CURRENTLY SERVING:

Privé, the soon-to-be tapas joint is pushing its opening back a bit, again. Originally scheduled to open June 1st, the Privé crew then delayed the opening to June 23rd, and are now looking to late July or early August. A Phoodie.info intern sat down with Billy Lavdas and chef Peter Karapanagiotis upstairs at Privé a while back to talk about the process of creating the restaurant.

The outside of the restaurant is unique to say the least — someone could say to you, “the storefront on Market Street with the awesome architecture,” and you would understand exactly which storefront they meant. The exterior is what originally caught the eye of Nick and Billy Lavdas when they were searching for locations. Once their idea for a Greek-inspired dining experience was met with the spot, they were introduced to Peter Karapanagiotis through a mutual friend, and their Greek dream team was complete. They knew they did not want to alter anything outside, however, the indigo-colored interior needed some work and a serious paint job to fit their vision of an upscale eatery.

Privé is using as much of the original interior as possible, without knocking down too many walls. The new decor includes imported white stone walls from china, sleek Italian furniture, black and white tile mosaics, and crystal chandeliers coming together to bring a combination of traditional and modern looks simultaneously.

Billy Lavdas tells us that his wife had a hand in the decorating, from helping with colors to picking out the barstools and booth seats. The two-story restaurant seats 150 people and has two bars, two dining rooms, and a small lounge area downstairs. The restaurant is designed to be luxurious, but with a very approachable staff and menu. Lavdas wants patrons to feel as if they can have a remarkable eating experience and not have to endure any snobbery.

And let’s talk about the menu. The Mediterranean tapas menu is big and offers several choices including small plates. Check out some of the sneak-peek dishes. Karapanagiotis brings modern twists to traditional dishes as well as introduces French and Italian influences throughout the menu. As for the ingredients used, as much meat and produce are bought locally to insure freshness, but there are some Greek specialties that are imported. Even that bar has Greek influence. Karapanagiotis lit up at just the thought of the Greek imported juices used in the cocktails.

So long story short, keep an eye on Privé. And make sure to swing by for a cocktail or some Melitzanosalata when you feel like it.