I mustache you a question. Do you like Mediterranean food, wood-fired pizza and/or funky facial hair? If so you must check out Bobby Saritsoglou’s new restaurant Stina, opening soon in the Point Breeze neighborhood. Chef Bobby and his signature ‘stache came into the COOK kitchen last week to give our guests a sneak preview of what he will be serving up at his new spot. The name Stina comes from Bobby’s nickname for his wife Christina Kallas-Saritsoglou, co-founder of Philly AIDS Thrift. Christina joined Bobby at COOK to tell people about how a portion of Stina’s monthly profits will be donated to charitable causes in the area. While Stina will have a wood-fired pizza oven imported from Genoa, Bobby will also be serving Mediterranean classics such as kefta, tabouleh and more. Read on to check out some of the fare to expect at Stina and more details about Bobby’s first restaurant!

To welcome guests, Bobby started off the night with a warm bowl of Greek-inspired lentil soup. Lamb meatballs, swiss chard and chickpeas filled out the hearty soup. In the soup, Bobby incorporated a spice that many don’t associate with Greek cuisine – cumin. The use of cumin lent nutty, earthy flavors to the dish, which paired nicely with the ground lamb mini meatballs.

Following the lentil soup was a course that had a classic Mediterranean combination of fennel, olive, blood orange and preserved lemon. The star of the plate surrounded by this combo was charred octopus. Before charring it on the grill, Bobby braised the octopus ahead of time in a bath of red wine, vinegar, lemon, onion, celery, garlic and red cabbage shoots for 2 hours. He explained that octopus needs to be cooked for a long time before grilling it, otherwise you’ll end up with a chewy result. Garnishing this dish was a staple Greek cheese commonly recognized by many, but not in this “chip” form. Bobby pureed and dehydrated feta cheese to create these cheese crisps, which added great texture to the dish. An additional bit of texture came from the olive crumble – also dehydrated to intensify the flavor.

Onto the main course of beef kefta, which really wowed the crowd. Many guests were unfamiliar with kefta – a Moroccan minced meat mixture typically seasoned with onion, cumin, paprika, parsley and coriander – but Bobby gave them a proper introduction with his version. Using ground beef with an 80/20 fat ratio, Bobby incorporated the spices with the meat. He formed meatballs with the blend which he then shaped and pressed onto sticks to create kebabs (or keBobbys?). The skewers of beef were then crusted with pistachios and placed on the grilled. Alongside the beef kefta Bobby had freshly made pitas cooking on our griddle. Once the pitas were golden brown and crusty they were brushed with olive oil and za’atar and adorned with tabouleh – a salad comprised of a LOT of parsley, bulgur wheat and tomato dressed with olive oil and lemon. After they were finished on the grill, a beef kefta skewer was placed on top of the pita and bed of tabouleh. Rounding out the pita was an aerated yogurt to add acidity, completing the gorgeous dish!

After winning our guests’ hearts with a lovely dinner, Bobby and Christina handed out bundles of mini kataifi (crispy strands of shredded phyllo dough) with candied pistachios as a snack for guests to take home. Adhered to the bundle was the location of the 28-seat BYOB – 1705 Synder Ave, Philadelphia, PA – as well as Stina’s website and Instagram account. Pending on construction and various contracting projects, Bobby and Christina are hoping for a March opening, so be sure to follow them on Instagram for updates!