Serving Up Authentic Greek Cuisine, Plori is Hitting Its Stride As It Celebrates One Year Anniversary
Last year, a new Greek restaurant opened its doors on Old Country Road in Carle Place. Plori promised authentic Grecian cuisine surrounded by a vibe that was open, inviting and upscale in the Mediterranean style reminiscent in both flavor and atmosphere of the Greek islands. The name Plori itself is supposed to bring to mind the provincial charm of a small fishing village and the expectation of a great meal.
“Plori means ‘front of the boat,'” said Plori general manager Dino Philippou in an interview at the restaurant recently. “It means prow”
When the villagers would see the prow of the boat, according to Philippou, that meant good things were coming to the table because the fishermen had returned with their catch.
“We are trying to bring you back to a small village in Greece,” he said.
When you sit down for a meal at Plori, good things do come to the table. Their menu is chock full of specialty seafood dishes straight from Greece thanks to head chef Peter Daltoris.
Daltoris is from Paliopanaya, a small village outside of Sparta, Greece. He grew up on a farm and his passion for cooking came from his family, especially his mother.
“My mother cooked a lot of different meals and pastries for us,” he said.
The farm, his mother’s meals, and the fresh food he grew up around all contributed to his passion for cooking, he says. The menu reflects that culinary culture.
Their grilled octopus is made with a balsamic fava bean puree and has roasted red peppers and shaved red onions. It’s a staple of Greek restaurants and an item Plori has perfected.
“If you’re a Greek restaurant and you don’t have grilled octopus there is something wrong,” said Daltoris.
The winter menu includes Kakavia also known as fisherman’s stew which comes heaping with lobster, clams, mussels, shrimp and scallop in a citrus saffron wine and roasted tomato sauce.
Greece is one of the top countries to produce saffron, explained Daltoris. The roasted tomato melts to become the sauce for the dish and they add rosemary and lime to make the base. Don’t worry about missing out on every drop; there’s bread to scoop up the sauce.
“It’s a little bit messy but everything excellent is messy,” Daltoris joked.
And everything is made from scratch at Plori.
“We go to the market to shop fresh,” said Daltoris.
It’s very labor intensive but Daltoris insists that they don’t take shortcuts when preparing their menu.
“Me, I refuse to do that to get maximum flavor,” he said.
“That’s why we’re different,” added Philippou.
The owners of Plori are not new to the foodie business. The Dimas family owns the Old Westbury Diner, the Townhouse Diner on Hillside Avenue in Williston Park and the diner in North Shore Towers in Great Neck.
In the last year the restaurant has become more streamlined and they have already expanded, adding a 40-seat outdoor patio to the 100-seat dining room and bar area with space for about 12 people. They can host private parties like baby and bridal showers, events, and every Thursday is Greek night with live music. Everything from the lighting fixtures to the wallpaper was imported from Greece but it’s the authentic Greek hospitality and service that sets them apart, according to Philippou.
“When you come to Plori, what makes it different is you’re going to get an authentic Greek meal that you will get in Greece and not Americanized Greek,” he said. “That’s what we take pride in.”
Where: Plori is located at 307 Old Country Road in Carle Place. Call them at (516) 279-4762 or go to ploriny.com.
Photo: (Left to Right) Dino Philippou, Chef Peter Daltoris, and Aki Dalitsouris.
The bar at Plori seats 12 people.
The outside deck at Plori.
The Dining Room at Plori.
The Dining Room at Plori.
The table setting at Plori on the outside deck.
