By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER EAST SIDE — When the going gets tough on Second Avenue, the tough don't get going, they introduce a more affordable menu.
While businesses have struggled to stay afloat amid the double hit of the recession and Second Avenue subway construction on Second Avenue, the owners of the former Trata Greek restaurant took advantage of their renewed lease to redesign the space and lower the menu's price point.
Now open for business after seven months of construction, the newly-named Kouzina by Trata at 1331 Second Avenue, aims to draw a slightly younger clientele, said Spiros Argis, 56, the restaurant's manager.
"The economy changed," Argis said. "That has a lot to do with it."
Where diners used to spend $75 per person at Trata, they can now eat for about $35 at Kouzina, he said.
The menu has retained its famous white sangria, but the focus of the food has shifted to include more traditional Greek dishes, such as Moussaka, a casserole, and Tsipoura, a simple fish dish.
The eatery also hopes to hold regular music nights beginning in September, Argis said.
