Sofia Crokos, owner of the Greek restaurant Elaia Estiatorio in Bridgehampton, hosts a birthday luncheon infused with Peloponnesian flavors and flair. Sofia Crokos sets the table with flower arrangements created by Emily Pinon, founder of Bastille Flowers & Events.
Olive and almond branches and sprays of chamomile decorate a credenza that Crokos describes as “my masterpiece. Every week we have fresh flowers at the restaurant—it’s amazing what flowers can do for the soul.”
“Kalí Orexi,” the Greek way of saying “Bon appétit!,”heads a menu listing all dishes in Greek. Both the menu and the invitation to the luncheon were designed by Ceci New York.
The table is set with Crokos’s own personal dinnerware on lace cloths belonging to her late mother.
Garnished with rosebuds, the specialty drink is called Anthea, which means “to bloom” or “to flower” in Greek. It comprises all Greek spirits—Kir-Yianni rosé, Otto’s Athens vermouth, Stray Dog gin—plus lemon juice and a housemade jasmine cordial tea.
Lalanghia, thin strands of dough twisted and fried in Greek olive oil, are placed on the table along with the meal. “We also enjoy them in the morning with coffee and hard Greek cheese or feta,” says Crokos. “It’s a common tradition in the Peloponnese.”
Grilled sardines and lemon with sautéed fennel.
The starter, a pasta dish made with caramelized red onions, Greek yogurt, lemon zest, and a drizzle of Kosterina olive oil, was one of her mother’s favorites.
Beets with garlic and a walnut spread, like many of the meal’s dishes, are served family style.
Baked eggplant with onions, garlic tomato sauce, and feta garnished with mint.
Piles of grilled pita accompany virtually every Greek meal.
Crokos added a special dish, called psiti feta me meli kai sousami, a heady confection of feta baked in phyllo and topped with Cretan honey and sesame seeds. “This entire meal is based on the rusticity and lushness of the Peloponnese,” Crokos says. “I am in awe of its food and its people.”
Main dishes, also served family style, include chicken braised in cinnamon-scented tomato sauce and pork souvlaki served with a Greek yogurt and garlic spread.
Religious icon paintings decorate a corner of the restaurant.
Crokos enjoys a glass on the restaurant’s terrace with guests Tonia Slade and Katerina Mountanos, plus Emily Pinon, Toula Livanos, and Anastasia Gavalas. “Special gatherings like this one are vitally important to me,” says Crokos. “It’s part of my core.”
