If you have driven down Bell Boulevard along 47th Street, you were sure to have noticed the long restaurant with the wooden exterior. Laterna has been an anchor in Bayside for over a decade, a family run restaurant for families.
Laterna has been in business in the same location since 1992, spanning 16 years of serving the borough of Queens. A majority of the restaurant’s income stems from catering events, either on location or in their luxurious and pristine party room. Nico Moshopoulos, son of the owner, told me how they once ran a baptism and another party in the same room, and a couple met there from the two different parties, eventually returning to Laterna for their wedding reception.
The spacious restaurant, with nine comfortable tables, is owned by Nico’s father Andreas, who left Kefalonia, the largest part of the Ionian Islands in western Greece. He had graduated from a technical school, becoming a certified electrician, before leaving to find new opportunities in America, where he eventually opened up Laterna. Nico is, in fact, an architect but enjoys the restaurant life as well.
To start our meal, we had a bounteous plate of Pikilia Skaras, a silver platter overflowing with grilled meat. Seasoned Lamb chops melted off the bone and into my mouth. Loukaniko, a Greek dried sausage with fennel permeating in the pork mixture, was paired with Gordoubakia, which could be compared to the Scottish Haggis. Made with pig intestines and stuffed with a conglomeration of meaty things, this nearly unpronounceable cluster of protein burst with exciting flavors.
Glykadakia are grilled sweetbreads, which is the thymus of the young beast located below the windpipe at the start of the chest, were as sweet as the name implies with a chewy texture that should be experienced. Rounding out the platter was thin filets of chicken and grilled green peppers, served on top of homemade French fries.
For our main courses, Garides Mirkolimano was first up at bat. One of the more popular items at Laterna, shelled jumbo shrimp was served in a delicate red sauce made from garlic, plum tomatoes, the usual “secret” herbs that chefs love to use, and crumbly chunks of tangy and salty feta cheese.
Ortikia, two butterflied whole marinated quails grilled in their own juices, were served with traditional lemon potatoes. Plump and lean, be wary when eating this game bird, since it is the smallest gallinaceous bird in existence.
Moussaka is a traditional Greek casserole, comparable to an Italian lasagna, but with vastly different components. Marinated eggplant is stacked with layers of ground lamb meat, seasoned with nutmeg, topped with a rich b/chamel sauce and baked until a delightful golden crust seals the lavish bundle.
Also of note on the menu were a variety of broiled steaks, shish kebobs, fresh seafood and shellfish as well as seasonal fish such as Tsipoura (porgy), Synagrida (red snapper), and Lavraki (striped bass), among other fish that are shipped overnight from Greece frequently.
For dessert, we enjoyed a tall triangle of Baklava, layers of crispy phyllo dough with honey and chopped nuts mingled between. Fluffy Galaktobouriko, which literally translates to “milk-pie,” was a thin crust of phyllo dough with soft, airy custard in the middle that bounces your fork across its surface.
As the Greeks say, “Kalh Orexh,” or “Enjoy the meal!”
LATERNA
47-20 Bell Boulevard
Bayside, NY 11361
Phone: 718-423-1245
Hours: Monday through Thursday from noon to 10 p.m.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 a.m.
Live music on weekends
2 Rooms available for private parties
www.laternagreekrestaurant.com
