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Greek 'comfort food in an upscale environment' returns to Main Street Columbia

Ambrosia Taverna, in former Elite Epicurean location, sets opening dates for dinner and lunch service

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Jayson Floyd is one managing partners of Ambrosia Taverna, an upscale Greek restaurant opening in the former location of Elite Epicurean at 1734 Main Street in Columbia. The building is owned by former City of Columbia councilman Joe Papadea, and sits directly across Main Street from City Hall.

“When we got the opportunity to move into the building, we came in and found it needed some remodeling based on what we thought would be our vision for the new Greek restaurant. So, we began interior renovations.” Floyd said.

“The purpose of the renovations was to change the space into a Greek restaurant that people would be proud of. When people come into Columbia, they would not be shy to bring their friends to – and want to bring their friends to experience a comfortable place where they can get some upscale Greek food.”

What the partners have done is rework the first-floor space into two dining areas and a bar. One seating area can be used for intimate, small-table groups; the other side features banquette seating and larger tables that can be pushed together for larger groups or communal dining.

The overall décor is reminiscent of an upper-middle class dining room – decorated in subtle shades of blue and white with tasteful accents of pottery and plates and paintings depicting Greek ruins – that is cozy, clean, and inviting all at once.

RELATED: Upscale Greek restaurant coming to Main Street Columbia

Plans are for Ambrosia to be open for dinner service October 17 and lunch service on October 31. Reservations are now being taken through RESY or through Ambrosiataverna.com

Ambrosia’s dinner menu features traditional Greek dishes such as a souvlakia sampler, phyllo sampler, calamari, lamb shanks, pastitsio (Greek lasagna), moussaka (eggplant casserole), baked chicken, grilled salmon, and grilled whole fresh fish. Homemade desserts include baklava, chocolate torte, rice pudding and a “towering galaktoboureko” – described as buttery phyllo pastry filled with Greek custard, drizzled with cinnamon and Greek mountain honey.

Weekend specials would include favorite menu items from the former Elite Epicurean.

The lunch menu -- featuring gyros, souvlaki, and maybe a Greek burger -- may transition over to a late-night menu for those folks who want to hang out after the main restaurant is closed.

The evening service will be more upscale with linen tablecloths and cloth napkins. “A dressy casual feel,” says Floyd, “where people can come in and feel like they can be comfortable and get some great food with fantastic service.

“Very good comfort food in an upscale environment.”

Speaking of comfort, the menu says – and Floyd reiterates -- there’s nothing wrong with sharing food at the table. He said that’s how Ambrosia’s menu was derived – everything is sharable, including the entrees.

“The Greek culture is a culture of community and there’s a lot of crossovers. A lot of people have seen ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ and when they come in, they are expecting to be greeted, they expect to have community and that’s what we want this to be and that’s why we have community tables. We want people to come in and enjoy other people’s company, meet people they’ve never met before, and enjoy the experience.”

Future plans for the second floor include a flex space for events – private parties or in-house live music bookings. The owners have been discussing possibly bringing back an event similar to Elite’s Jazz on Main, but those plans probably won’t be realized for another few months.

Construction on the building was completed in 1901. It was originally home to the first Greek church in Columbia, and the third floor served as a boarding house.

Since then, the Main Street site has housed a series of restaurants, including The Elite Epicurean (from around the mid-1940s to 1997), Al Amir, and Mom’s on Main Bistro.

Floyd and his business partners grew up in the Columbia area and hope to continue the growth and success that’s been going on in the revitalization of Main Street. “We’re excited to be a part of the Main Street District,” Floyd said.

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