Great Barrington: Aegean Breeze

GREAT BARRINGTON -- Some restaurants are busy because they are chic places to be seen, because they are in a fancy location or a famous hotel or because they are well-promoted.

My guess is that the Aegean Breeze is filling up after only a little over a month in business (and only word-of-mouth advertising) simply because it is a great place to eat. Owners Giorgio Neofytides and Yianni Theodorou serve up more-than-generous portions, excellent seafood (brought up fresh from the Fulton Fish Market in New York City) and Greek specialties that are more about bold, honest flavors than about plate decoration.

The cardinal seasonings are lemon, olive oil, garlic, sea salt and a heady oregano that grows wild on Grecian hills.

The location in the former Jodi's on Stockbridge Road is good for visibility and easier than downtown for parking. But that isn't all that keeps people coming back and bringing friends. We called around 4:30 on a Saturday night in February and couldn't get a reservation till 8:30, although the place has some 70 seats.

It all worked out for the best, because we got hungry waiting, and a hearty appetite proved essential.

The décor combines wooden beams, washes of warm sage and sand on the walls, intriguing wrought-iron sconces, and a working fireplace, with framed photographs of Greece, a trio of outsize wine and oil barrels and doors painted a striking, Mediterranean-fishing-boat blue.

It is comfortably rustic without being cute, and the spanking-white linen and tall stemware up the ante from casual to serious dining.

My only quibble with the ambience was that the room was not quite warm enough when we visited.

Lots of courteous, long-aproned wait staff darted about, sharing the responsibilities of hospitality. In short order, water, olives, signature olive oil bottled by a friend in Greece and two kinds of bread -- flat pita and a crusty risen loaf -- appeared. We perused the menu and listened to the impressive list of specials of the day, and, alas, another recitation of things that had run out.

The menu boasts a full page of appetizers -- not even counting soups and salads -- and advises that a group of them, shared in the Greek tradition, can be a substantial meal. Indeed. The three we ordered might well have provisioned Odysseus and half his crew.

The Aegean Mezedes ($10.95) gave a sampling of several spreads that could also be ordered individually. Each one was our favorite until we tried the next: melitzana, a roasted eggplant and garlic; skordalia, an unctuous paste of potato and lots of garlic; taramas, a lightly salty mash of roe, oil and potato; tsatsiki, a refreshing blend of thick imported yogurt with cucumbers and dill.

Not on the menu, but added as a bonus from the specials list, was a faintly sweet, nutty puree of fava beans with lemon. They were all extremely good, especially washed down with a round, resiny, golden-hued Retsina wine.

The Loukaniko ($6.95) consisted of two very large, crisp-skinned sausages, split and grilled and served on a bed of romaine, dressed in lemon and olive oil. The meat was revved up with spices and green leeks and by the husky taste of charcoal broiling.

The kalamari, however, stole the show. Four plump 6-inch squid, with tentacles on the side, were bathed in oil and lemon, dusted with oregano and grilled to tender, smoky perfection. They were also bedded on romaine.

If you already like squid, you will marvel at these! If the thought of them makes you squeamish, I strongly suggest you get over it. This is food mythology is made of.

For entrees, my husband tucked into Mousaka ($14.95). This version of the classic lamb dish was an individual casserole of thinly sliced potatoes and eggplant, layered with delicately spiced meat. Whiffs of cinnamon and nutmeg graced the lush cream sauce on top. He pronounced it ambrosial.

I, impressed by the extensive seafood offerings, opted for stuffed shrimp ($19.95). They were huge and packed with a mixture of (real) crabmeat and aromatic vegetables.

My only disappointment was that my choice of vegetables -- artichokes in lemon -- ran out at the last minute, and I settled for green beans simmered in a slightly heavy tomato sauce instead.

A dessert tray offered tempting pastries ($3.75 each) for the sweet of tooth. A wedge of baklava the size of an apple turnover was flaky, honeyed and filled with crushed walnuts. Galaktabouria had a wrapping of the same phyllo pastry, but cuddled rich custard inside.

Various moist cakes, lavished with strawberry jam or chocolate and nuts, filled out the tray, suggesting a childhood fantasy of overindulgence.

At a subsequent lunch, my daughter and I enjoyed a plate of excellent chicken souvlaki, with salad and roasted potatoes, a bland, but pleasantly lemony chicken and rice soup and a sizzling broiled cheese -- soft inside and crispy out.

I was happy to find that tiny cups of strong, thick Greek coffee were now available.

The restaurant is still some-what of a work in progress. The owners plan to add an espresso machine and to increase the wine list as time goes on. They are looking forward to expanded hours during the summer and to extending service onto the porch and garden patio.

They intend to offer lots of specials based on what's fresh and what's in demand.

And we intend to go back and try as many of them as we can.

Restaurant Review

Aegean Breeze, 327 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230. Tel (413) 528-4001.

Style: Classic Greek, emphasis on seafood

Dress: Casual to dressy

Prices: Appetizers: $5.95 to $14.95; Entrees: $13.95 to $21.95; Desserts: $3.75; Lunches: $6.95 to $10.95

Hours: Dinner 5- 9, Lunch 11- 3:30, daily except Tuesday (increased hours and seven days in summer)

Credit cards: Major

Bar: Full bar, short wine list, primarily Greek wines

Accessible: Yes

Smoking: Not inside; Permitted at outdoor tables, in season

Reservations: Advised

Feb. 20, 2002