[NEWS BITES] Santorini Estiatorio opens in Greektown today

The hive has been buzzing over the last couple of weeks with sightings of people dining at Santorini Estiatorio, the new wholly Greek restaurant in Greektown replacing the former Mosaic (but with the same owners, daughters of longtime Greektown business family the Papases). Usually a restaurant will spend a couple of weeks with invite-only friends and family events to test-run the restaurant and get the servers up to snuff, but that always means the opening is imminent. Well, the wait is over: Santorini opens to the public today, and is offering a lunch special to boot.

Read the full press release below. 

On Monday, Nov. 12 Santorini Estiatorio, located in Greektown, will open its doors to the public after the three-month restoration project. Located in the space formerly known as Mosaic, the new, family-owned restaurant’s menu boasts a wide variety of traditional Greek dishes, wines and cocktails.

“We’re excited to reintroduce customers to Greek food,” said Athina Papas, partner, Santorini Estiatorio. “Our menu is a mix of traditional, well-known favorites like Saganaki and Moussaka and specialty dishes that many people have probably never heard of.”

As part of their grand opening, Papas is offering a lunch special: buy an entrée and receive a complimentary dessert.

Some specialty menu items include:

Appetizers
· Saganaki Feta – Crispy feta wrapped in phyllo dough, drizzled with Greek honey, topped with sesame seeds.
· Octopodaki Skara s– Grilled marinated octopus in a balsamic reduction sauce and caramelized onions.
Salad
· Salata Torta – Chopped lettuce, carrot, tomatoes, arugula, cashews in feta cheese dressing. Serves two.
Entrees
· J.P.’s Lamb Chops – Marinated in a Mediterranean mix of olive oil with rice or potato and vegetable.
· Arni Kleftiko – Lamb baked with potatoes, carrots and zucchini, served in a parchment ‘purse’.
· Solomos – Pan-seared salmon with asparagus and rice, topped with an orange vodka sauce.
· Lavraki – Classick Greek presentation of whole fish, baked in sea salt, served with a mixture of oil and lemon, rice or potato and vegetable.

Using the original, local building designer, John Janviriya of JJV Design Group, the entire look and feel of the restaurant has been redesigned to make customers feel like they have been transplanted to an island in Greece. Patrons will find features including Grecian shutters, light colors, open windows and a boat hull constructed locally. On Monroe Street, the wall was replaced with floor-to-ceiling windows and French-style accordion doors and a patio will be installed in the spring.

“Our family has been doing business in Detroit for more than 30 years and we couldn’t imagine it any other way,” continued Papas. “We’re committed to reinvesting in Greektown and bringing back the Greek.”

Santorini Estiatorio will be open seven days a week serving a full lunch and dinner menu.

Santorini Estiatorio is located in the heart of Greektown at 501 Monroe St. in Detroit. For more information and updates, visit www.facebook.com/SantoriniDetroit.