DINING OUT
GREEK TO US
E+O brings coastal Mediterranean food downtown. — A K S H A Y A H U J A
T
HE DINING ROOM AT OKTO IS DIVIDED INTO TWO VERY DISTINCT SPACES. On the one side, there is what I would expect from an upscale Greek restaurant: a sun-drenched palette of white and blue with pale hanging light fixtures, elegantly chipped in the manner of ancient statues. On the other side, however, is a huge mural of an octopus, in bright colors and pronounced lines, almost in the manner of a Japanese print. The aesthetic shift felt so unusual to me that I asked Tony Castelli, the marketing director at Earth + Ocean Restaurant Group, about it. And it turns out there is a story behind it. A little over a year and a half ago, the group opened E+O New Asian in this very spot, to follow up its successful E+O Kitchen concept in Hyde Park. One week later, COVID hit and shut everything down. With no customers, the restaurant group decided to reevaluate what to do with the space. They asked over 2,000 local business owners and stakeholders what sort of cuisine they felt was missing in the city, and some of the most common answers were: Greek food, seafood options, and vegetarian fare. One day, sitting in the shuttered E+O New Asian, someone looked at the bright octopus mural splashed across the back of the restaurant. Things started to click: Okto is eight in Greek, just like the number of tentacles; two of E+O’s owners are Greek; and people want more seafood and vegetarian. So they decided to put it all together. This lively mash-up—from using the mural from the old restaurant to creating a highly approachable menu—is a telling symbol of E+O’s flexible approach to traditional food. In what other Greek restaurant would the best cocktail be a smoky, chile-laced paloma, normally associated with Mexico? Or would the 1 0 8 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1
FYI
Okto 645 Walnut St., downtown, (513) 632-9181, oktocincin nati.com Hours Dinner Mon–Thurs 4–10 pm and Fri & Sat 4–11 pm Prices $16 (saganaki)–$49 (whole grilled branzino) Credit Cards All major The Takeaway A pleasingly eclectic and approachable take on Greek food.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEREMY KRAMER
