Photos: Mazi’s ‘Rising from the Ashes’ pre-opening celebration

Mazi has risen from the ashes of the Athens Grill.

John and Christine Mantzopoulous hosted a pre-opening celebration party last night at their new East Main Street eatery, where family, friends, fellow downtown business owners and town officials gathered to sample Mediterranean bites and enjoy Mazi’s cosmopolitan decor.

John dubbed the event “Rising from the Ashes” on Facebook, his medium for organizing the affair; dozens of people came and went during the four-hour gathering. His guests enjoyed an eclectic menu of hors d’oeuvres: fried mussels and oysters, veal and pork souvlaki and chicken with tzatziki sauce, among others. Mazi’s menu will be equally eclectic, he promises.

Mazi is Greek for “together” — a name Mantzopoulos chose  because the project itself is an expression of togetherness, he says.  “Mazi is here today because of the people in the community, the people who helped me, my friends in the neighborhood,” he said. “I thank you all.”

Mazi will open for business on Monday, Sept. 21, Mantzopoulos said last night. He was originally planning to open up on Thursday, but there are still details to iron out and provisions to stock.

“I want everything to be perfect,” he said last night, leaning back against the bar for a brief respite. He put his arm around his wife to smile for a photo. Even as he posed, his eyes darted around the room, checking to make sure all was well. In a flash, he was off, back in the kitchen, instructing his staff to prepare more of this and that for his guests.

It’s been two long years for the Greenport couple and their kids. They’ve struggled to survive since a fire gutted their restaurant on June 28, 2013. The fire severely damaged their East Main Street building, not only putting the Athens Grill out of business, but also the Mantzopoulos’ tenant. Mostly, they survived on Christine’s wages as a nurse at Eastern Long Island Hospital. They were beset by insurance company woes on top of the disaster — their insurer, in fiscal distress, was bought by another company after the fire, complicating and delaying payment of claims.

To save money, John did as much of the work as he could himself — cleaning, clearing and rebuilding. That extended the time it took to reopen. He’s pleased with the results of his efforts.

Mazi has cast aside the formal ambiance of its predecessor, instead embracing a stylish, urban feel. Behind the ultra-glossy wooden bar runs an exposed, whitewashed brick wall. Funky metallic lights hang above the bar, which spans the length of the restaurant to the open kitchen. Black-and-white prints of vintage Manhattan hang in frames on the walls. Leather-backed chairs and bar seats still give the restaurant the air of class and comfort reminiscent of the Athens Grill.

“It’s got an urban, groovy look to it,” Mantzopoulos told RiverheadLOCAL last week. “When we laid out the restaurant, I wanted it to be wide open. You look through the storefront, and it doesn’t hide from you.”

The glass storefront is an attractive addition to Main Street, said Riverhead BID Management Association president Ray Pickersgill, who owns Robert James Salon a few doors away with his daughter Lisa and wife Margaret. “It’s beautiful and lifts up the entire street.”

Mantzopoulos divided his building into three stores. (Mazi is smaller than its predecessor.) The other two shops are occupied by Sweet Tart Frozen Yogurt Cafe, which opened in February, and Cybersitio, an electronics and mobile phone retail store, which opened last month.

Mazi, located at 33 East Main Street, will be open for lunch and dinner. Phone: (631) 740-9933.