Limani Grille

When you talk about delicious, fresh, flavorful food, it’s all Greek to me. And that’s why I want to take you to one of the region’s newest and flashiest Greek restaurants: Limani Grille. This is a beautiful, upscale Greek restaurant. It started out in New York City and Long Island. And now they’ve arrived in a big way in the Boston Seaport. And they’re serving some of the best Mediterranean-inspired food in the city.

Now, I should say up front, that I’m a massive fan of Greek food. I actually lived in Athens for 6 months back when I was in college, and I fell in love with the fresh flavors, with lots of citrus, olive oil, yogurt, and of course Feta cheese.  Limani Grille is just a really impressive space overall. It’s forty-five hundred square feet with soaring columns, soothing Earth tones, lots of greenery, and waterfront views.

Here’s a perfect example of a classic Greek dish but with a more modern twist: the Spinach Pie or “Spanikopita”. This is packed with crispy layers of phyllo dough and chopped spinach, along with leeks, dill, and of course feta cheese.

Even better are the “Limani Chips”.  These are made with super thinly-sliced zucchini and eggplant, so they’re nice and crispy and slightly salty, they’re stacked up to the ceiling. Served with some lightly fried Greek cheese and my favorite sauce on Earth, tzatziki.

And if you’re into dips, get the Pikilia platter. This has that awesome, garlicky tzatziki sauce, along with a bunch of other traditional spreads including an amazing spicy feta dip. That comes with some fresh pita grilled bread for dipping. And when I dip, you dip, we dip.

But the top appetizer I want to recommend is the Saganaki. This is Limani’s Greek version of a mozzarella stick, made with pan-fried cheese, simply dressed with a little olive oil and lemon.

Seafood is where Limani really shines. That’s their bread and butter sort of speak. So, you might want to indulge on one of their signature Seafood Towers.  This is a show-stopper, definitely turns some heads when it comes out to the table, featuring the chef’s selection of fresh shellfish like oysters, shrimp, crab meat, mussels, and even an entire Maine lobster.

And for a truly authentic Greek preparation, check out the Mediterranean sea bass, simply cooked over high heat on the grill, with a little olive oil and herbs and capers. Just give this baby a little squeeze of lemon, and it’s like you’re on vacation in the Greek islands.

If you’re looking for something a bit heartier, we have a couple of entrees to recommend. First is the Moussaka. This is sort of the Greek equivalent of a lasagna. It’s individually baked, and served right in the cast iron pan. So the top gets this beautiful golden brown crust. Inside, it’s stacked up with eggplant, potatoes, ground beef, and a rich bechamel sauce that’s nice and buttery.

But if you really want to go big and authentic, go for the Lamb Shank. This is a huge cut of meat, on the bone, that’s slow-cooked for hours in a wine red sauce. It’s finished in a saute pan, along with some extra sauce on top, plated over some perfectly cooked orzo pasta. And when I tell you you don’t even need a knife to cut into it, I mean it. The meat just falls apart and melts in your mouth with tons of depth of flavor.

Moving on to dessert, I’m warning you right now, this stuff is going to make you salivate. These desserts are epic. Starting with the profiteroles, which are usually considered a French pastry, but apparently the Greeks have perfected it here at Limani Grille. It comes with a bunch of these mini cream puffs with a classic, crispy pastry dough. Stuffed with a mound of rich and fluffy chocolate mousse. It comes with a little pitcher of warm chocolate sauce that you can pour right over the profiteroles. Plus, it’s served with some delicious homemade ice cream and crushed pistachios.

But if you’re gonna just get one dessert, get the Deconstructed Baklava. Once again, they’re taking a classic Greek dish and flipping it on its head.  So this comes out with three crispy sheets of caramelized phyllo dough, stacked up like you’re building a card house. And it’s plated with some pistachio praline and a baklava mouse. So you can use your spoon to break it all up, then you get a mix of crispy and creamy, nutty and sweet in every bite.

And by the way, they also have a location in Chestnut Hill, that one is simply named “Limani”. It has a slightly different menu than Limani Grille in the Seaport, but it has a similar vibe. And here’s the thing: there just aren’t a lot of upscale Greek restaurants really anywhere in New England. So it’s definitely worth the trip to Limani Grille in Boston. Opa!