Kosmos: An Impressive Greek Restaurant In Walpole

It's such a joy to see another excellent Greek restaurant, with delicious cuisine and tasty Greek wines. Kosmos, located in Walpole, is owned by Angelos and Stavros Petropulos, and they recently announced the “official” opening of their restaurant, although technically it has been open for about six months. They wanted to be sure everything was perfect and in place before the official opening. I recently dined there, as a media guest, and was thoroughly impressed by their cuisine and wines. I certainly want to return there, to try more of their menu as well as to experience their Brunch. 

Stavros, who supervises the front of the house, previously attended business school in Switzerland and managed restaurants in Athens, Rhodes, and Santorini. Angelos previously worked at Committee, where I've enjoyed many scrumptious Greek meals with Greek wine. Their Executive Chef, Luis Figueroa, also worked at Committee, as well as Taqueria El Barrio and Eva Restaurant. 

Luis was also the creative force behind Committee's Grexico menu, a fusion of Greek and Mexican cuisine, for Cinco de Mayo. I thought that Grexico menu was innovative and delicious, and it could form a foundation for its own Grexico restaurant. Luis brought the Grexico menu ideas to Kosmos for the recent Cinco de Mayo celebration too.

With their background at Committee, I had high expectations for the cuisine and they more than met those expectations. 

It's rather unassuming from the outside, and there's limited on-street parking but there's ample parking behind the restaurant. Once you step inside, the restaurant is much larger than it seems from the outside, with a bar located inside to the left. There's a white and blue color scheme, with some intriguing murals on the walls, and soft Greek music plays in the background. It has a homey vibe, and on a Friday night, there wasn't an empty table. It's a place you definitely need a reservation for on the weekends.

Behind the restaurant is a walled-in patio, with ample seating for al fresco dining. This is going to be hugely popular this summer.

The Dinner menu, which features some family recipes that date back generations, is broken down into Mezedes (appetizers), Deipno (dinner entrees) and Synodeftika (sides). The Mezedes divided into Hot (12 options) and Cold (8 options), mostly from $12-$18, and include dishes such as Kolokithakia (fried zucchini), Midia (mussels & clams in a Retsina wine sauce), and Solomos Ceviche (salmon). The Deipno section offers 7 Meat & Fish options, from $26-$54, such as Kotopoulo (chicken chops) and Lamb Chops. There are also 2 To Share options, including Poikilia Kreaton (a selection of grilled meats and sides for $71) and Giouvetsi Thalassinon (a seafood mix over orzo and tomato sauce for $62). Both of those dishes are meant for two people. 

There are also 5 options for Sides, from $6-$9, such as Broccoli Rabe and Roasted Baby Potatoes. The Dessert menu has 3 options (1 for 2 people), priced from $11-$15, such as Saragli (baklava with ice cream) and Portokalopita Cheesecake.

On Sundays, from 10am-3pm, they also offer Brunch, with dishes such as Spanakopita Benedict, Greek Yogurt Pancakes, Shakshouka, Tsoureki French Toast, and Chicken & Biscuits. 

As for their Drinks menu, they have a full bar, and offer a number of cocktails (many $13-$15), a few with a Greek accent. They also stock a number of Greek spirits, from ouzo to tsipouro. As for beer, they have four beers on draft ($6.50-$8.50), and seven by the can/bottle ($6-$10), including four Greek ones. 

Their wine list, with about 46 different choices, is nearly all Greek, except for an Italian Prosecco and Pinot Grigio. The list is diverse and includes Sparkling, Orange, Rosé, Whites, Reds, Retsina and Dessert wines. 27 wines are available for the glass ($12-$17), offering plenty of choices. Most of the wines by the bottle are reasonably priced, around $40-$50, although the more expensive wines are generally worth the price. There's a Greek wine on their list for everyone's preferences, and as always I strongly encourage you to drink more Greek wine. The wines pair great with Greek cuisine, as well as many other cuisines. 

Our dinner began with a complimentary Olive Tapenade with a rustic bread drizzled with olive oil. The tapenade was tasty, with a nice complexity of flavors, and went well smeared atop the hearty bread. It was a pleasant start to the evening, and intimated the flavors they were to come.

Our server, Jorge, also used to work at Committee, and he was personable, knowledgeable, attentive and accommodating. We let him choose nearly all of the wines for the evening, and each of his choices was a winner. It was a pleasure to chat with him over the course of the evening. 

We began with two glasses of wine, a sparkling wine and an orange wine. I opted for the Domaine Karanika Sparkling Wine, which is made from 90% Xynomavro and 10% Assyrtiko, and produced by the Méthode champenoise. It was delicious and elegant, dry and crisp, with pleasing flavors of apple and citrus. A great choice to start, and it would pair well with many dishes, from seafood to fried foods. 

My dining companion had a glass of the Icon Roditis, a compelling orange wine that was complex and intriguing. Savory and tannic, with flavors of citrus, dried fruits, and some minerality. Great acidity, a lingering finish, and again, another excellent food wine. Jorge made a great choice with this wine, especially as I considered it prior to my visit while perusing their wine list. 

