Saratoga News

Dining

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Executive chef Salvatore Calisi is also a partner of the new Dio Deka restaurant in the Hotel Los Gatos.

Dio Deka in Hotel LG featuring menu that's 'Greek with a twist'

By Suzanne Cristallo

Chris Kouretas of John's XLNT Foods in Willow Glen says traditional Greek restaurants in the south Bay Area are rare. He's a managing partner of one of the two he knows about--the other being Evvia in Palo Alto. Both have survived the demise of what once was a prominent cuisine in the area.

"It's because most of the older generation from Greece have retired," the 35-year-old says, "and not a lot of the younger [American-born] ones know the traditional recipes."

But there's good news for traditionalists. Some of the younger Greek generation have arrived in Los Gatos and opened a restaurant called Dio Deka in the Hotel Los Gatos, offering "fine Hellenic cuisine." Dio Deka means 210. It is both the E. Main Street address of the restaurant and the area code for Athens.

Finding an owner of the place is not difficult. Five working partners staff the front of the house, either waiting tables or managing. Some of their names bring to mind the sparkling blue of the sea and the washed white buildings of a Greek village: Nikos Kalouris, Vagelis Papazisis, Petros Katopodis, Yiani Dulles and Julian Abbott. A sole Italian is executive chef Salvatore Calisi, a cosmopolitan who grew up in Astoria, "a Greek town in Queens [N.Y.]" and on the island of Elba in Italy. Their patrons are Stratton and Jody Sclavos of Saratoga. Sclavos is CEO of Verisign, an encryption and Internet security firm.

Most of the Greek partners came to the United States in their teens, eventually ending up as staff at Palo Alto's Evvia, where the Sclavoses were regular customers. After giving four months' notice at Evvia, the partners and a bartender left for Los Gatos to strike out on their own. "We travel in packs," jokes Kalouris, 43.

It took months to gut and redo the large restaurant that formerly was Kuleto's. The result is a worldly space with a decor brought together by Jody Sclavos. Earthen hues, huge Greek vases and art suggesting the sea set the mood. A wait staff of 70, most wearing Greek fisherman caps, attends to the wishes of up to 145 diners. The aroma of mesquite permeates the air. "It smells like a holiday," Calisi says. Among the biggest changes was the elimination of booths. New floors and a stone fireplace were added. The kitchen, with its staff of 23, is open to view. A full service bar with an expansive selection of ouzo and a collection of 1,500 wines was moved to the south wall, and the menu was transformed to "Greek with a twist."

"Most people in Greece make moussakas with ground lamb," Calisi says, explaining the twist. "I do it with beef cheeks." It's layered with zucchini, eggplant and potato with a bechamel (French roux) crust. His slow-roasted lamb shoulder, called arni youvetsi, is served with orzo--a tiny, rice-shaped pasta--and garlic confit, kalamata olives, Santorini wine and Kefalotiri cheese.

An interesting appetizer is saganaki--a pan-fried Kefalograviera cheese finished with Metaxa brandy and lemon emulsion. Kalouris says with some pride that many essentials, including sea salt, oregano, octopus, olives, cheeses and sparkling water, are imported from Greece. Entrées run from $45 for a 14-ounce, USDA prime and aged filet mignon cooked on the bone, to $17 for gemista--ratatouille stuffed with seasonal vegetables and topped with cheese, basil and vegetable emulsion. "An appetizer, salad, entrée and wine runs an average of $56 per person," Kalouris says. "It's a great, fun menu." It might be worth adding traditional Greek coffee just to see how it's made by the barista whose sole job it is to prepare it. A variety of brass pots of one-cup size are filled with stone-ground coffee, placed in briki--a container of sand--and heated from below. It's served in demitasse cups.

Dio Deka, 210 E. Main St., Los Gatos, is open for dinner Monday through Saturday, 5­9:45 p.m. Call 408.354.7700. Business casual attire is recommended.