A Perfect Wine List?

What would your perfect wine list look like?

If you were to go into a restaurant and pick up the wine list, what would you like to find?

For almost twenty years, Mary and Costa Arabatzis - owners of Ziziki's - have exhibited their passion for wine in their award winning wine list at Zizikis Dallas Restaurants.

With an eclectic selection of wine from around the world, Zizikis is renowned for its fabulous wine selection. What should you look for in a great wine list? Here's some things we look for:

A good number of wine-by-the-glass offerings. We offer over 40! Everything from casual to more interesting selections.

A long list with a great selection of diverse wines with diverse pricing. With over 100 selections on our list, our goal has been to find the best boutique wines for our list at the best possible price.

Awards and accolades - everyone likes to be recognized. Zizikis is proud to have been awarded Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence for our wine list. According to Wine Spectator, 'Award of Excellence winners offer a well-chosen selection of quality producers, along with a thematic match to the restaurant's menu offerings. Typically, these lists offer at least 100 selections.' What's not to love about that?

But don't take our word for it! Bring a wine-loving-friend to check out our award winning wine list and enjoy a night out at Zizikis. Opa!

Wine about it!

When you think of opening up a bottle of wine, do you opt for a fine French Bordeaux or a rich, yet fruity, Italian Chianti or even a Cabernet Sauvignon from one of the most popular non-European vineyard - that of say - Napa Valley in California?

What about Greek wines? You know - they have been doing it LONGER than anyone! Greek wines have been dated to over 6500 years ago. The Greeks were known to worship Dionysus, the god of wine, It has been said Hippocrates used wine for medicinal purposes. Viticulture (the science, production and study of grapes) originated in Greece with domestic cultivation becoming widespread throughout Europe. Greek wines and their varieties were well known and traded throughout the Mediterranean and across the world.

The importance of wine in ancient Greek society can be summed up best by a quote from the Greek historian Thucydides: "the peoples of the Mediterranean began to emerge from barbarism when they learned to cultivate the olive and the vine". I know I feel more at “peace” when I am indulging on a tasty glass of vintage Lantides Aenaon, Merlot from Greece.

Be sure to visit us for Dallas Best Wine Selection at Zizikis or Ziziki’s Taverna to taste any one of our great ports and wines from Greece and other regions in Europe - as well as Dallas Best Greek Cuisine.

More About Chef Costa and Mary - Owners of Zizikis Restaurants

The Ziziki's family of Greek restaurants are owned and managed by Costa & Mary Arabatzis; long-time residents and business owners in the Dallas area.

Award-winning chef, Costa Arabatzis - is no stranger to the industry, he began his restaurant career as Assistant Dishwasher in his father's restaurant in sunny California. (also where he was born)  He winded his way around positions, and eventually became Assistant Manager and then, Cook.


In 1986, Costa and his father found themselves in beautiful Hawaii, where they opened the Greek Bistro on the island of Maui - and it's still a local and visitor must-try restaurant.

Costa moved to Dallas in 1990 and eventually opened Ziziki’s Restaurant with partner Mary Cloutier Arabatzis, and recently was awarded winner of the Taste of Addison - Taste The Competition contest.


Mary Arabatzis hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota and is a graduate from Drake University in Des Moines with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism.

Mary 's been in big D since 1980, and has tons of feathers in her cap with regard to her former career in marketing and media relations. She was Media Supervisor at Tracy-Locke, Vice President – Media at Bozell, Inc. (currently Temerlin-McClain) and also Vice President, Media Director of NWAyer Dallas.

With regard to her position at Ziziki's, she is responsible for all the locations 'front of the house': that is - management of staff, sales & marketing, and the development of the wine list. And she's been nothing short of FABULOUS - Ziziki’s has been awarded “The Award of Excellence” by The Wine Spectator every year since 1995 - among several other outstanding awards for customer service.


For full bios on Costa & Mary - visit Ziziki's Taverna's about us page.

Don't Wine About The Wine

Whether it is a night out with your girlfriends or a romantic dinner with your spouse, “wine” not… wine and dine? There are a variety of wines with a variety of flavors to choose from. Every wine has its own unique taste depending on which type of grape and region it came from.

Greece is one of the oldest wine producing countries in the world. In Ancient Greece the reputation of the wine was based on where the wine came from and not the individual producer of the wine. Wine was a very important part of Greek history, which would take pages to explain, so let’s move on to the mouth watering part of Greek history; that is the different types of wines!

First of all you might be wondering why is white wine not really “white”? Most white wines are a yellow/golden color. This is because white wines are made from the grape juice and the grape skin of gold, green, or yellow grapes. It can also be made from the juice of a red grape but not the skin( usually in champagne). Drinking white wine is most common when consuming a lighter meal such as lunch or an appetizer. It is also great during the spring and summer because it is a lighter more refreshing type of wine. Have you ever tried a white wine? ...Well if not, the most common white wines that are served in our restaurant today are Chardonnay and Champagne.

