It’s also important, says the Sgourakis family, to blend traditional
dishes with modern creativity. Flair is important – it keeps the menu
from getting stale, brings in new clientele and keeps the regulars
coming back. Pizza, for example, was most likely a Greek invention;
however, in its original incarnation, pizza probably had few tomatoes
and very little cheese. Lately, Greek restaurants are creating fusion
pizzas; Greek-style, with minimal cheese and tomatoes, but with
barbecue or buffalo sauce. The Greek Island cooks are constantly
looking for ways to give traditional recipes a twist.
Dina, daughter of George and Koula, has been involved with the
restaurant since she was in her teens. “Our base menu keeps us who we
are, but we also want to keep it fresh, and be inventive,” she explains.
I innocently asked George Sgourakis, “So, you run a Greek
restaurant. Why are there hamburgers on the menu?”
He looked condescendingly at me for a moment, threw up his
hands and said, “That’s why we call it ‘Greek-American’ cuisine!”
It’s important, he says, to cater to all tastes. Many people are hesitant
to try Greek food, so including a few traditionally American dishes
allows groups with mixed tastes to dine together. (They do make a
nod to Greece on their hamburger menu with a lamb burger, which is
doused in olive oil.)
Ambiance is important in family-style dining, and Greek-American
restaurants are no exception. Greeks in Greece love to dine out
and immigrant proprietors carry that cozy, old-world style to their
American establishments. Dim lighting, murals of Crete and Cyprus,
and blue-and-yellow accents prevail in many Greek-American eateries.
Just as important as the food, says Dina Sgourakis, is the atmosphere.
“Our main goal is to make sure our customers feel that they’ve had
the ultimate Greek experience.”
fsmomaha.com
Pastichio is a perennial Greek favorite dish featuring beef. It’s
something like lasagna, with layers of Greek macaroni and ground
beef. Moussaka is an eggplant, tomato and ground lamb (or beef )
baked custard pie flavored with cinnamon, allspice and black pepper,
combining savory with sweet. And, of course, everyone’s famous
favorite is the gyro, delicately-thin strips of lamb, roasted on a vertical
spit and topped with onions, tomatoes and deliciously-chilled tzatziki
sauce (originally