NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans is famed for jazz and music, street fairs and Cajun cooking but Vasileios Zarganis – born in Athens – has introduced real Greek food to the French Quarter, not the usual fare found in some Greek restaurants in the U.S.
It starts with his horiatiki, he told Gambit. “You don’t put romaine lettuce on a Greek salad. It’s tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, capers and real feta cheese. Not those crumbles. They aren’t following the real recipe. It’s American style.”
His Athenian Bar & Grill opened in September, 2024 with the intention of serving traditional Greek food in a setting that is modern but with accents like olive ranch chandeliers and wood from Greek wine barrels.
He brought his friend, chef Nikolaos “Nik” Kalkavouras, from Athens. An experienced hotel banquet chef, Kalkavouras worked closely with Zarganis and chef de cuisine Gaurav “G” Trivedi to refine the menu. “The recipes are genuine. They’re Greek,” said Zarganis, who had turned to become a restaurateur after an injury sidelined his professional soccer career.
