KYMA

The search for an exceptional Greek restaurant in the borough of Manhattan has been elusive for me. There are plenty I have enjoyed, but none so much that I would direct others there, or return voluntarily.  Kyma, a fairly recent newcomer to Chelsea, might have been just a half step above these others, but I had a strange experience there making it a little more difficult to separate the restaurant from the situation.  The room is pretty, to be sure, and well-populated, buoyant in the chattery, lively way of people enjoying themselves, which always improves the energy.  But full disclosure: a lot of my opinions might have been severely affected by a lackluster date situation I was enduring, someone who- unlike any and every and all of my prior tablemates- seemed almost wholly uninterested in the food.  I tried to retain my focus, but let's just say it got tricky.

Especially when he ordered a shrimp cocktail to begin.  You know, those giant crustaceans slung over the rim of a chilled glass filled with cocktail sauce.  Even the best rendition of this isn't a very remarkable dish, nor is it at all Greek.  They were very fresh, to be fair, but this is the stuff of wedding banquets, and require zero consideration from a chef.  My beet salad, on the other hand, was excellent.  Playfully plated with piped dabs of a luciously garlicky skordalia and a flounce of zippy micro greens, it welcomingly sidestepped the obvious goat cheese much to its advantage.  A basket of warm, pliant whole
wheat flatbread was slicked with an herb-flecked oil, and very useful in swabbing up any remaining residue of the skordalia.






The Greek influence was also minimal in a raw shredded Brussels sprouts and kale salad, which was crowned with what turned out to be a barely-warmed egg; undiscernable at first glance, it looked like a blob of translucent burrata or half-gelled whey.  Breaking it open, though, released it
from its shredded wheat nest helped to help lubricate the otherwise sturdy greens.  It was actually a pretty nice salad, undercooked egg notwithstanding, and the kataifi at least nodded Hellenic.   The menu is pretty vast, and by missing explorative opportunities with those shrimp, much of it left unexamined, which may explain some of my discontent.  More interesting sounding options were zucchini fritters with sumac yogurt, or a snacky sounding pan-seared sesame-crusted feta with cranberries and raspberry honey.  Another selection from the starters, a simple grilled octopus with roasted peppers, capers and an onions was stellar, and ample: had it been sided with some accoutrements it would have made for a terrific
 main course, the octopus super fresh and flavorful, if a bit saline, but with a wonderful char and perfect texture.   These, along with a side dish such as the brussels we got, would've made a fine meal.  This veg itself was sautéed with loukaniko, a type of Greek sausage, which was a little mealy, and the sprouts were noticeably
sweet and on the undercooked side, but they were all right, even in their redundancy with the aforementioned salad, but then again I have a lot of leeway with brussels sprouts: give me roasted/sauteed/seared one and I cannot turn it away.




Of entrees, then, we sampled but one, with was a cheffier concoction than the myriad selections of Simply Grilled items from the sea, ranging from daurade to branzino, two types of snapper or swordfish, and crustaceans like lobster or tiger shrimp.  Another advantage here is that all the items are priced per dish, not per pound, so you know what you're getting yourself into.  There were listed eight "Other Specialities", from which I chose pan-seared scallops with poached clams and buttered leeks that formed a creamy, luxurious base with a puree of parsnips, some thin strips of which were gently fried into a delicate garnish.  It was a solid composition, again making me wonder, or actually confirm, that my subtle dismay of the evening had less to do with the restaurant itself, but for the effect that an underenthusiastic dining companion can have on the meal itself.  I think, perhaps, I owe Kyma a second shot.... which would also allow the opportunity for dessert, which was skipped since my "date" called for the check before even our plates from dinner were cleared.  So it was probably a first-and-last for my date, but I'll give Kyma another chance.

15 West 18th Street
tel. 212.268.5555