The Acropolis Mediterranean Grill will celebrate its 15th anniversary with lunch specials and a wine tasting during a week long celebration July 11-17.
"To make it so long you have to be flexible, responsive to the trends," says owner Savas Kyriakidis, whose father opened the business July 17, 1995 and now has 60 years of experience in the restaurant industry. "He'll tell you a lot has changed, but people still want good food, good value and to be acknowledged that their patronage is appreciated."
This Monday through Friday, Kyriakidis is introducing a special lunch anniversary menu as a way of saying thank you to the restaurant's loyal customer base. The anniversary menu will offer a variety of the restaurant's favorite dishes, featuring two lunch entrees with beverages and a dessert for $15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Kyriakidis says July 17 The Acropolis will be preparing free smoothies for children with flavors like peach, mango and strawberry. Kyriakidis and his brother-in-law Lloyd George will host a cooking demo at noon featuring a few of the restaurant's favorite Mediterranean recipes.
The weeklong celebration will end with an evening wine tasting event July 17. Kyriakidis is accepting reservations for the wine tasting and space is limited.
Kyriakidis says one of the secrets to creating and maintaining the successful restaurant has always been about understanding the customer. Each diner wants fresh and delicious dishes as well as a menu that changes to meet their tastes.
"As an independently owned restaurant we bring a completely different quality of food product to the table," Kyriakidis says.
The Acropolis' menu is known for the wide variety of Mediterranean fare including Greek and Italian cuisine. Dishes like moussaka with layered baby eggplant, thinly sliced potatoes, seasoned ground sirloin and Parmesan cheese topped with creamy béchamel sauce are as sought after as the Italian Penne Vienna with Penne pasta tossed with Mediterranean sauce and finished with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
"There's something new almost every time you come," Kyriakidis says.
The Acropolis chefs often create new recipes to stand beside the customer's favorites while using as many local ingredients as possible. Kyriakidis says buying local ingredients means they often are exposed to fewer chemicals such as pesticides and preservatives, because they have to travel shorter distances. Even those items that by necessity do not come from around Chattanooga are as fresh as possible. Kyriakidis says his seafood is not local, but he orders it nearly as soon as it is caught.
"Our menu is regulated by us, not by a need for geographic consistency as with chains," Kyriakidis says. "Consequently, when fresh produce starts coming in we can shift our menu to adapt and adopt, using fresher ingredients closer to home."
LOCATION: 2213 Hamilton Place Blvd.
HOURS: Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. through 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
PHONE: 899-5341.
WEB SITE: www.Acropolisgrill.com