PERSEPHONE
Address: 115 East 60th Street (between Park and Lexington Avenue)
NY, NY 10022
Phone: 212.339.8363
Cuisine: Traditional Greek
Principals: Nicola Kotsoni
Steve Tzolis
Chef: James Henderson
Capacity: 55
Hours: Lunch: Monday-Friday 12:00pm-3:00pm
Dinner: Monday-Thursday 5:30pm-11:00pm
Friday-Saturday 5:30pm- 11:30pm
Sunday 2:00pm-9:00pm
Officially opened on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in February 2008.
Payment: All Major Credit Cards Accepted
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Review By Nancy Walman
Persephone is an upscale Greek eatery from the folks that brought us Periyali, Nicola Kotsoni and Steve Tzolis. The restaurant’s décor is elegant and chic, and features many embellishments and decorations found in native Greece. On the walls, a masterful set of Matisse woodblock prints based on a Greek goddess are hung. The lighting sconces evoke a nautical feel, and the hand-made pieces were designed by an artist in Athens. At the entrance of the restaurant, a restored hand-painted bar is decorated with a pattern inspired by a popular Greek design, and this authentic motif is repeated in variations on the ceiling beams. In the front, a few tables are situated in a sun-soaked front sidewalk terrace.
The executive chef of Periyali, 
James Henderson also oversees the kitchen at Persephone. In the creation of the menu, Henderson worked alongside Sophia Gerasimidu, a home chef from native Greece, to make the food authentic and true to the traditional food served in Greek homes.
The menu is centered around authentic side dishes, such as chick pea eggplant stew or stewed okra, that were traditionally served in Greece as main dishes. One of the signature menu items, Yiouvetsi, adapts a lamb preparation to substitute seafood, and is served in a broth incorporating saffron, a spice widely used across Greece and the Mediterranean.
Persephone serves an expansive offering of fresh fish selections including organic Scottish salmon, Mediterranean bass, as well as three daily fish specials of whole and filleted fish.
Other popular entrée selections include the braised beef frikase with dill and lemon sauce (a standout), as well as the kouneli stifado, organic rabbit stew with pearl onions, and a terrific Missouri Blair Galois or grilled veal chop with olive oil crusted potatoes and stewed okra, a best but at $29.
Delectable meze range from fava, a spread made from split yellow peas, the best Taramasalata (whipped fish roe) and Gigantes (giant dried beans) in town, Mediterranean spiced meatballs garnished with tomato and strained yogurt, and grilled sardines with a hint of cilantro and terrific 
salads. For dessert, Persephone delights with classic Greek cakes and cookies, thick Greek yogurt with spoon fruits, with a thick velvety texture, as well as a sumptuous flowerless cake and a wide selection of Greek wines. Excellent cocktails and refined service add to the experience that is eminently affordable.
Persephone is open for dinner Monday-Thursday 5:30-11:00 p.m., Friday-Saturday 5:30-11:30 p.m., and Sunday 2:00-9:00 p.m. Persephone is open for lunch from 12:00-3:00 p.m. Persephone is located at 115 East 60th Street between Park and Lexington Avenue and can be reached at (212) 339-8363.
Radio Review
Award-winning website, Punchin-dot-com, features the Walman Report and reviews of restaurants, travel, wine and theater. Persephone, an upscale Greek eatery offers elegant and chic décor, and walls
decorated with a masterful set of Matisse woodblock prints based on a Greek goddess. At the entrance of the restaurant, a few tables are situated in a sun-soaked front sidewalk terrace. The menu is centered around authentic side dishes, such as chick pea eggplant stew or stewed okra, that were traditionally served in Greece as main dishes. One of the signature menu items, adapts a lamb preparation but substitutes seafood, and is served in a broth incorporating saffron. Persephone serves an expansive offering of fresh fish selections including organic Scottish salmon, Mediterranean bass, as well as three daily fish specials of whole and filleted fish. Other popular entrée selections include the braised beef fricassee with dill and lemon sauce, as well as organic rabbit stew with pearl onions. Delectable appetizers range from a spread of split yellow peas, Mediterranean spiced meatballs garnished with tomato and strained yogurt, and grilled sardines with a hint of cilantro and terrific salads. For dessert,
delight with classic Greek cakes and cookies, Greek yogurt, with a thick
velvety texture, as well as a sumptuous flowerless cake. There is a wide selection of Greek wines at Persephone, 115 East 60th Street (between Park and Lexington Avenues), excellent cocktails and refined service. That’s A Major on the Walman Report.
