Bahari Estiatorio

Crossing the bridge to Astoria provides you with a plethora of Greek restaurants, but does not guarantee them to all be fantastic dining experiences.  Bahari is an exception AND it is half a block from the subway.  The restaurant has the typical 'Greek feel' with its white-washed walls, wooden chairs and fishing nets/rope/gear, but nothing unique in terms of decor.

Krya Pikilia platter of traditional spreads:
Taramosalata (roe mixed with mashed potatoes) usually has a distinctive roe taste, but this one had none.
Tzatziki (yogurt and cucumbers) used a high quality yogurt that was a bit firmer and held the cucumber well.
Skordalia (garlic) was another spread that should have a very strong jolt garlic taste and aftertaste.  This was lost in the puree.
Melintzanosalata (eggplant) was a whipped eggplant spread with nice proportions of lemon and garlic.
Tyrokafteri (peppers) was far-and-away the best dip.  The combination of red peppers, yogurt, lemon and garlic was well-balanced by feta.

Here's the deal with the 'appetizer' of moussaka.  The ingredients were all fresh, but there was a noticeable separation in each layer of potato, eggplant, ground beef and bechamel sauce.  The sauce shouldn't just fall off the top.... Baby lamb chops cooked well, but far from perfection and underseasoned. Whole dorade was simply grilled with oil, lemon, salt and served with okra that was stewed.  I'm not sure it was supposed to have that texture, but was cooked in a light tomato sauce. These peas were cooked down with oil, spinach, carrots and potatoes.  The real zinger of the dish was how well the vegetables were complimented by the dill and lemon.  This is such a simple dish to make at home!