Thalassa

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food.”  George Bernard Shaw

Thalassa (photo by MJ Byers)

Eatery:   Thalassa, 179 Franklin Street, New York NY

In the interest of full disclosure, I must reveal that I have a bit of a history with Thalassa – I got married there.  To this day you can see my and Husband’s smiling faces in the wedding section of their website if you go looking.  Other than a bit of rain as the guests were arriving, it was a terrific day with all the great wedding stuff – love in the air, good friends, and  (best of all) an open bar.  One thing all our guests raved about, though, was the food.  Being a picture perfect wedding venue is a sideline for Thalassa – it’s main business is being an excellent restaurant that also happens to do really great meals for large groups (and, if you’ve been to as many weddings as I have, you know that this isn’t all that common).  They’re known for Greek-inspired cuisine with a specialty in seafood.

Which is what I want to write about today.  Thalassa has one dish in particular that I think is sublime and that I feel I must single out for hosannas – it’s the Maine Diver Scallops starter.  I admit you can’t really see the scallops in the photo below.  They’re there – trust me – but there is a whole lot of other stuff going on as well.  The scallops are wrapped in a filo that resembles shredded wheat, covered with produce including spring onions, capers and tomatoes, and drizzled with a balsamic reduction.  This all adds up to something downright magical – crunchy meets soft, sea meets field, the sweet tartness of balsamic meets the feisty of the onions meets the brine of the scallop.

Extreme close- up of Maine Diver Scallops at Thalassa (photo by MJ Byers)

A word of warning:  though this is a starter, it is very filling.  You’re dealing with four good-sized scallops and when you add on dough and rich flavors (the balsamic in particular is lingering) you have a rich, hearty dish.  Unless you’re sharing, you may want to skip the main course and go directly to dessert.  That said, this is one of the few seafood meals I’ve experienced that actually re-heats pretty well the next day – so do not despair if you find yourself needing a doggy bag.

Price:  $17.00

Destination Meal:  Yes, but very filling – have this with a dessert and a glass of wine (or two) and you’re good to go.

Fat/Calorie Worthy:  Lord, yes.

For our latest foodie adventures, follow us on Twitter: @angelsontongue