You never know what you will run across in New York –  a monument celebrating the Nobel Prize or a fossil shop with a great collection of dinosaur teeth.  A couple of blocks further north on Columbus, there is Kefi, a casual modern Greek restaurant. The top floor was already full by 7 pm and we were led to the basement.  At first, we were pleased.  There were fewer diners and pleasant conversation seemed feasible.  Food was ordered and some delicious morsels started to arrive. A warm fingerling potato salad with green beans and feta was delicious, an oregano based dressing adding a depth to the simple ingredients.  The spreads for sharing were generic and the Mythonos beer had a funky toothpastey taste that took some getting used to. Some ups, some downs.

Then the trouble started.  There is a room in the restaurant basement that can be used for private functions. We could hear a band practicing. We feared the Greek version of a mariachi band marching from table to table demanding payment to depart.  It wasn’t that bad but once the private function actually started and the band was in full flow, conversation became hard.  I pitied the table right next to the private function room.   More food arrived and was quite good if rich.  By that point, desert was out of the question and we went elsewhere for a late digestif.

Not sure I’ll be going back.

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