Beneath the luxurious Voco hotel, the Greek restaurant Anemi is working to provide an elevated dining experience. This upscale establishment turns one in September and will celebrate by offering regular brunch.

The name Anemi means breeze,” owner George Kalosis explained. “We wanted to be like a fresh breeze in the city and connect the past with the future.”

Kalosis explained that Anemi came together organically. “I moved to New York eight years ago. I worked in Mykonos. I moved to London and worked at a private club. I met my business partners at the last restaurant I worked at.”

The interior is simply beautiful. “We wanted to do a modern Greek Mediterranean restaurant, but not a typical one. Most Greek restaurants, you see white and blue.” Indeed, Anemi eschews the usual color palette, but the result is stunning and still represents Greece, according to Kalosis. “It’s the colors of sunset in Greece in September. You can see the earthy touches like the color of olives or capers. It’s like you’re sitting under the shade of an olive tree.”

There’s plenty to try and enjoy on the menu. “The food is mostly originated from Peloponnese. The idea is to bring in homemade food but give it a modern touch.” For a top-notch vegetarian starter, go for the charred eggplant cooked with vegetables and feta cheese.

Then for the table, get an order of fetalo. “It’s something we created here. The idea behind the fetalo is something mother might make, like when there’s a few things in the refrigerator. It’s stuffed loukoumades with feta cheese, sesame seeds and drizzled honey.”

For your main course, you can never go wrong with the fresh catch of the day. “People love the fish. We get fresh fish. Nothing is frozen.” For something a bit meatier, go for the kokkinisto, slow cooked short rib. “It’s served with fries because in Greece you eat a little bit messy,” Kalosis said. “Mom might give you fries to dip it in. Lemon potatoes, truffle fries with real truffle.”

The drink menu at Anemi is mostly themed toward Greek history. For example, Kalypso, the nymph who promises to make Odysseus live forever? Espresso martini, naturally.

Anemi also hosts private parties. “We do events. Let’s say we have a small party, you can close the curtains and it’s kind of private. Baby showers, baptisms, graduation, private events, up to eighty people.”

Kalosis wasn’t shy about what makes Anemi special. “The most important ingredient we have here is love. You don’t know what people are going through. Maybe they’re celebrating. Maybe they’ve had a bad day, and you can make it better. That means something.”

30-17 31st St. / phone: 347.448.7562 / anemigreek.com / Google: 4.9