Every so often I get a great idea for birthday celebrations and I believe that this year’s was a perfect one for my husband. I invited a bunch of friends and family members to begin the evening playing ping pong at Spin, and then we wandered over to the brand new Stix restaurant. Ten of us sat down on the high stools and began ordering Greek appetizers, and a variety of meats, seafood and vegetables on sticks. Yes, it would have been a successful evening, no matter what we ate, but the food was excellent, having been prepared by a chef who is highly regarded in Greece. The staff was thrilled to have our big crowd and they were incredibly generous to us. At the time, I could not imagine Manhattan Sideways reaching 23rd Street and being able to write about this experience, as this was back in early December, but here I am today, eight months later revisiting them for the site. Lying in the middle of a long stretch of fast food chains and soup-and-salad shops, Stix provides a much-needed high quality, though still convenient restaurant experience, on the East side of 23rd Street. Its wide, brown awning, open air entrance and beautiful interior make it hard to miss. Stix cleverly combines three seemingly divergent, though very much demanded food categories: an espresso bar in the front, and a Mediterranean grill/restaurant in the back. I am happy to report that Stix is thriving, the food continues to be outstanding, and the novel experience does not get old. I would recommend the combination of Spin and Stix any night of the week.
