The owners of Ilios Greek Taverna & Bar brought their recipes from home — in the village of Naoussa in Greece — for patrons in Norwalk to enjoy, co-owner George Valouktzis said.
Now the Greek restaurant, open since late spring, is holding its grand opening celebration at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 5 with the city of Norwalk’s Economic and Community Development agency.
“We want to really get the word out there,” Valouktzis said.
The restaurant is family owned and run — and the owners take great pride in their Greek heritage. While Valouktzis and his sister were born in the United States, many relatives came here in 1971 from Greece.
“We want to be known as a Greek restaurant because that’s what we are — we’re Greek,” Valouktzis said.
He said they don’t want their place to be labeled as a Mediterranean restaurant, which can feature cuisines from many cultures and countries in that part of the world.
Greek dishes on their menu include moussaka, pastitsio, branzino fillets, souvlaki, gyros, and honey thyme baked feta in phyllo.
The taverna’s wine list features several Greek wines, and they plan to eventually offer only wines from Greece. “Most of our wines are from like 10 minutes away from where my family is from” in northern Greece, Valouktzis said.
“We really want to showcase the Greek wines. We have really great organic Greek wines that are popular,” he added.
The appetizers and spreads are favorites with diners, Valouktzis said, with many ordering several small plates, including Cheese Saganaki, which is pan-seared kefalograviera cheese flambéed at the table with Metaxa brandy, an amber Greek spirit, and drizzled with fig compote.
Other crowd-pleasers include Greek Bifteki, flame-grilled beef patties delicately seasoned with fresh herbs and spices, and served with tzatziki, and Loukaniko, a grilled Greek sausage with citrus peel and herbs, he said.
Ilios also serves a number of spreads that would appeal to vegetarians, such as Melitzanosalata, which is roasted eggplant, tomato, garlic and fresh herbs, and Skordalia, a traditional potato purée and garlic.
Alex Cross, assistant director of business development & tourism for the city of Norwalk, is looking forward to the grand opening, he said, noting that he recently ate there while on a date.
“We shared the Ilios Signature Board so we could try a little bit of everything. I’m still thinking about the bifteki and lamb chops,” Cross said.
“I’m extremely excited to have Ilios starting off strong in South Norwalk. They’ve already made their mark with great drinks and delicious plates,” Cross added.
Dining and Cooking