Please give to The Capital Times Kids Fund.

Cleveland's Diner going Greek

Susan Troller  —  4/29/2008 6:18 pm

Cleveland's Diner, the longtime Madison breakfast institution on East Wilson Street, will soon be able to stay up late.

Telly and Beth Fatsis, who have owned Cleveland's for 13 years, will continue serving breakfast six days a week (Tuesday through Sunday), but will begin serving dinners with a Greek flavor on the same days from about 4 p.m. through 11 p.m.

The restaurant, which is now closed, is being renamed Plaka and is likely to open in early June, Telly Fatsis said in an interview.

The couple also owns and operates the Atlantis Taverna in Sun Prairie.

The interior of the diner will be transformed, architect Ed Linville said, but the building's exterior will be largely unchanged except for new windows and an elegant new sign that replaces the Cleveland's canopy.

Cleveland's Diner can now serve about 35 people, Fatsis said, but the new restaurant will accommodate about 50 or 55.

The food will have a Greek flavor, with an emphasis on savory smaller plates and various combinations that include things like kebabs. Known as mezethes in Greece, the plates are similar to Spanish tapas, Fatsis said.

The restaurant is named for Athens' entertainment and nightclub district, which sits below the Acropolis.

"We thought it would be a good name because the location, near the corner of Wilson and King streets, is in a Madison nightclub and resturant district, and it's below the Capitol, which is like our Acropolis," Fatsis said.

Susan Troller  —  4/29/2008 6:18 pm