When local Italian favorite Chef Marc’s Trattoria recently relocated to the Ahern Hotel just off the Strip, it left a long-popular restaurant space in the Lakes neighborhood temporarily empty. Another local treasure, Elia, seized the opportunity—and the patio.
Grilled octopus
Owner Savvas Georgiadis says more space (2,500 square feet) was the biggest factor in Elia’s move from its original South Durango spot, where it has been serving some of the Valley’s best Greek fare for three and half years, to the recently renovated restaurant at Durango and Sahara. It opened in its new digs in September.
“It has some amenities we didn’t have at the other location, like a bar and a beautiful patio, which helps a lot now with COVID,” he says.
Fans of the old Elia will also appreciate the indoor restrooms. The previous, tiny space didn’t have room, so diners had to walk outside and reenter the lone restroom facility. More importantly, the new Elia has a bigger kitchen, which means there are new dishes to sample. Among the fresh flavors are lamb tartare ($16) with sun-dried tomatoes, shallots, mint, tzatziki, lemon and dill oil, and a filet mignon ($32) with roasted veggies and red wine-sour cherry reduction.
The classics are still available, too. Grilled octopus ($16) with red wine vinegar and rich olive oil; pan-fried zucchini chips called kolokythakia ($15) with creamy tzatziki; and feta psiti ($12), with feta cheese, fresh chilies and tomatoes, oregano and olive oil, are among the most beloved shareable dishes. And there are many more of those, perfect on that patio with a bottle of wine and your very best friends.
Elia has also expanded its wine list substantially. “We used to carry only Greek wines. Now we have a lot more, something for all tastes and budgets,” Georgiadis says. And lunchtime service is coming soon, possibly before the holiday season.
ELIA 8615 W. Sahara Ave., 702-284-5599. Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday, 4-10 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 4-11 p.m.
