Celebrity Greek Chef Maria Loi Transforms Michelin-Starred Seäsonal Into Loi Estiatorio

Accomplished Greek chef Maria Loi, who shuttered her eponymous restaurant Loi last July, is back in the kitchen this week at Loi Estiatorio, which is in soft open mode and will officially open this Saturday. "Here the food is more original, my food," she tells Flo Fab. "New Yorkers are much more sophisticated than I was told." The owners of Michelin-starred Austrian restaurant Seäsonal sold the space to Loi, who kept much of it the same and chef de cuisine Arno Mueller in the kitchen.

The menu: The strictly Greek menu offers dishes like red mullet with chicory, lemon, and olive oil, a fish for two chosen by the chef, a selection of Greek spreads, and house-made sausage.

Loi is also working on a few other projects, including a high-end restaurant uptown and Loi Taverna, a more casual spot, downtown.