Thanks for that segway Flooz. Akti sure is delicious and after much waiting for it to open, we were glad that it delivered on all counts--atmosphere, service and of course the food.Our experience started pleasantly. We were seated at an outdoor table in a sunny spot. Something different that I've never seen was Akti's ordering method. Here's what goes down: 1 menu, 1 dry-erase pen and 1 unanimous decision has to be made. It was fun because we got to chat about our items of choice, marked up our menu and then handed it back to the waitress--painless and in fact enjoyable.
The food was somethin' else. I sometimes feel unsure about new places that have no cred yet but Akti built a great one in my book right away. We ordered several small mezedes (appetizers) to share and one larger fish entree. I recommend dining in this fashion because it allows you to try a lot of different delicacies. Here's what we ordered:
Roasted Pepper and Feta Cheese Spread - One word says it all--awesome. While this dip had spice, it was not too intense and we continued eating it throughout our meal and paired it with our other dishes ($7).
Grilled Haloumi Served with Tomato and Pita - Another fun starter, this one had an incredibly fresh taste from the tomatoes, lemon and parsley. The cheese itself was pretty light and had gorgeous grill marks. If you're picky about your cheeses, don't be shy to try this one, it's definitely not a smelly, pungent one ($9).
Zucchini Croquettes with Tzatziki Sauce - This was my favorite dish because I have a soft spot for fried foods. But even though it was crispy, it wasn't too oily and the tzatziki gave it a very cool, refreshing taste. The portion here was generous, providing great value for an app ($9).
Grilled Octopus - While not my favorite Akti dish, Flooz and Meg seemed to enjoy it. I thought it was a bit chewy but otherwise you could tell that the octopus meat was good quality ($12).
Grilled Porgy - A beautifully grilled white fish. While it was rustic looking--head, tail and bones in tact--the meat was so tender and cooked perfectly that we destroyed poor fishy to the bitter end. This is a large plate and sharing it was a great idea--I certainly couldn't eat the whole thing myself. It also came with a side dish of choice and we got the seasoned Greek fries (Market Price).
We ordered some fine Greek white wine to go with our seafood. Our gracious waitress recommended a delicious fruity option for only $24/bottle. She was familiar with it and mentioned that it came from the Greek region of her hometown. We were each able to get 2 full glasses out of it and were quite satisfied. Try Akti out for yourself and let us know what you think.
Akti Seafood Restaurant - 34-19 30th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11103. 718.721.3530
4 comments:
We tried Akti the other week and were really, really impressed. For a group of 7, we ordered a big mess of appetizers, a salad, two fish with sides of lemon potatoes and mixed wild greens and coffee. They brought us complimentary deserts (a dry cake and a yoghurt that went well together), our waiter was knowledgeable and attentive and our overall experience was wonderful! The price was excellent too, given the quality and quantity of food.
We ordered the Snapper and the Porgy, both of which were excellent. We also considered the Zucchini Croquettes just heavenly. Also on our list was an eggplant appetizer, the saganaki, some olives, fried calamari, a greek salad and the sides mentioned above, all of which were great, though the calamari was little on the greasy side and the wild greens didn't stand up to the rest of the food.
I was with flooz and foodista for the Akti night and was really impressed with our meal. Everything was delicious and I thought the bill was quite reasonable for the amount of food we ate. I was very happy to leave not overstuffed, too. The food was light and delicious. Thought the fish was particularly delish and I also really liked the grilled haloumi dish. Everything was really good. I'd go back!
My brother and I live right down the street so we were highly anticipating the opening of a great new restaurant. Akti totally delivered the goods. We now go at least once a week and see plenty of other regulars there as well. The service is quick and attentive and the owner and co. are very friendly. Sometimes we just order several mezedes--if we're really hungry, we'll order a few plus a whole fish or some grilled meat and share everything. Our first time there our server recommended the fish croquettes--we were a little unsure but got them anyway. So glad we did--they are a regular staple now. All the fried stuff is great and not greasy at all. Can't say enough good things about this place!
Fish grilled is one of my favorite cuisine its really tasty.
Laby[big suits for men]
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