Bar Vlaha: A Preview, Greek Wines & A Superb Cocktail

Recently, I attended a media preview of Bar Vlaha, a new Greek restaurant in Washington Square in Brookline. It was a fun and tasty evening, sampling passed appetizers, grilled lamb, Greek wines, and special cocktails. I hope to return there soon for dinner, to fully experience this new restaurant, and I suspect it will more than meet my expectations.

As I mentioned before, Demetri Tsolakis and Stefanos Ougrinis, owners of Krasi Meze + Wine, Hecate and Greco truly Greek fast casual concepts, launched Xenia Greek Hospitality, a new restaurant group with Brendan Pelley as their Culinary Director. Bar Vlaha is their newest restaurant, which specializes in the Greek cuisine of the Vlach people, a nomadic group of shepherds who are said to have founded Greek cooking and hospitality. The Executive Chef at Bar Vlaha is Kathryn McCoart. 

Let me give you a glimpse into this new restaurant. 

It's a medium-sized restaurant, with a warm and hospitable vibe.

There is a large and well-stocked bar, with a number of seats surrounding the bar. 

There's an open kitchen, with a wood burning oven and a large spit, which sits over a charcoal flame, grilling chicken and lamb. The passed appetizers were delicious, from the Alevropita (crispy thin batter feta pie) to Grilled Lamb, from the Saligarria (snails in a red wine sauce) to the Patates (lamb fat roasted potatoes).

My friend, Patrick Maguire, took this photo of the chef basting the grilled lamb, using a large leek, covered with garlic, lemon and other items, to do so.

Evan Turner, the wine director of Krasi (which has the largest Greek wine list in the country) has curated a compelling wine list of about 40 wines from Northern Greece for Bar Vlaha. If you review the wine list, you'll find plenty of interesting choices, with many of them available by the glass, and they are priced reasonably, with many bottles priced from $50-$75. At the preview event, Evan poured two delicious Greek wines, a white and a red. As I've often stated, there are many reasons why you should drink more Greek wines and Bar Vlaha will help make you a convert.

The 2019 Domaine Glinavos Zitsa is an organic white wine made from the indigenous Debina grape. It was bright and refreshing, with prominent acidity, and delicious flavors of citrus, green apple, and a light floral element. Delicious on its own, it would be a great choice for the summer, or patio dining with seafood, cheese or other light dishes.

The Anatolikos Vineyards Limnio was also an organic wine, made from the ancient red grape Limnio. This was a big and bold wine, yet still possessed of an elegant nature, with a delicious and complex melange of flavors, especially black cherry and strawberry, with a spicy backbone, and touches of chocolate. This is definitely a wine that pairs well with grilled meats, such as lamb.

I was especially impressed with one of their cocktails, the Ode to Pan, a delicious concoction that will remind you of a Gin Bloody Mary. The Ode to Pan is made with Moletto's Tomato Gin, lemon, celery, mastic cucumber soda, and heirloom tomato cubes. I watched one of the bartenders prepare this cocktail and it was quite an involved process. It was such a refreshing and delicious drink, lighter than the typical Bloody Mary, with a prominent tomato flavor, accented by cucumber and lemon notes. The gin was noticeable without being overpowering, and the tomato ice cubes were visually beautiful, and took a while to melt, leaving you a thicker tomato base once the cocktail was drank. I had a second one rather than try one of the other two offered cocktails as I loved this drink so much. 

All of the restaurants within the Xenia Greek Hospitality group emphasize the importance of hospitality, and that is not just lip service. I've known some of the people involved in these restaurants, such as Demetri Tsolakis, Stefanos Ougrinis, Natasha Breshinsky, and Chris Marcin, for a number of years, and I've always found them personable, hospitable and sincere. It may seem like a cliche, but they do make you feel like you're part of an extended Greek family. And at the recent Bar Vlaha preview, that hospitality was very noticeable from the others within the restaurant group as well. It's their sincerity which makes you feel warm and welcomed. And it's an important aspect of why I love their restaurants so much.