakomelo (a Turkish word) or tsikouria. Italians, Spaniards, Greeks, Croats and Turks all have a mulled pomace brandy tradition.
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Drink | Spirits
Ouzo | Giokarinis Ouzo
It’s tops -- drink it with three cubes of ice and well stirred.
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Drink | Greek Wine
Ilio Fos Rapsani
Classic Muscat nose but a little angular due to the Malagouzia blending grape. Pair with the Feta and Grapes Agrodolce.
Domaine Economou
An organic producer that uses Liatiko, an ancient varietal, and makes a cuvee once every five years or so. The wine defies categorization and people guess it is either Barolo or old Burgundy. Pair with the Lamb Tacozette.
Sigalas Mavrotragano
Slow Food Certified wine using wild Mavrotragano grapes. One of the few expressions of a dark, full bodied, fruit driven wine from Greece. Pair with our Water Wheel Farm rib steak.
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Amali
Upper East Side
Mediterranean
115 East 60th Street
New York, NY 10022
212.339.8363 (make a reservation)
Website:
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A restaurateur’s Recs | New York City
Find | Greek Markets & Stores
Dark Chocolate Rounds with Chios Mastiha Oil | Chios Mastiha Loukoums | Pastries at Artopolis
Photographs courtesy of MastihaShop | Samat Jain [flickr]
Pastries In Queens | Artopolis
They’re in Astoria and are great for pastries.
Mastiha In Manhattan | MastihaShop
I always like to check out what my friend Artemis Kohas is selling at Mastiha Shop. The best part of Mastiha for me is that it has a great sense of authenticity about the products it offers. I would be on the lookout for their spoonsweets and taffy - they are hard to find outside of Greece and of excellent quality.
Meat In Queens | The Plaza Meat Market
The staff is surly and the items change frequently by rules I can't follow. But they make their own sausages -- the Greek style uses orange peel and the Cypriot style, called sheftelia, uses caul fat as a casing. When I went with Devon and we asked how long they dried the sausage, the response was “why are you asking these questions - the sausage is made here and its great.” He then spoke in Greek to his fellow butcher and said I was full of it and that that he suspected we were from a rival butcher shop, which pretty much sums up my people in a nutshell.
Cheese & Deli in Manhattan | Lamazou cheese Shop
Probably one of the last great family-run sandwich and cheese shops in Manhattan.
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Eat | Where To Take A Visiting Chef
Pizza at Roberta’s | Chef Hooni Kim | Kimchi Bacon Fried ‘Paella’ at Danji
Photographs courtesy of star5112 [flickr] | Danji Restaurant
Pizza In Brooklyn| Roberta’s
I have been going there since before they had a liquor license - order the Mad Martigan.
Korean In Manhattan| Danji
To see my old friend Hooni Kim from the Bronx Science Speech and Debate Team and order whatever he suggests.
Classic Italian In Manhattan| Il Cantinori
My partners Steve Tzolis and Nicola Kotsoni's flagship Tuscan restaurant - it represents classic New York white table cloth elegance.
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Eat | For Greek Food
Shrimp at Pylos | Souvlaki GR on the Lower East Side
Photographs courtesy of Pylos | Souvlaki GR
Pylos
For the atmosphere.
Souvlaki GR
For their gyros -- they capture Mykonos magic in a bottle.
Periyali
For the home-style Greek cooking I grew up with.
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A restaurateur’s Recs | Mykonos, Greece
Eat | Restaurants
Kiki’s Taverna
It’s the inspiration for Amali and it’s at the Agios Sostis Beach. Fresh, local produce, clean flavors and a great grill program. They only serve lunch and have no refrigeration, so when they run out of items, they are out. The pork chop a must.
Sea Satin Market
In Hora, it’s the best setting for whole fish and the place erupts into a Greek dance party on weekends.
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Recipes
- Beet and Ricotta Ravioli, Beet Greens, Grana Padano
Recommendations
Details of James Mallios’ recommendations for where to eat, drink and shop in New York City and Greece.
City Guide
- Download Manhattan City Guide