Roslyn

REVIEW: Kyma

September 25, 2018 | Daily Bite

"New" doesn't always mean "better", and no restaurant proves that more than the upscale Greek eatery, Kyma!

Review by Richard Scholem.
Originally published in Long Island Pulse on January 3, 2018
Photo Credit: Kyma's Facebook

Foodies flock to new restaurants. Restaurant critics too target the new culinary kids on the block. All of them want to be the first to visit the newest guy and tell the rest of us what to expect. To accomplish this task they are passing some of the most outstanding restaurants on the Island, the elite operations that have eliminated their rough spots over the years. Yet few if any of the new entries achieve that status. In fact, many of them close after a relatively short run.

My vote goes to the excellent established eating places that deserve some continuing coverage. Exhibit A is a restaurant like the five year old Kyma in Roslyn with a menu that offers traditional Greek and accessible, mainstay American dishes. All of them are consistently good, often great versions. Speaking of consistency, it’s the mark of a great restaurant and at Kyma if you order the same dish three times its taste and size will never vary. There are no unwelcome surprises.

Among the many welcome choices here are all the seafood dishes. Kyma means ‘Wave’ in Greek so the delicate hand with seafood (some of which is flown in from the Mediterranean) here is appropriate. Try the substantial lobster bisque laced with pieces of lobster (one order will serve two) or the massive seafood linguini accurately described as “the entire sea on your plate”, loaded with fresh shrimp, mussels, scallops, clams, oysters, etc.

Meat eaters aren’t neglected; there are sirloin steaks, lamp chops and veal on the menu. If they all are as good as the soft, almost fork-tender filet mignon special, you won’t be disappointed.

A mountain of rich, smooth Greek yogurt topped with honey, fruit and a sprinkle of nuts is an ideal closer for meals at Kyma. (The generous portion is more than enough for two diners.)

Kyma covers all the bases. Care is taken everywhere. This eager to please wait staff is warm and friendly. And this is a beautiful space of white walls, soaring white beamed ceilings and white brick arches. In the weeks before Christmas, the compartments in dining room pillars were each filled with miniature Christmas trees and a single red Christmas tree ornament.

Richard Jay Scholem practically invented the Long Island restaurant culture through 800+ reviews of the region's eateries both on radio and in print over the last 30 years. He is a former New York Times Long Island Section restaurant reviewer, has contributed to the Great Restaurants of...magazines and Bon Vivant, authored a book, aired reviews on WGSM and WCTO radio stations, served on the board of countless community and food and beverage organizations, and received many accolades for his journalism in both print and broadcast media. He is currently available for restaurant consultation. Reach him at (631) 271-3227.

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