Our first dish was their Appetizer Special that evening, Arancini, filled with Greek cheese and goat cheese, sitting atop atop fig jam made with loukaniko (Greek sausage). The exterior of the arancini was nicely crisp and the interior was creamy and cheesy. The fig jam was sweet and salty, adding a nice element to the cheesy arancini. Everything was well balanced and the dish was absolutely delicious. Highly recommended! 

They offer three different Dips, from Tzatziki to Skordalia, but we opted only for the Whipped Spicy Feta, made with Chili Peppers, Olive Oil, and Feta Cheese. It was served with warm slices of pita bread.  The whipped feta was creamy, spicy and scrumptious, especially atop the warm pita. There was a nice level of spicy heat which didn't overwhelm but made sure you knew the chili peppers were present. It's a relatively simple dish, but well executed and it makes for a great bar snack too.

The Oktapodi Ksidato (pickled octopus) is topped with Kalamata olive powder and sits within a Pepper Coulis. The octopus was tender and meaty, with a pleasant pickled taste, enhanced by the slightly briny olive powder and the lightly spicy coulis. A taste of the sea, a taste of Greece. 

For a white wine, Jorge selected the 2019 Hatzidakis Skitali, an Assyrtiko from Santorini, and it was an exceptional wine; delicious, complex, and with great depths. Haridimos Hatzidakis was considered an extremely talented wine maker, but sadly passed away in 2019. The winery is now in the hands of his daughter, Stella. The term "skitali" means "baton," symbolizing the winery "baton" passed on from father to daughter. 

The wine is made from certified organic Assyrtiko grapes, which are fermented on indigenous yeasts and then aged on the lees for about 12 months in steel tanks. It's then aged in the bottle for another year before it's released. With a golden yellow color, the nose of this wine presents an alluring blend of citrus and floral notes. On the palate, there's a complex melange of intriguing flavors, including orange, lemon, white flowers, and an underlying minerality. It's elegant and crisp, rich and bright, with a lengthy and satisfying finish. Every sip brings new flavors to your mouth and it's a marvel just to slowly sip it over time. However, it's also a great pairing for seafood, like the octopus, as well as cheese. This is a "Wow" wine, sure to impress any wine lover. And it's probably one of the top Assyrtiko wines I've ever tasted. Highly recommended!

I love Saganaki, fried cheese, so I usually order it at any Greek restaurant I visit, and each place prepares it in their own special way. This Saganaki was pan fried Kefalograviera cheese topped by a grilled lemon. The exterior was tasty and crispy, with plenty of slightly chewy and gooey cheese within it. Each bite brought pleasure to my mouth, and the lemon added a bit of acidity to cut through the rich cheese. 

I also wanted to check out their Greek Fries, as the combination of french fries and feta is excellent. These Greek Fries are topped by feta, oregano, salt and pepper, and it's quite an ample bowl of fries, with lots and lots of feta, far more than expected and enough to feed 2-4 people. The fries were cut so they resembled little boats, or oval scoops, making it easy for the feta to be held by the fries. The fries were thin and crispy, with a nice clean taste, and enhanced by the briny taste of the feta. This would also be a great bar snack.

The Keftedes, lamb meatballs, with spicy tomato and feta, were firm and meaty, with a mildly spicy and tasty sauce, enhanced by the salty feta. As a lamb lover, I was impressed with these meatballs, and would love to try their lamb chops on a future visit. 

With our meat dishes, Jorge selected the 2016 Parparoussis Reserve, made with 100% Agiortiko, from the region of Nemea. The wine is aged for about 24 months in French oak, has an alcohol content of 13.5%, and is only made in exceptional years. It was complex and velvety, with a delicious melange of bright red fruits, with mineral notes, a mild earthy aspect and some herbal elements. It was sell balanced, with silky tannins, and a lengthy finish. A great choice for the lamb.

Our final savory dish was the Manti Me Kima, Greek dumplings with a Bolognese stuffing, within a beef Mavrodaphne broth and truffle oil. Another exceptional dish, with perfectly cooked dumpling skins and a nicely spiced and meaty filling. The broth was complex and delicious, enhancing the dumplings. I'd order this again anytime. 

For dessert, the Bougatsa (which serves two people), is made with a traditional crispy phyllo dough, semolina custard, Merenda chocolate sauce (kind of a Greek version of Nutella, but with more chocolate over hazelnut), and powdered sugar. As you all know, I'm not a big fan of powdered sugar on desserts and believe this dessert would have been even better without it, showcasing the beautiful colors of the crispy phyllo rather than white powder. Taste-wise though, it was excellent, a nice blend of the Merenda and custard, with the delightful crispy phyllo. It's quite a large dessert, and four people could probably have each enjoyed a slice. A fine dessert choice.

With the dessert, we had a glass of Cavino Deus Mavrodaphne of Patra, a dessert wine made from 70% Mavrodaphne and 30% Korinthiaki. Sweet, but balanced with nice acidity, it had pleasant flavors of ripe plum and fried figs, with hints of spice. 

 

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by the cuisine, wines and service at Kosmos. It fulfilled all of my expectations and I give it my highest recommendation. Chef Figueroa is doing a great job in the kitchen, creating plenty of inventive and delicious dishes. The Greek wine list is diverse and exciting and you really need to drink more Greek wine. You really need to dine at Kosmos, which is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, and also for brunch on Sundays. I'm already planning my next visit there to experience more of their menu.