News, Events, and Specials
| Article: My Deli and Cafe in Loudoun Times | | Posted on 01-24-2008 by mydeliandcafe | Source: Loudoun Times-Mirror
TUESDAY, JANUARY 22 2008
My Deli and Cafe: George Vatikiotis of My Deli and Cafe reminds diners that it takes a love for the community to make a well-rounded menu.
"I just want my customers to be happy," Vatikiotis says.
And just by talking to him for a while, you can tell this is the most important aspect of his business. He works hard to make sure his customers are 100 percent satisfied, even if it takes making something over and over until it is just right.
What is it with Greek and Italian food that makes both so irresistibly good? With the help of his wife Vana, Vatikiotis matches the best of both worlds at My Deli. Oversized New York-style deli and bakery foods may be the highlight of Purcellville's newest lunch stop, but there's more to this cafe than meets the eye.
Behind the counter, you'll find a fascinating history in the life of Vatikiotis. Vatikiotis was born and raised in Greece, moved to the United States in 1972 to open his first pizzeria in Falls Church, Virginia, and then one in Herndon, went back to the Port of Piraeus (the center of Athens) and opened a Greek fast-food restaurant called Have a Bite, to finally come back to settle in the United States to open two more restaurants. After selling produce in Purcellville for several years, Vatikiotis fell in love with the town and decided to completely renovate the Old Theater Center. Along with the building renovations, Vatikiotis added a sidewalk and parking lot to accommodate customers.
Celebrating the grand opening on Jan. 12, My Deli is slightly reminiscent of New York City's famous Carnegie Deli. Vatikiotis worked at Carnegie after he came back from Greece the second time. His salads are enough for two people, and his subs are filling and tasty. Homemade bread ($3.75), pies ($11 for a whole one), puff pastries ($1.25), Napoleons ($3.50), coconut cake, and other sliced goodies fill the shop's deli case.
Grab a Greek sub ($6.25) stuffed with Genoa salami and feta cheese and an Italian-style cannoli ($3.75) to-go for a filling lunch. Vatikiotis's cannoli is deliciously messy to eat: sweet ricotta blended with cinnamon and chocolate chips fills a fried pastry shell and is topped with a dollop of whipped cream.
One kid-friendly menu item is the Hershey's ice cream. It's a welcoming feature since Sweet T's closed in Purcellville last year. And come summer time, Vatikiotis will be serving up homemade soft-serve ice cream.
But a hidden lure is Vatikiotis' talent for making pizza. While he doesn't sell them on the menu, if you ask long enough, you just might be able to try a taste of some of the best Greek-style white pizza around. Homemade crust is topped with mozzarella, smoky Gouda, feta cheese, Parmesan, black olives, tomatoes, onions and fresh oregano to create pizza perfection. But don't expect this to be a regularly sold item anytime soon. Vatikiotis is taking a break from pizza-making to focus more on catering and deli-style food.
Along with boxes of Greek ginger cookies ($9.50), flaky baklava ($9), and Greek walnut and honey cookies ($9.50), Vatikiotis sells a variety of imported Greek and Italian goods like semolina flour and pasta. If you buy some of the long, hollow Misko pasta, spare a few minutes to jot down Vatikiotis's family recipe for pasticcio. You won't regret hearing about how juicy plum tomatoes, fresh parsley and nutmeg make this Greek-style lasagna so good.
My Deli and Cafe also sells layered and fruit cakes by the slice, that feed anywhere from 7 people (8 inches for $29) to 70 (three-layer, full-sheet for $170). My Deli and Cafe is at 860 E. Main St. in Purcellville. For more information on catering or cakes, call 540-751-2077. Hours are 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. |
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