Dinner at Thalassa was a thoroughly enjoyable affair, which must explain why I overate. Opened in 2002, Thalassa, Greek for “the sea,” offers high quality Greek cuisine with a focus on seafood. With its expansive nautically themed three-story space in a historic Tribeca building, it’s a popular locale for both corporate and celebrity parties.

Along with a glass of 2006 Tsantali “Chromitsa” Assyrtiko-Chardonnay, my sister and I started with their signature dish: Maine diver scallops wrapped in kataifi with sheep’s milk butter and Kalamata balsamic reduction (photo below). I generally shy away from cooked scallops, but these were surprisingly stellar. The delicate kataifi — thin shreds of phyllo dough — added a soft crispy texture to contrast the smooth mollusk. I’m always a sucker for sauces; still Chef Ralpheal Abrahante is working some kind of magic here. Sheep’s milk butter tends to be rather pungent, but he has added undisclosed ingredients to temper it so there’s no malodor, just the aroma of citrus and herbs and the olive balsamic reduction for a touch of sweetness.