Estia in Philadelphia, PA
For our 10 year anniversary, we decided to go to Philadelphia, before a big trip that we are planning as a true celebration at the end of the year. I like Philly: food wise, it has lots to offer besides the usual cheesesteak that is undeniably associated to this city. As we arrived in the afternoon by train, I looked for a restaurant close to our hotel, keeping the option of a cheesesteak for later, our dinner being already steak. Looking on OpenTable, we found Estia, a Greek restaurant located near the city center.
Dining room at Estia in Philadelphia, PA
Dining room at Estia in Philadelphia, PA
Bar at Estia in Philadelphia, PA
Fish at Estia in Philadelphia, PA
Fish display at Estia in Philadelphia, PA
Fish at Estia in Philadelphia, PA
Estia is a fairly big restaurant, beautifully decorated, with an open kitchen in the back and a nice fish display. I used to order classic dishes like moussaka or lamb youvetsi when eating in Greek restaurants, disregarding fish options. But then, I rediscovered fish and any kind of seafood (octopus of course) at Thalassa in TriBeCa. But to start, it is not fish that we wanted but their saganaki, this pan fried kefalograviera cheese that is flambé. We never got it, our waiter not being that focused on his work and preferring talking to a table where he was probably hoping for a larger order and thus a larger tip. That was fine finally as we had plans for the day...
They started off by bringing us some bread and a spread that one of the waiters could not name for us.
Bread at Estia in Philadelphia, PA
Bread at Estia in Philadelphia, PA
Jodi went for the arugula salata that was made with arugula, cherry tomatoes, shaved kefalograviera cheese, in a sweet vinaigrette.
Arugula salata at Estia in Philadelphia, PA
On my side, I ordered two appetizers. The first one was the grilled sardines that were de-boned, topped with ladolemono, a classic Greek sauce made with olive oil and lemon. This was very good, the fish being perfectly cooked and fresh.
Grilled sardines at Estia in Philadelphia, PA
Grilled sardines at Estia in Philadelphia, PA
My second appetizer was the octopedi or octopus that was grilled and charred, served with red and sweet onions, roasted peppers, dill , capers, parsley and a red wine vinaigrette. This was another great dish: the octopus was not rubbery at all and was nicely charred.
Octopedi at Estia in Philadelphia, PA
Octopedi at Estia in Philadelphia, PA
Last was dessert. We ordered one of their popular desserts, the salted caramel baklava, and ended up with baklava. That was fine as their baklava was really good, not dry at all, with lots of honey.
Baklava at Estia in Philadelphia, PA
Despite the service that should have been better, I really liked the food at Estia. I would probably go back there and try some more seafood.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Estia - 1405 Locust St, Philadelphia, PA 19102
