Nisi seems primed to make a success of what has been somewhat of a revolving door location. For starters, the décor is distinctive, with a modern Mediterranean feel. The sophisticated blue and white color scheme is punctuated with rustic stone accents, like the pebbled wall that anchors the iced-fish display in the main dining room. While sleek and stylish, the room can be loud; a table at one of the high-backed, semicircular booths in the bar area would be a better choice for those seeking a quiet evening.

Our first indication that this is a restaurant eager to make its mark was the service, which was attentive, informative and unpretentious. Our waiter was especially helpful with the whole-fish selection, a process that can be daunting for the uninitiated. And Nisi is one of the few local restaurants to have a real sommelier on staff; his knowledge of Greek wines was key to our enjoyment of the evening.

Marinated olives were an expected first offering, but warm bread brushed with herbed olive oil and an amuse bouche of house-smoked gravlax provided a reliable clue of good things to come. With chef and Haworth resident John Piliouras – longtime chef de cuisine at Manhattan's acclaimed Molyvos – in the kitchen, we expected nothing less.

For appetizers, standouts were sesame-crusted manouri cheese with golden raisin and pine-nut spoon sweet, and keftedes (lamb, beef and zucchini meatballs with apricot yogurt dip as a surprising, and delightful, accompaniment). A sampling of spreads included an outstanding taramosalata (carp-roe mousse), which was rich, creamy and flavorful without being too fishy; shrimp saganaki – baked in a crock with tomato and feta cheese – was simple and good.

Entrées reflected the Greek penchant for flavorful, healthful foods. From the selection displayed on ice, we chose mild lavraki (Mediterranean white sea bass) grilled with olive oil, lemon and herbs. Grilled lamb chops with mint pesto were meaty, and a dry-aged, rib-eye steak was more impressive than many steakhouse renditions. An individual casserole of moussaka was decadent without being overwhelming, with just the right amount of spice in the layers of ground lamb, eggplant, tomato and creamy béchamel. Side dishes too were also nicely done – particularly the gigantes sto fourno (giant stewed lima beans) and horta (a tangle of slightly bitter sautéed greens). Greek fries, however, were under-seasoned, and underwhelming.

Where Piliouras veered from "simple and good" was on the dessert menu. Crème brûlée scented with mastic (a bitter, mace-like spice native to the Greek island of Hios), was odd – definitely an acquired taste. Krema kataifi, a version of the classic shredded phyllo sweet that was gussied up with raspberries and chocolate, looked better than it tasted. Milopita (apples, raisins and walnuts baked in phyllo with caramel and vanilla ice cream) was, thankfully, more straightforward.

In Greek, "nisi" means island, and "estiatorio" means restaurant. Owners Peter and Othon Mourkakos have indeed created an island of excellence in Bergen’s culinary sea; this is a destination dining experience that is worth regular visits.