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Lunch
Appetizers
Haloumi Saganaki melted cypriot sheep’s milk cheese 13.00
Kroketes Bakalao salt cod fritters 10.00
Kalamari Sharas charcoal grilled calamari, lemon herb sauce 12.00
Psites Sardeles grilled sardines with roka, cilantro 14.00
Salads
Salata Me Thalasaina marinated octopus, shrimp, calamari, scallops, olive oil, herbs and baby greens 19.00
Patzaria Skordalia roasted baby beets, garlic sauce 12.00
Horiatiki Salata greek country salad 10.00 16.00
Arni Salata lamb tenderloin, roasted peppers, manouri cheese, bibb salad 18.00
Pastos Solomos ouzo cured salmon, roka and fennel salad, yogurt dill 17.00
Main Courses
Souvlaki Kotopoulo charcoal grilled chicken and fennel kebob, vegetable cous cous 17.00
Psita Ortikia grilled, quail, mushrooms, horta, feta cheese 23.00
Pikilia assortment of our savory spreads with pita 16.00
Psaria Imeras whole fish – daily preparation 29.00
Solomos Sharas organic scottish salmon, black – eyed peas 25.00
Keftedes Saltsa mediterranean spiced meatballs, tomato, pilaf and strained yogurt 15.00
Lavraki mediterranean bass, chick pea eggplant stew 26.00
Sides $7
Lemon Potatoes
Grilled Asparagus
Black Eyed Peas
Crushed Potatoes
Stewed Okra
Eggplant Chick Pea Stew
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Dinner
Appetizers
Haloumi Saganaki melted cypriot sheep’s milk cheese 13.00
Kroketes Bakalao salt cod fritters 10.00
Psites Sardeles grilled sardines with roka, cilantro 14.00
Pikilia assortment of our savory spreads with pita. 12.00
Patzaria Skordalia roasted baby beets, garlic sauce 12.00
Fava split yellow peas, red onions, extra virgin olive oil 12.00
Horiatiki Salata greek country salad 16.00
Soupia Me Spanaki braised cuttle fish, spinach, lemon dill 14.00
Kalamari Sharas charcoal grilled calamari, lemon herb sauce 12.00
Keftedes Saltsa mediterranean spiced meatballs, tomato and strained yogurt 12.00
Octapodi Periyali periyali octopus 14.00
Main Courses
Mosharisia Brizola Galaktos grilled veal chop, olive oil crusted potatoes, stewed okra 29.00
Yiouvetsi Me Thalassina seafood orzo with saffron tomato broth
Psita Ortikia grilled quail, mushrooms, horta, feta cheese 23.00
Kotopoulaki Lemonato roasted young chicken, lemon potatoes 23.00
Kouneli Stifado organic rabbit, red wine, pearl onions 25.00
Psaria Imeras whole fish daily preparation 29.00
Solomos Sharas organic scottish salmon, black eyed peas 25.00
Paidakia grilled rack of lamb 29.00
Moshari Frikase braised beef, dill lemon sauce 25.00
Lavraki mediterranean bass, chick pea eggplant stew 26.00
Sides $7
Lemon Potatoes
Grilled Asparagus
Black Eyed Peas
Crushed Potatoes
Stewed Okra
Eggplant Chick Pea Stew
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