Unlike white wine, red wine is actually red. It might not always look red, but it usually is considered a shade of red on the color scale. This wine is actually true to its name because the grapes that are used to make this kind of wine are red, deep purple, and even blue. They receive their unique color and name because during the fermentation process the skins of the grapes are actually in contact with the juices which creates a wide variety of deep colors. When drinking red wine you want to make sure that the temperature is just right. If it is to warm the wine will have an overwhelming taste of alcohol. If the wine is too cold it will have an extremely bitter taste, this is why all red wines should be served at room temperature. Some of the most common red wines at Ziziki's and Volos Taverna are Cabernet and Pinot Noir.

Choosing the right wine might be difficult, but once you find it you will be asking yourself… “ ‘wine not’ go out for the perfect glass of wine tonight.”

Wine Tour - Zizikis Dallas Travis Walk

Ziziki’s Restaurant at Travis Walk will feature a special wine tour/dinner on Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 6-10PM with guest speaker Dominique Moran, Regional Manager of Maisons, Marques &  Domaines. The menu will pair Ziziki’s familiar menu items and some new mezzes (small plates) from Volos Taverna, Ziziki’s new sister restaurant, with these great ports and wines from Europe.



“From Port To Port Ziziki’s Wine Tour”

• Ramos Pinto La Crima “Tears of Christ” White Port
  Portugal
  
• Roederer Brut Champagne
  Reims France
  
• 2007 Schlumberger Pinot Blanc
  Alsace France
  
• 2005 Marques de Murrieta Reserve Rioja
  Spain
  
• 2005 Pio Cesare Barolo
  Piedmont Italy
  
• Ramos Pinto 10 Yr Tawny Ervamira Port
  Portugal

$49 per person

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
6-10PM

Welcome To Dallas - VOLOS TAVERNA

When Volos is mentioned, I have thoughts of the beautiful port city in Thessaly near the Greek mainland.. not far from Athens, Greece.

Now, Volos will hold new thoughts (and yummy ones, too) in our minds as Zizikis opens the Volos Taverna in Addison.

Costa and Mary Arabatzis decided to open a sister concept of Zizikis and will focus on delicious Greek cuisine and influence Dallas has come to love with Zizikis. The Volos menu will be a bit smaller - and their vision is an affordable, exclusive and friendly wine bar with a selection of scrumptious mezzes, or Greek appetizers - as well as some of variations on some of the favorites from the Zizikis menu.

Costa created the small plated items and they are all priced perfectly for either a romantic dinner for two, the family or a night out with friends. The menu features a wide variety of appetizers as well as several new dishes.

Costa describes one on his new dishes “a beautifully sautéed chicken with lemon and a white wine sauce, served with gigante beans from Greece, they're like fava beans, they're BIG. They're done with a little prosciutto and some roasted tomatoes or bell peppers"

They added in two more dips to compliment their famous artichoke hummus dip. The eggplant dip or Greek caviar (Tarama) is certain to be a favorite and they will introduce flatbread to the menu, which has not be a selection until now.

Most of the establishment located at 5000 Belt Line Road at the Addison Walk will be the bar with the rest being seating for patrons for food. The bar is long with breathtaking dark colors and certainly is a sight.

You can also visit the original Zizikis at Travis Walk, the Preston location or the Lakeside Market in Plano. Whichever location you decide, one of the Zizikis family of restaurants will certainly become one of your favorites!

Valentine's Day - From The Greeks?

If we were in Greece on Valentine’s Day, we might be visiting the Pink Palace Hotel on Corfu, or heading to the Athens Backpackers Hotel for their “Big Pink Party”.  Or maybe - just possibly - we might be just spending a warm sunny day on one of the Greek Isles.

Because Greek mythology traces Valentine’s Day to the marriage between Zeus and Hera - Valentine's Day in Greece is known as HIGHLY romantic. Handsome young men and their beautiful women spend the entire day together proclaiming their love to one another because Eros (as Greeks say, but known as Cupid in Roman mythology) is the cause of the emotion and love - and is very present during Valentine's Day.  Eros was the young son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty and I think we can take it from there and remember the history.


Unfortunately many of us aren't lucky enough to spend Valentine’s Day in Greece - and for those of us who aren't there, we can to bring the romance of Greek tradition to us on Valentine's Day.

Start your dinner off at Ziziki’s in Dallas with Greek Paella or maybe their Greek God’s Platter made up of Pistachio, Spanakopita and Lamb Souvlaki, or choose a prix-fixe menu offering customized for the Valentine's Day. Enjoy the atmosphere at Ziziki’s, it's enough to make you fall in love with the warm modern décor and music.

After dinner enjoy a cup of Greek finely ground cup of coffee from Ziziki's Coffee Bar and possibly some Baklava Ice Cream Cake or a warm piece of Chocolate Liquor cake, surely to warm up your senses.

If we can’t be on the Greek Isles, bring the air of love from Greece to us by visiting Ziziki’s this Valentine’s Day.