Two Dallas bar veterans, Lisa and Tom Georgalis, who own Ivy Tavern near Love Field (a dandy little sports bar and neighborhood hangout), aim to bring a new Greek dining experience to Dallas.
Nikki Greek Bistro & Lounge, in the Devonshire neighborhood of Dallas at Lovers Lane and the Dallas North Tollway, opens on April 30. The Georgalises have family in Greece and often visit the 2,000-island nation. This new restaurant is based on those visits and the dishes, ambiance, culture and drinks.
“When we visit our family in Greece, we dine and drink in a more fluid way," Tom says. "This means we may go to one spot and head to the patio or lounge for pre-dinner drinks, then move into the dining room for our meal and then return to the lounge area for drinks while enjoying live music or a DJ late into the night. We want our guests to experience this at Nikki while also having the ability to eat well-executed and carefully sourced authentic Greek cuisine.”
Chef Blake Andress, whose CV includes the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek and Mister Charles, has developed a menu focused on "painstakingly sourced" ingredients and dishes crafted from scratch. The menu will change with the seasons including the cheese selections, fish, vegetables and main dishes.
One of the family recipes on offer is the namesake Moussake Georgalis made with Texas-raised beef and roasted onion crisp. The avgolemono soup is also a family recipe.
Other main dish highlights include a specialty eye loin lamb steak with a citrus and stone demi, baby briam (roasted vegetables) and charred fennel whip. A fisherman's whole tsipouro comes with sea salt foam, crispy anchovy flake and charred lemon. There are saffron scallops, coriander-crusted fish and charred octopus.
The bar has plenty of Greek imports, like tsipouro, a Greek brandy, used in the Baklava Espresso Martini (which also has pistachio). The Perfect Freezer Martini, which we presume is served very chilled, is made with Kastra' Elion Greek Vodka.
The lounge area opens before and after the dining area, allowing patrons to come early and stay late.
Nikki Greek Bistro & Lounge 5757 W. Lovers Lane. Lounge Hours: Monday – Wednesday, 3 –11 p.m.; Thursday – Saturday, 3 p.m. – 2 a.m. Dinner Hours: Monday – Saturday, 5–10 p.m. Closed Sunday.