When Yorghos Samaras was growing up in Greece, his Uncle Vasilis would take him out to fish for Mediterranean Sea bass, better known as bronzini.
Before starting out, they’d pray for a good day’s catch. If his uncle didn’t sell all the fish, the family would make sure nothing went to waste.
Those experiences guided Samaras to open his Sleepy Hollow restaurant, Santorini, where he’s been serving his signature dish. broiled bronzini, since 2007.
Uncle Vasilis taught him how to select the freshest fish. “He said three things: First of all, you look at the eyes, it has to have bright eyes. Then, the gills have to be red. And then, you smell.”
Santorini imports its bronzini from Greece, with vendors putting aside fish that meets the family’s criteria for freshness and size — larger and plumper than you’d find in your local fish store. They don’t buy in abundance, only selecting what’s freshest.
“Most important is that the fish has to be fresh, that’s 75 percent,” Samaras said. “If it’s not fresh, the people know.”
Samaras’ preparation is deceptively simple, relying on his homemade blend of seasonings to subtly bring out the fish’s flavor and preserve its tender texture.
After saying a short prayer, he scores the fish with small diagonal cuts and then lengthwise. After sprinkling salt and pepper on both sides, he brushes the bronzino with a puree containing fresh garlic, freshly squeezed lemon and Greek olive oil.
The fish goes into the broiler for 15-20 minutes on a low flame, turned over halfway through, and a mixture of olive oil, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper is drizzled over the bronzino.
The bronzini arrives at the table either whole or filleted. “Most people like it whole, they love the presentation,” said Samaras’ daughter, Alexandra.
The small cuts Samaras makes in the flesh allow the marinade (which is also used on Santorini’s other meat and fish entrees) to be absorbed during cooking and produce tender chunks of bronzino that slide right onto the fork.
Yorghos Samaras, known as George, is responsible for all the recipes and dressings, including hummus and salad dressing; Alexandra and his son Eilas are Santorini’s co-owners.
Before arriving in the U.S. in 1979, he lived in Beirut and France, worked as an architect in the West African nation of Ivory Coast, and along the way became fluent in English, French, Arabic and Spanish besides his native Greek.
Santorini has been in the same Valley Street location since it opened, occupying space where Samaras previously operated a deli, market and
Spanish restaurant before reaching back to his roots.
The restaurant has a steady clientele that includes a mix of longtime customers and newcomers from Sleepy Hollow’s recent waterfront development. Besides bronzini, the menu includes Greek specialties like lamb youvetsi, moussaka, pastitsio, gyros, souvlaki, red snapper and shrimp.
“What keeps us open for this long is the freshness of our food and our hospitality,” Alexander Samaras said. “When people come here, they feel that it’s a family business. They love hearing stories from my father.”
Santorini Greek Restaurant
175 Valley St., Sleepy Hollow
914-631-4300
