It�s Greek to Portland

Emilitsa arrives on Congress Street with stylish digs and classic Grecian eats

2008-02-20

John Regas’ parents would be proud. As the son of Greek immigrants, Regas spent his youth helping out in his dad’s coffee shop in Minnesota and enjoying classic Greek food at his mother’s dining room table. But despite urging from his dad, he never wanted to take over the family business.

“By 18 or 19, I didn’t want anything to do with it,” Regas says.

Instead he followed his own path, most recently working in the medical imaging business. This career frequently took the York resident to food-obsessed Portland, where he noticed that the town had few Greek restaurants. This observation, coupled with his late parents’ desire for him to carry on the family business, propelled him into a new career: restaurateur.

At the beginning of the month, Regas opened the doors to the much-anticipated Emilitsa (named after his mother) on Congress Street. It’s across from L.L. Bean and just a few doors down from Five Fifty-Five and White Heart in the booming heart of the Arts District. And fittingly for this classy neighborhood, it’s sleek, high style interior looks like it was imported straight from LA or Manhattan.

“I’m kind of a stickler for details,” Regas admits. “So I didn’t want to turn a lot of stuff over to contractors.”
Regas built the marble-topped bar and welded the iron that forms the wine rack separating the long row of tables. When it came time to formulate the menu, he knew just where to look: His mother’s recipes.

“Since my parents are gone there was nowhere for me to get good Greek food,” Regas says.

Not anymore.

He’s purposely keeping the menu simple with a handful of salads, hot appetizers (including spanakopita and dolmathes) and cold appetizers to start. This is followed by entrees categorized as meat specialities, Greek comfort food and vegetarian. The menu changes daily, but always offers up classics such as pastichio or moussaka.

Entr�e prices range from $16-$29, and the non-adventurous can always find a plain old steak on the menu.

The restaurant’s natural beef comes from Cold Spring Ranch in North New Portland and the rest of the meat, cheese and produce is sourced locally and grown organically, whenever Regas can get it. An all Greek wine list (with close to 30 bottles) and a short list of imported beers round out the menu.

As he shows off the cooking space, Regas says “my dad would have been proud to see the kitchen.”
No doubt his parents’ pride would spread into the menu and dining room d�cor as well.

— Avery Yale Kamila