Edesma Greek opens in Franklin Square
Spanakopita, or spinach pie, at Edesma in Franklin Square. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Most Long Island Greek restaurants fall into one of two categories: pricey piscine palaces or cheap gyro joints. Edesma, new in Franklin Square, aims to chart its own course, offering homey, traditional Greek cuisine that does not break the bank: Construct a meal from shareable mezze (small plates) that are all less than $20. Most main dishes are under $30. All of which can be enjoyed with a glass of wine in a serene dining room.
“There is so much more to Greek food than we see on Long Island,” said owner Vassilis Triantopoulos. “We are cooking what we grew up with in Greece.”
The “we” here are Vassilis and his brother, George. They were born in Glyfa, on the Malian Gulf in Central Greece. Vassilis has had a career in hospitality in the metropolitan area while George cooked in Greece and around the world before settling here.
Certainly there are familiar items on Edesma’s menu, among them spanakopita, gigantes (giant beans), the great Greek salads horiatiki and prasini, moussaka, avgolemono soup and grilled whole fish. But you’ll also find rarities such as tourlou (stewed vegetables), ravasaki (cheese-filled, honey-drizzled phyllo packets), dakos salad (tomatoes, olives and capers served on Cretan barley rusks), tigania (braised pork) and kritharaki (mixed seafood with tomato and feta over orzo).
The star lamb dish on Edesma’s menu is plevrakia, lamb ribs braised with herbs in their own juices. “When you order lamb in Greece,” Vassilis said, “they don’t bring you these little lollipops. They’ll chop up the whole lamb — same with chicken.”
Edesma, a new Greek restaurant in Franklin Square. Credit: Newsday/Erica Marcus
Edesma, which means “delicacy” in Greek, takes over the corner spot that used to be Il Cantone. The brothers Triantopoulos were drawn to Franklin Square because, Vassilis said, “it seemed down-to-earth and family-oriented. And that’s the kind of restaurant we wanted to open, the kind of place you can go on a Tuesday night.”
Edesma, 763 Hempstead Tpke., Franklin Square, 516-216-1993, edesma.online. Open Monday to Thursday noon to 10 p.m., Saturday 4 to 10 p.m., Sunday 4 to 9 p.m.
