By Connor Adams Sheets
The owners of a new restaurant in Bayside opened the eatery with the hopes of matching aspects of eating in the city to the neighborhood while retaining the personal touches locals love about eating close to home.
And they have accomplished just that as Veranda Restaurant and Cafe, which opened Dec. 21, offers creative American bistro dining with a Mediterranean twist in a newly renovated, expansive space at 208-01 Northern Blvd.
“We wanted to bring the city to Bayside without the hustle and bustle and expense of the city,” said Antonia Katsihtis, a hostess at the restaurant, which is owned by her husband, Spiros, and his brother, Elias. “We live in the area and we wanted to offer something where you can just bring your family, or have a romantic evening with a date or just go out with friends for dinner and drinks.”
The Katsihtis brothers, who were born in Greece and own the Silver Star Restaurant in Manhattan and have over 25 years experience in the restaurant business, use fresh ingredients in all of their varied dishes, with specialties including Bronzini sea bass, Mac n Cheese Veranda Style, grilled octopus, calamari and a salad sampler featuring three special salads.
Lunch for one averages $12 and an average dinner costs between $25 and $30, while desserts, all of which are homemade, are all $5 or less.
“We have everything from steaks to seafood to burgers, but our presentation is a little different than everyone else’s,” Antonia said. “We try to do different themes of presentation for foods from different places.”
The impressive, sunny location on Northern Boulevard currently has a variety of seating options, a separate dining section with space for 50- to 60-person parties and a full bar and provides catering services. Beginning in the spring, seating will also be available outdoors.
“We will have seating outside, just like our name, which means the same thing to people of many different cultures. ‘Veranda,’ an outdoor seating area,” Antonia said.
The restaurant opens on weekdays at 11 a.m. and at 10 a.m. on weekends, when a full brunch menu is offered. Veranda currently closes at 11 p.m. daily, but may extend its evening hours in the coming months. Free valet parking is offered at all times, as finding a spot near the location is often difficult.
For more information, call 718-281-2233, e-mail veranda.restaurant@yahoo.com or visit veranda-restaurant.com.
Reach reporter Connor Adams Sheets by e-mail at csheets@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
