Text and photos by Mary L. Peachin and Estiatorio Milos
Volume 22, No. 4, January 2019
Word spread quickly throughout Montréal in 1979 about the quality of fish and seafood served at a recently opened restaurant. Diners began to huddle “like sardines” in rain, sleet and snow, waiting for a table at flagship Estiatorio Milos.
Milos’ mouthwatering cuisine includes a display of multiple species of fish, mollusks, lobster, and even lamb and steak. Selections in the case referred to as the “fish market” are determined by availability, seasonality, and weather conditions.
Milos’ stark white establishments, so typical of Greek Island architecture, are elegant and warmly decorated with Grecian urns, and marble finishes. The focal point of each restaurant includes an open kitchen, ice-covered fish display counters. There is a raw bar of seafood and mollusks, plus a wine cellar boasting fine Greek wines.
Most colorful is the Greek salad tomato carving station. Each counter is piled with pyramids of shiny Heirloom tomatoes. Each order will be individually carved then blended with thinly sliced peppers, onions, and a triangle of fresh feta cheese. Attentive, well trained and friendly staff diligently tend to each guests’ every need.
Mediterranean fish are shipped from Greece and Portugal. Canada’s East Coast provides fresh lobster, there is seasonal soft shell crab from Maryland, shrimp and winter stone crab, octopus from Morocco, along with grouper and pompano from Florida and The Bahamas. Add to these delicacies the late summer heirloom tomatoes, new moon sardines and anchovies, sustainable sized red snapper, plus wild spinach in October and artichokes in May. Milos works directly with environmental-conscious small producers and trustworthy fishermen who support sustainability of the species.
Chef Costas Spiliadis, born in Patras, a small fishing port on the Peloponnesus Peninsula of southern Greece, successfully obtained a New York University student visa in 1966. He would continue his college Sociology studies at the University of Maryland before transferring to Sir George Williams University then graduating from Concordia University in Montréal Canada.
Following five years of community service along with a career as a program director at Montreal’s Radio Centreville, in 1979, tired of eating the typical souvlaki and moussaka served by Greek restaurants, Spiliadis opened Estiatorio Milos. His goal was to offer a unique, gourmet taste of Greek food and dining. His mission was to change the perception of Greek cuisine. He knew from personal experience that the highest quality of ingredients prepared with minimal interference then cooked to perfection would educate those who were more familiar with the food served at Greek tavernas.
Give a high five to Spiliadis mother. Born and raised in Istanbul, she instilled a deep appreciation and respect for culinary food when she returned home to Greece. Memories of her exquisite home cooked meals would lay the foundation for Milos’ cuisine.
The waters surrounding Greece and its thousands of islands are bountiful with many varieties of fish and seafood. Considered by Spiliadis as “Treasures of the Sea,” it was only natural for him to build a cuisine focusing on these top quality, fresh ingredients.
In 2019, Milos will open a second restaurant in New York in the prestigious Hudson Yards development project along with other prominent chefs. They continue to explore projects that are complementary to their mission of enhancing the world’s perception of Greek cuisine. They will also open their first Markato, a specialty retail store on New York’s 55th street.
While a diner can blindly point to any menu item, my several visits have been too exceptional not to repeat. The Greek salad and tempura-like signature tower of zucchini and eggplant followed by perfectly prepared salmon with fava beans is my favorite. A dessert of fresh fruit including moon drop grapes.
We all know famous chefs who have opened restaurants in other cities of the world. Many don’t succeed in maintaining quality and consistency. What is Estiatorio Milos secret? They refuse to compromise on quality. Daily they fly in or truck fresh fish and produce from around the world. Their recipes are simple, they have expanded slowly. Good ingredients that are perfectly executed reproduce consistently.
Milos’ devotees beyond Montreal, New York, Athens, Las Vegas, Miami and London have earned the restaurant a loyal international following. Everyone who has eaten at Milos would love to see them continue to expand globally.
www.milos.ca