Molyvos

A friend and I had dinner at Molyvos the other night. We both ordered a Sea Bass special ($30), which was cooked to perfection — crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and perched atop a bed of vegetables. I wasn’t very hungry, so all I had with it was the house cabernet ($12), which was unremarkable.

Molyvos has settled into a happy middle age. Ruth Reichl, reviewing for the Times, was utterly smitten in 1997, awarding three stars. Five years later, Eric Asimov was still enthusiastic, but took the restaurant down to two stars.

I have a sense that Molyvos is executing a well-trodden path competently, but isn’t doing anything that would make it a destination. Maybe it’s because there are a lot more Greek restaurants today in Molyvos’s class than there were in 1997.

The ambiance is a comfortable faux Greek, and we were pleased to be seated at a large table that could easily have seated four. It was a happy contrast to restaurants that insist on putting you at a two-top, even when it’s clear they’re not busy.

Molyvos (871 Seventh Ave between 55th & 56th Sts, West Midtown)

Food: *½
Ambiance: *½
Service: **
Overall: *½