Naperville's Tasso's puts modern twist on Greek food

A restaurant that recently opened in Naperville is bringing a modern twist to authentic Greek cuisine.

Tasso's Modern Greek Cuisine at 220 S. Washington St. serves traditional Greek food with an updated approach, said general manager Andres Pastos.

"We're keeping the tradition of the recipes on a menu that's decided by the chef," Pastos said.

Kostas Anyfantis, who attended culinary school in Athens, serves as the chef at the eatery, which opened about three months ago. The 29-year-old chef immigrated here about five years ago and worked as the chef at Venus in Chicago before coming to Tasso's.

Pastos stressed that Tasso's uses fresh ingredients.

"Our fish is flown in from the Mediterranean, and we import our cheeses, spices and yogurts," he said.

He said the restaurant employs cooking techniques often used at restaurants in Greece. For example, he said Tasso's Greek sausage is braised instead of charbroiled, and their dolmades are prepared tight with a strained yogurt instead of a more traditional version that involves larger rolls served with egg lemon sauce.

He added that his establishment uses baby octopus in its menu items as well.

The eatery seats 115 people and features a large wine list.

"We take pride in our wines, of which 90 to 95 percent are Greek," said Pastos, who lives in Chicago.

He said the fish plates have been very popular as have made-to-order moussakas, a Greek dish consisting of ground lamb or beef, sliced eggplant baked with a cheese sauce.

Pastos came to Chicago to study about seven years ago after spending years in the restaurant business in Greece. Tasso's employs about 20 people and is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

• Kim Mikus covers small business. She welcomes comments at kmikus@dailyherald.com.