Parea Bistro

Being the non-traditional, ultra reform Jews that we are, my family decided to have our second night of Passover at Parea Bistro in Gramercy.

On a side note, not only do I love Greek food, I love the fact that it is so simple to eat gluten free. I typically don’t have to ask what I can/can’t eat, which makes my life better.

On to the food…

Greek Salad w/ plum tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, green pepper & feta cheese: Your typical Greek salad.

Eggplant Spread: roasted baby eggplant, & feta cheese: Side of cucumbers for me. Not really understanding the random red pepper but this stuff was good.

Baked Giant Beans: Or “Gigantes“; yes I know my shit. For some reason there is something I love about this dish. These were a little garlicky for my taste but still good. Just don’t order them if you’re on a date

Lobster Salad w/ steamed lobster, mixed greens, avocado, grapefruit, red beets & champagne vinaigrette: I couldn’t decide between the Tuna entree or this. I went with the salad and was very happy I did. The salad was refreshing, perfectly portioned and the large chunks of lobster kept me satisfied.

Seafood Risotto w/ sautéed wild mushrooms, black truffle: You know I can’t fight the allure of truffle oil so I had to ask the waiter if I could eat the risotto. His response, Yes!

And now the item’s I didn’t try, but looked great:

Roasted Chicken

Paidakia: Grilled Lamb Chops w/ Roasted Lemon Potatoes

Since I can no longer eat Baklava, for dessert I ordered my second fave Greek delight: Yogurt with almonds and honey. Parea’s version was more like a yogurt ice cream than actual yogurt. And I usually prefer walnuts but I promise I’m not complaining.

All in all, it was a great meal with great company – and we didn’t have to wait an hour before we ate (a la the usual Passover sedar).

Parea Bistro

Rating: B+

Pros: Good food, good service – and a very friendly owner.

Cons: Would have liked to see some more traditional items (Iman) or traditional names (Patzaria, etc)